It can be tiring when you are having a conversation with a person who talks too much. Sometimes, you will feel tempted to call out that characteristic in him/her. There are several words you can use.
If you’ve been looking for the right words to use without offending the person you are referring to, there are positive words to use. While they don’t exactly point out your annoyance at the person’s excessive talking, they point out that the person being referred to is quite good at talking. This makes him/her conscious of that characteristic.
A person who talks too much can be called ‘Loquacious’. This is one of the best and most common words for referring to someone who talks too much. There are other words you can use. Some include other traits like ‘boasting’ and ‘making no sense’.
15 Words for Someone Who Talks Too Much
While there are several English words for a person who talks too much, it is important to use them correctly since some of them have other meanings.
A person who talks too much may do so while boasting. There are words that compile the two traits. There are also words that compile other traits with talking too much. Here are 15 words for a person who talks too much.
- Loquacious
- Chatty
- Expressive
- Bloviator
- Motormouth
- Empty barrel
- Blatherskite
- Flibbertigibbet
- Gascon
- Talkaholic (Compulsive Talking)
- Garrulous
- Outspoken
- Chatterbox
- Blabbermouth
- Blowhard
Loquacious
This word has no hidden meaning so you can always just use this in referring to someone who says a lot of things unnecessarily. He/she may also not spew unnecessary information.
However, when a person talks too much, I is difficult to have a discussion since he/she talks more and listens less.
Loquacious is the word for a person who talks too much and is quick to start conversations. A loquacious person may want to express his/her thoughts in a conversation rather than listen. However, this doesn’t totally stop him/her from being open-minded.
Example:
- I know I’m loquacious but it depends on who I’m with.
Chatty
Chatty may refer to a person who talks too much or is eager to jump into conversations with people. The word may also refer to the use of excessive words in expressing oneself. In other words, Chatty can refer to a person who is either talkative or verbose.
This person likes talking but it doesn’t necessarily mean he listens less than he talks. This word may also simply mean a person is saying more than he/she is required to say. When you are done talking too much, this may be unavoidable.
Example:
- If the detective is always this chatty, he will never get anything out of the suspects.
Expressive
Expressive is the adjective for something or someone that properly conveys a thought or feeling. This can also refer to a person who is quick or eager to say what’s on his/her mind, thereby making him/her talkative.
Here is a positive word that really isn’t meant to refer to a person who talks too much. However, you can use this to refer to him/her if you don’t want to offend the other person in your conversation.
This simply calls the person’s attention to how he/she speaks and shows his/her thoughts to others. While it may make the person curb the talkativeness, it may also sound like you enjoy that trait, and, rather than be a rebuke, it would be an encouragement to continue.
Example:
- I know how expressive you are but we need to be silent in there.
Bloviator
A talkative person can talk too much when the conversation is about something he/she knows or is very interested in. A talkative person may also try to change a conversation’s topic to what he/she is familiar with.
If you have a friend who always turns the conversation to the story of his life, he/she is definitely a bloviator.
A bloviator is a person who talks excessively and pompously. He/she may speak about himself or herself in a pompous manner or about other things in a narcissistic manner.
Example:
- How do you make reasonable decisions with such a bloviator?
Motormouth
Motormouth is the word for a person who talks excessively and incessantly. This adjective is suitable for a person who says a lot of words too quickly and annoyingly.
While loquacious, chatty, and talkative may refer to this kind of person, it is much better to call him/her a motormouth if the excessive talking is combined with an annoying speed.
There are people who don’t just talk too much but are also very eager to do so. This makes them say too many words too fast, making it difficult to understand them or cut in.
Example:
- I am a motormouth, I know. You’ll understand later.
Empty barrel
This may not be recognized as a proper English term for a person who talks too much. However, you can use this as an allusion to the popular idiom; ‘An empty barrel makes the loudest noise’.
This term is also interpreted in two ways. If your friend is making too many threats while quarreling, you can use this word. You may also use this for someone who is always coming up with ideas that can’t work.
Empty Barrel is a metaphoric expression for a person who speaks boastfully about what he/she doesn’t possess. This can refer to a person making empty threats, false promises, or noise during a meeting without having valuable additions.
Example:
- Don’t conclude he is an empty barrel until you hear him out.
Blatherskite
Talking too much can be annoying but it is not totally bad, especially if you are making sense. Some people are very talkative and annoying with it but they often make sense with their opinions.
While they may be listening less, they already have enough good ideas on their own. However, there are people who are quite the opposite.
To call such a person out for speaking too much and making no sense, you may have to cut in and offend him/her by being straightforward.
