rumormonger
ROO-mer-mung-ger
/ˈruːmərˌmʌŋɡər/
A person who spreads rumors and gossip; to spread rumors.
Rumormonger implies that the person actively 'trades' in gossip, treating rumors like merchandise to be distributed for personal amusement or malice.
The story behind the word. A compound of 'rumor' (from Latin 'rumorem', noise or common talk) and 'monger' (from Old English 'mangere', a dealer or trader). A rumormonger is literally a 'trader of rumors', treating gossip like a market commodity.
Word relationships
- gossipmonger: Gossipmonger focuses on personal, trivial secrets, while rumormonger can spread larger, more damaging political or corporate falsehoods.
- confidant: A confidant keeps secrets safe, whereas a rumormonger spreads them to everyone.
Commonly confused with
- informant: An informant provides official or useful information to authorities, while a rumormonger spreads unverified gossip.
Word family
- rumormongering (noun): The practice of spreading rumors.
Collocations
- notorious rumormonger
- accused of rumormongering
Example sentences
- "The local rumormonger was quick to spread the false news about the mayor's sudden resignation." Small-town drama
Memory hook
Think of a fishmonger selling fish, but instead, this person is selling (mongering) dirty rumors. A merchant who trades in dirty secrets.
When not to use
Do not use rumormonger to describe someone who accidentally shares a single piece of unverified news.
Fun facts
- The suffix '-monger' is used in English to denote dealers of specific goods (like ironmonger or fishmonger), but when attached to abstract nouns (like warmonger or rumormonger), it is always derogatory.
Explore more words
traduce, Garrulous, foment, propaganda, instigate, disseminate
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