Make Your Point: GARRULOUS

Make Your Point > Archived Issues > GARRULOUS

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

pronounce GARRULOUS:

GAIR uh luss

connect this word to others:

The word garrulous is a synonym of chatty, talkative, and the words below. Can you recall them?

1. Someone lo___ious is very talkative.

2. Someone vo___le talks fast and easily, as if their words are rolling out.

3. (and 4.) Someone pr__ing (or pr____ing) talks on and on in a childish, annoying way.

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

The word "garrulous" comes from the Latin garrire, which meant "to talk or chatter."

It's been around in English since the 1600s.

Someone garrulous likes to talk on and on for a long time, especially in a way that seems rambling or tiresome to others.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Adjective: "a garrulous coworker," "Chief was his usual garrulous self" (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie).

Other forms:

The adverb is "garrulously," and the noun is "garrulity."

how to use it:

"Garrulous" is a formal, semi-common word, so it's good when you want to sound serious or academic as you describe a talkative person—someone whose tendency to go on and on is a bit annoying or self-indulgent.

In other words, to call someone garrulous is to make a mild complaint. And it's a complaint that's often applied to older people. You might even think of "garrulous" as an ageist term; if so, you might want to avoid using it.

Still, it's generally acceptable to describe people as garrulous: "I hope I don't get a garrulous taxi driver;" "The story opens with a garrulous old shopkeeper and an impatient customer;" "She's as garrulous as ever."

examples:

"Sometimes There Is a Void is a talky, formless and seemingly endless book... like a beloved, garrulous uncle who has no idea when to stop."
— Dwight Garner, New York Times, 5 January 2012

"In Tennessee Williams's play Spring Storm... the young author's garrulous, witty voice emerges fully fledged, chattering to keep out the dark."
— David Jays, The Guardian, 27 May 2010

has this page helped you understand "garrulous"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "garrulous" without saying "long-winded" or "rambling."

try it out:

Who's the most garrulous person you know, or the most garrulous person you've interacted with this week? Would you say this person is charming, annoying, or both, and why?

Or, are you garrulous? Are you garrulous only in certain situations, or on certain topics? Why or why not?

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for this month is "Stop, Drop, & Anagram!"

I’ll give you an 8-letter word, along with a quote with a blank in it. Your job is to drop a letter from the word, then reassemble it into the 7-letter word that fits meaningfully into the blank. You'll find the answer at the bottom of the issue. Enjoy!

Try this one today:

CAMEOING.

"'King Robb needs his own _____as well,' he declared, 'and White Harbor is the very place to mint it.'"
— George R. R. Martin, A Clash of Kings, 1998

review this word:

1. One opposite of GARRULOUS is

A. ABSTRUSE: too deep and complex to understand.
B. TERSE: getting to the point with a minimum of words.
C. WEATHER-WISE: good at predicting how people will react to things.

2. In the novel Johnny Tremain, Esther Hoskins Forbes describes a character as "garrulous," "_____," and "_____."

A. timid .. skittish
B. sly .. double-dealing
C. boastful .. complaining

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.

I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

Make Your Point > Archived Issues > GARRULOUS Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

Subscribe to "Make Your Point" for a daily vocabulary boost.

Make Your Point > Archived Issues > GARRULOUS

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.