Blatherskite is a name for a person who talks excessively without making sense or leaving reasonable ideas. This can also refer to an Empty Barrel that makes empty threats.
Example:
- I am not a blatherskite. Will you guys keep an open mind?
Flibbertigibbet
Flibbertigibbet refers to a person who is unconventional or gossips about other people and talks a lot. While it is mostly used for women, it can also refer to men who talk too much about others.
As mentioned earlier, there are words that don’t just refer to people who talk too much but include other traits that may not apply to whom you are referring. This is one of them.
If you have a friend who talks too much, you may call him/her a flibbertigibbet but it will be wrong if that person is not also considered irresponsible.
Example:
- Spending time with that flibbertigibbet will change you.
Gascon
A Gascon refers to a person who boasts excessively and bullies others. This is a person who talks excessively while bullying people who seem weaker.
This is a similar word to Bloviator but may refer to a different situation. If you want to refer to a person who talks too much, you can only use this word if he/she talks a lot about himself or herself.
This word is different from a Bloviator because a bloviator may only try to change the conversation and boast about himself or herself.
A Gascon, on the other hand, may start the conversation or even do this in threats. The word combines talkativeness and bullying.
Example:
- He’s one cheap Gascon. Jump at him and he’ll squeal.
Talkaholic (Compulsive Talker)
A Talkaholic is a person who is addicted to talking and can hardly control the urge to say things in his/her mind.
This is the kind of person who feels the constant urge to spill secrets and thoughts as soon as they pop up.
This word is similar to a motormouth. It is safe to say a Talkaholic (or Compulsive Talker) is necessarily a motormouth. A motormouth may not be a Compulsive Talker.
If you are familiar with the words, ‘Alcohol’ and ‘Alcoholic’, you should already have an idea of what ‘Talkaholic’ implies.
Example:
- Be careful of what you say to her. She’s a Talkaholic.
Garrulous
This can be used for someone who is simply talkative. The definition in the dictionary, however, includes ‘tiresomely’.
This suggests that the talkativeness of a garrulous person can be extreme. A person that talks too much can be annoying but when it continues, you also get too tired to continue the conversation.
This word can also be used to mean something else. While it is different from being talkative, it is also very close.
Example:
- You are garrulous. I can’t have you with me at the library.
Outspoken
Outspoken is a word for a person who is free, open, and bold in speech. It is a positive word for a person who doesn’t hold back in speech. While it should not refer to a person who talks too much, you can use this to avoid offending whom you are talking about.
If you don’t want to use the ‘expressive’ suggested above, another positive word you can consider is ‘Outspoken’. This is a word you can use for a talkative person, though it doesn’t refer to talkative people.
It will call the person’s attention to his/her talkativeness and can equally make him/her think of it as an encouragement to continue. Just like ‘expressive’, this word doesn’t highlight the possibility that the talkative person may be saying jargon.
Example:
- It’s good that you are outspoken but you’ll have to hold back when we are there.
Chatterbox
Chatterbox is quite popular a word for a talkative person. It is very simple and can refer to every person who talks too much, irrespective of the certain situations in which they do so.
A chatterbox may be one who always talks too much. It may also be someone who only does it when certain topics are being discussed.
Example:
- I can be a chatterbox sometimes. I’m getting better, I promise.
Blabbermouth
Blabbermouth can be used in the same way as a Chatterbox but it is often used to include another quality. It is very difficult to trust a talkative with your secrets but there are some talkative persons who may be able to do so.
It is much easier to keep the secrets of other people if you are not always talking about other people. This makes it okay to keep a secret with a braggart.
A blabbermouth is a person who gossips and talks excessively. This is a kind of person who hardly keeps secrets due to his/her tendency to say everything.
Example:
- Stop being a blabbermouth. It’s not our business.
Blowhard
Blowhard doesn’t necessarily refer to people who talk too much. You may also use this for someone who is too loud or for people with both qualities.
The only major quality for a person called a Blowhard is boastfulness. If your friend speaks loudly or excessively of his/her exploits and skillfulness, you can call him/her a Blowhard.
Blowhard refers to a person who talks too much or too loudly, especially in a boastful or self-important manner. This is a narcissistic person who likes to show off or portray himself or herself as being important.
Example:
- You’re such a Blowhard but you’re really not better than you look.
The act of talking too much may be very hard to control for some people. You can always refer to such a person as a ‘Talkative’ but it’s more suitable to call him/her a Compulsive Talker or a Talkaholic.
There are also words for people who combine excessive talking with other traits, including incessant speech, jargon, and boasting.
