voluble
VOL-yuh-bul
/ˈvɒljʊbl/
Speaking continuously, rapidly, and fluently; garrulous or talkative.
Focuses on volume and speed of speech; can be neutral or express slight exhaustion at someone's constant talking.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'volubilis' (rolling, fluent), derived from 'volvere' (to roll). Words roll off a voluble speaker's tongue like barrels rolling down a hill.
Word relationships
- garrulous: Garrulous emphasizes talking excessively about trivial matters, while voluble stresses rapid verbal speed.
- loquacious: Loquacious simply means fond of talking; voluble means speech rolls out effortlessly.
- taciturn: Reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little.
- reticent: Not revealing one's thoughts or feelings readily.
Commonly confused with
- valuable: Valuable means worth a lot of money; voluble means speaking rapidly.
Word family
- volubility (noun): The quality of talking fluently, readily, or incessantly.
- volubly (adverb): In a voluble, rapid manner.
Collocations
- voluble host
- voluble explanation
- remarkably voluble
- voluble speaker
Example sentences
- "The voluble tour guide rattled off centuries of history without stopping for breath." Character description
- "After a glass of wine, the usually shy engineer became astonishingly voluble." Social gathering
Memory hook
A VOLUBLE speaker has speech that ROLLS around like a REVOLVER drum. Words rolling incessantly off the tongue.
When not to use
Do not use for taciturn, quiet, or reserved individuals.
Fun facts
- 'Volvere' also gives us 'revolve', 'evolution', and 'volume' (originally a rolled manuscript scroll).
Explore more words
Garrulous, Loquacious, vociferous, ebullient, Long-winded, fluent
Also appears in
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