When you hear or say loquacious, you might notice that the word has a certain poetic ring. In fact, poets quickly snatched up loquacious soon after it made its first appearance in English in the 17th century and, with poetic license, stretched its meaning to include such things as the chattering of birds and the babbling of brooks. In less poetic uses, loquacious usually means "excessively talkative." The ultimate source of all this chattiness is loqui, a Latin verb meaning "to speak." Other words descended from loqui include colloquial, eloquent, soliloquy, and ventriloquism.
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
Example Sentences
… long-cultivated dislikes and resentments, combined with a general expectation of coming apocalypse. He talked about these topics in a manner that managed to be tight-lipped and loquacious at the same time. Ian Frazier, New Yorker, 22 & 29 Dec. 2003… the flaw of the genre is not in betraying the loquacious John Williams and the chatty Father Foucquet, but in failing to schedule an interview with the reticent Eunice Williams and the tongue-tied John Hu. Jill Lepore, Journal of American History, June 2001With a wonderful memory for detail, this talkative woman—who my father said never forgets anything—became truly loquacious. Joseph A. Amato, Dust, 2000 a loquacious and glib politician the loquacious host of a radio talk show
Recent Examples on the WebThe tall, skinny, loquacious Baird is the head of UC Riverside’s Turfgrass Research & Extension program, devoted to the study of growing and maintaining lawns. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2022 Even the more loquacious members of the cast had trouble finding not just the right words, but any words at all. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 8 Sep. 2022 Gould and Gilligan would also address the cartel origin story — and fill in more Breaking blanks — as well as mine a little loquacious vs. laconic dramedy through Jimmy's run-ins/drive-bys with Jonathan Banks' craggy fixer Mike. Dan Snierson, EW.com, 17 Aug. 2022 Each sip marked a step in the professor’s crescendo: his performance began with general observations, hesitant but sound, and then veered off into loquacious digressions that dispersed in all directions. Alejandro Zambra, The New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2022 The broad contours of this lie are becoming clearer, focusing in large part on Jimmy Lai, the loquacious founder of Apple Daily, a prodemocracy newspaper that was forced to close last year, after it was raided and its accounts frozen by authorities. Timothy Mclaughlin, The Atlantic, 22 June 2022 Beard has always been an enigma: quiet where Lasso is loquacious, an introvert when his coaching partner is all extrovert. Randee Dawn, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2022 Reacting to Jules’ loquacious manner of flirting, Lengronne furrows her eyebrows and purses her lips before letting out a snort. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 May 2022 On Thursday afternoon, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey issued a public reprimand to both loquacious coaches for making derogatory comments about another league institution. Laine Higgins, WSJ, 20 May 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Latin loquāc-, loquāx "talkative, verbose" (from loquī "to talk, speak" + -āc-, deverbal suffix denoting habitual or successful performance) + -ious — more at eloquent, audacious