garrulousness

IPA/ˈɡær.əl.əs.nəs/
IPA/ˈɡer.əl.əs.nəs/

garrulousness — noun

1. the tendency to speak too much and at unnecessary length, usually about matters

1.nounC2
Definition

the tendency to speak too much and at unnecessary length, usually about matters that others find trivial or uninteresting

Example

Lien's garrulousness at the dinner party drove several guests to find excuses and leave early.

possessive determiner + garrulousness as subject showing negative outcome

The manager warned Nila that her garrulousness during meetings was wasting everyone's valuable time.

warn + that-clause linking garrulousness to a consequence

Common collocations
  • garrulousness of + [person]
  • annoying garrulousness
  • habitual garrulousness
  • famous for one's garrulousness
Synonyms
  • talkativeness

    more general and less negative; describes someone who simply enjoys talking

  • loquacity

    formal, often neutral; suggests fluent, continuous speech without the negative judgement

  • verbosity

    focuses on using more words than needed, more often applied to writing than speech

  • prolixity

    very formal; describes tediously long-winded expression, especially in written texts

Antonyms
  • taciturnity

    the habit of saying very little; reserved silence

  • reticence

    restraint in speech, often from caution or shyness

Grammar Patterns

possessive determiner + garrulousness

garrulousness of [person]

Usage Note

Almost always carries a negative judgement. Used more often in formal character descriptions or literary writing than in everyday conversation — the simpler word "talkativeness" is more common in casual speech.

Common Mistakes

Her garrulousness was useful during the group discussion.
Her talkativeness was useful during the group discussion.
'garrulousness' implies excessive, trivial talk viewed negatively; it does not mean general talkativeness.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe a tendency to speak a lot, but they differ in tone and context. Talkativeness is the most neutral, everyday term — it simply means a person enjoys talking, without suggesting anything negative. Garrulousness adds a critical edge: the speaker talks too much, especially about trivial things, and often annoys listeners. Loquacity is more formal and can be neutral or even admiring (flowing, articulate speech), whereas garrulousness is never complimentary. Verbosity focuses on using too many words to express an idea, and is more often used of writing than speech. For example: "Her talkativeness made her popular at parties" (neutral), but "His garrulousness at the meeting made everyone check their watches" (negative).

garrulousness ↗loquacity ↗talkativeness ↗verbosity ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • renowned for one's garrulousness
  • prone to garrulousness

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

From Latin 'garrulus' (talkative, chattering), which comes from 'garrire' (to chatter) — an imitative word that echoes the sound of rapid, continuous talking. The suffix '-ness' was added in English to form the abstract noun meaning 'the quality of being garrulous'.