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garrulous

adjective
gar·​ru·​lous | \ ˈger-ə-ləs How to pronounce garrulous (audio) , ˈga-rə- also ˈger-yə-\

Definition of garrulous

1 : given to prosy, rambling, or tedious loquacity : pointlessly or annoyingly talkative
2 : wordy sense 1 garrulous speeches
Other Words from garrulous Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about garrulous

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Other Words from garrulous

garrulously adverb
garrulousness noun

Choose the Right Synonym for garrulous

talkative, loquacious, garrulous, voluble mean given to talk or talking. talkative may imply a readiness to engage in talk or a disposition to enjoy conversation. a talkative neighbor loquacious suggests the power of expressing oneself articulately, fluently, or glibly. a loquacious spokesperson garrulous implies prosy, rambling, or tedious loquacity. garrulous traveling companions voluble suggests a free, easy, and unending loquacity. a voluble raconteur

Did You Know?

English has many adjectives that share the meaning "given to talk" or "talking." "Talkative" may imply a readiness to talk or a disposition to enjoy conversation, while "loquacious" suggests the power of expressing oneself articulately, fluently, or glibly. "Voluble" suggests a free, easy, and unending talkativeness, and "garrulous" implies talkativeness that is dull, rambling, or tedious. "Garrulous," by the way, derives from the Latin verb garrire, which means (no surprise here) "to chatter" or "to babble."

Examples of garrulous in a Sentence

Salman grew ever more garrulous as the yellow liquid in the bottle went down; Baal couldn't recall when he'd last heard anyone talk up such a storm. — Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses, 1989 To an American reader in 1982, confronted with this garrulous, indefatigably quirky, I'm-just-typing-on-yellow-paper-and-associating-ideas-and-memories prose work of l936, such a judgment, by a presumably informed person, seems preposterous. — Joyce Carol Oates, New York Times Book Review, 3 Oct. 1982 He was not garrulous by any means. On the contrary, there was a fine reserve in his manner toward the entire domestic economy of his life which was all that is comprehended by the popular term, gentlemanly. — Theodore Dreiser, Sister Carrie, 1900 He became more garrulous after drinking a couple of beers. a garrulous boy who was in constant trouble for talking out of turn
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Recent Examples on the Web

 The hat has become a symbol of us vs. them, of exclusion and suspicion, of garrulous narcissism, of white male privilege, of violence and hate. — Washington Post, "The MAGA hat is not a statement of policy. It’s an inflammatory declaration of identity.," 17 Aug. 2019 The local press, lively and garrulous in the past, has taken on a somewhat muted quality when reporting on subjects of high sensitivity to Beijing. — Gerard Baker, WSJ, "Hong Kong’s Flickering Hopes for Freedom," 21 June 2019 Graying and brawny, garrulous and darkly funny in the way of soldiers, Oleg A. carried an AK-47. — Jeré Longman, New York Times, "Watching the World Cup in a War Zone, Where Every Goal Matters," 15 June 2018 One was flamboyant, garrulous and costumed and the other is malevolent, violent, threatening and destructive. — WSJ, "No Tea Party on the Democrats’ Left Wing," 12 Sep. 2018 The garrulous Conservative lawmaker, sometime journalist and former mayor of London has never been known for tact or diplomacy. — Washington Post, "Regret, relief at departure of Boris Johnson as top UK envoy," 10 July 2018 The roster rules that are known read like a garrulous alphabet-soup of acronyms and directives. — Patrick Brennan, Cincinnati.com, "Here's how FC Cincinnati plans to build its roster for the 2019 MLS season," 4 July 2018 For now, the immediate goals remain modest for the garrulous Walker. — Jeff Mcdonald, San Antonio Express-News, "Spurs’ new draft pick not just all talk," 23 June 2018 Her alter ego, Annie, is a garrulous diner waitress whose sole customer (Simon Pegg) is a terminally ill teacher looking for a faster way to die. — Vaughn Stein, New York Times, "Review: Revenge Goes Sour in ‘Terminal’," 10 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'garrulous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of garrulous

circa 1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for garrulous

borrowed from Latin garrulus, from garrīre "to chatter, talk rapidly" (probably of imitative origin) + -ulus, deverbal suffix denoting inclination or repetitive action (going back to Indo-European -l-, participial suffix) — more at -ous

Note: For possible relation to a proposed Indo-European base *ǵeh2r-, see care entry 1.

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More Definitions for garrulous

garrulous

adjective
How to pronounce garrulous (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of garrulous

: tending to talk a lot : very talkative

See the full definition for garrulous in the English Language Learners Dictionary

garrulous

adjective
gar·​ru·​lous | \ ˈger-ə-ləs How to pronounce garrulous (audio) \

Kids Definition of garrulous

: very talkative

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