Vocabulary
Loquacious: meaning, tone, and examples
At a networking event, one guest tells a long story to every new person they meet. If the amount and flow of their speech matters, loquacious is a precise word.
Use loquacious for a person or style of speech that involves a great deal of fluent talking, and choose a more neutral word when needed.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
loquacious /ləˈkweɪ.ʃəs/
The short answer
Loquacious means very talkative, especially in a fluent or wordy way.
The loquacious guide answered every visitor's question with a story.
Why it works: The guide speaks freely and at length.
3 more examples
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The loquacious host kept the radio programme moving with quick questions and longer comments.
The host speaks often and easily during the programme.
Not this:
The silent hostkept the radio programme moving with quick questions and longer comments. What changes: Silent gives the opposite idea and clashes with the host's longer comments. -
Her loquacious emails often included background details before the main request.
Here the word describes writing that uses many words.
Not this:Her
concise emailsoften included background details before the main request. What changes: Concise means brief and economical, so it changes the description of the writing. -
Usually quiet in class, Amir became loquacious when the discussion turned to films.
Amir began speaking a lot and with ease on a topic he enjoyed.
Not this:Usually quiet in class, Amir
became hesitantwhen the discussion turned to films. What changes: Hesitant describes uncertainty about speaking, not an abundant flow of speech.
Read the full guide
Loquacious is more formal than talkative. It may sound appreciative when the speaker is engaging, or mildly critical when their long speech makes conversation difficult.
Start with a person who talks freely
A loquacious person does more than answer briefly. They tend to keep talking, often with confidence and a ready supply of words. The adjective helps you describe the amount and flow of speech.
Our loquacious neighbour can turn a simple greeting into a ten-minute conversation.
Use it for speech and writing too
Loquacious can describe a person, but it can also modify communication itself. A reviewer might mention loquacious dialogue, or a manager might describe a report as loquacious when it uses more words than necessary.
The editor shortened several loquacious paragraphs so readers could find the main point sooner.
Compare loquacious and talkative
Talkative is common and usually neutral. Loquacious is more formal and often sounds more deliberate. A friendly child can be talkative; a critic may call a novelist's style loquacious to suggest an impressive or excessive abundance of words.
Talkative is an everyday description. Loquacious adds a formal tone and draws attention to the fluent quantity of speech.
Read the tone from the situation
The word can be positive when someone's lively conversation makes others comfortable. It can be less positive when long speeches prevent other people from contributing. Look for clues such as engaging, generous, rambling, or exhausting before deciding the writer's attitude.
The loquacious guest made the dinner lively, although a few people never found a chance to speak.
Choose the word in context
A colleague gives a clear two-minute update in a meeting. Is loquacious the best description?
No. The colleague may be clear or confident, but a short update does not show a tendency to use a great deal of speech.
Before you go
Remember this
Use loquacious for abundant, fluent talk or wordy speech. It is formal and may be neutral, warm, or gently critical depending on the context. Choose talkative for a more ordinary, neutral description.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
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Try the written questionsQuestions about "Loquacious: meaning, tone, and examples"
What does loquacious mean?
Loquacious means very talkative, especially in a fluent or wordy way. It can describe a person, speech, writing, or a conversation.
The loquacious host kept the radio programme moving with quick questions and longer comments.
Is loquacious positive or negative?
Loquacious can be positive, neutral, or mildly critical. Context decides whether plentiful speech seems lively and engaging or more than the situation needs.
The silent host kept the radio programme moving with quick questions and longer comments.
What is the difference between loquacious and talkative?
Talkative is an everyday, usually neutral word. Loquacious is more formal and highlights a notably fluent or abundant amount of talking.
Her loquacious emails often included background details before the main request.
Can loquacious describe writing?
Yes. You can call prose, dialogue, emails, or a report loquacious when it contains an especially large amount of speech or wording.
Her concise emails often included background details before the main request.
How do you pronounce loquacious?
Say lo-QUA-cious, with the stress on the second syllable. The usual pronunciation is /ləˈkweɪ.ʃəs/.
Usually quiet in class, Amir became loquacious when the discussion turned to films.
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