Meaning & use
garrulous
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparabledisapprovingformal
Talking far too much, usually about things that are not important.
Grammar: Used before a noun (a garrulous man) or after a linking verb (he was garrulous); it describes a person or their talk, not a single remark.
Patterns
- a garrulous person
- be garrulous about something
- grow garrulous
My garrulous neighbor kept me at the gate for twenty minutes talking about his new fence.
She becomes garrulous after a glass of wine, and nobody can get a word in.
His garrulous style works on radio but tires readers of his reports.
adjectivecomparableformaldisapproving
Full of many words and trivial details; long-winded in style.
Grammar: Describes speech or writing rather than people; often before a noun such as 'style' or 'account'.
Patterns
- a garrulous style
- a garrulous account of something
The memoir is garrulous and repetitive, yet oddly charming.
Editors cut the garrulous opening chapter down to two pages.
Word forms
| comparative | more garrulous |
|---|---|
| superlative | most garrulous |
Common combinations
- a garrulous old man
- A garrulous old man at the bus stop told us his whole life story.
- become garrulous
- He becomes garrulous whenever the subject turns to cricket.
- garrulous about something
- She is garrulous about her garden but silent on everything else.
- a garrulous mood
- In a garrulous mood, the coach talked for an hour after the match.
- famously garrulous
- The host was famously garrulous, so the show always ran long.
Synonyms and how they differ
- talkative
- The neutral, everyday word; 'garrulous' adds the idea that the talking is excessive and annoying.
- chatty
- Friendlier and lighter; a chatty person is pleasant company, while a garrulous one wears you out.
- loquacious
- Very close in meaning but more formal and often less critical, sometimes used with mild admiration.
- long-winded
- Focuses on speeches or writing that take too long to make a point, not on a person's general habit of chatting.
Opposites
Word family
- garrulously adverb
- In a garrulous way: he talked garrulously for an hour.
- garrulousness noun
- The quality of being garrulous; also 'garrulity' in formal writing.
Commonly confused: garrulous or gorgeous?
garrulous vs gorgeous
Sounds similar but means 'very beautiful'; 'a garrulous guest' talks too much, while 'a gorgeous guest' is lovely to look at.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'garrulous' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Garrulous' describes people who talk too much, so the waiter who describes every dish at length fits. It cannot describe a path or soup, and it never means 'short and clear' — that would be the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “garrulous”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.