Word of the day · 3 July 2026
garrulous
/ˈɡærələs/
adjective
Excessively talkative, especially about trivial matters.
In a sentence
- A garrulous neighbor narrated every delivery on the street.
- The memoir turns garrulous in the middle chapters.
- Even a short meeting stretched under his garrulous updates.
In an image
Origin
From Latin garrulus (talkative), from garrire (to chatter).
History
English took garrulous for people who talk freely and often about little. It is harsher than sociable and closer to wordy without purpose. Novelists use it for characters who fill silence; critics use it for prose that will not stop. The word still carries a mild rebuke rather than a compliment.
Nearby words
talkative · loquacious · chatty
Chat that runs long and light, past the useful point.