talkative

talkative — adjective

1. A talkative person enjoys speaking a great deal and tends to begin or maintain c

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

A talkative person enjoys speaking a great deal and tends to begin or maintain conversations, whether about everyday matters or personal topics.

Example

Rafael is so talkative that he makes new friends wherever he goes.

collocation: so talkative that …

After a long silence, Hassan grew talkative and told Shirin about his travels.

verb pattern: grow talkative (become) + told [someone] about [something]

Common collocations
  • very talkative
  • quite talkative
  • so talkative that
  • become / get / grow talkative
  • talkative person
  • talkative mood
  • in a talkative mood
  • not very talkative
Synonyms
  • chatty

    informal; often implies light, easy conversation rather than long or serious talk

  • loquacious

    formal; describes someone who talks at length, often in a polished way

  • garrulous

    slightly negative; suggests rambling or excessive talk about trivial matters

  • verbose

    focuses on using too many words, especially in writing or formal speech

Antonyms
  • quiet

    general opposite; describes someone who speaks little

  • reserved

    suggests a deliberate choice to keep thoughts or feelings private

  • taciturn

    formal; describes someone who is habitually silent or uncommunicative

Usage Note

In everyday English, talkative usually has a neutral to mildly positive tone, describing a sociable person. Its formal or negative equivalents are loquacious and garrulous, which carry a more critical flavour.

Common Mistakes

I am very talkative person
I am a very talkative person.
Talkative is an adjective and needs a determiner before it in a noun phrase.

Word family

  • talk
    verbA1
  • talk
    nounA2
  • talkatively
    adverbC1
  • talkativeness
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe someone who talks a lot, but they differ in register and connotation. Chatty is the most informal and warm — it suggests relaxed, friendly conversation without a heavy topic ('a chatty neighbour who always says hello'). Loquacious is formal and neutral, often used in literary descriptions of someone who speaks fluently and at length ('a loquacious professor who never leaves a question unanswered'). Garrulous carries a negative tone, implying rambling or tiresome talk about unimportant things ('a garrulous guest who kept everyone at the dinner table for hours'). Verbose applies more to writing or speech that uses too many words than to a person's habitual nature ('a verbose report full of unnecessary detail'). For everyday situations where the tone is neutral or positive, talkative and chatty are the safest choices.

chattyloquaciousgarrulousverbose

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • in a talkative mood
  • not very talkative

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Talkative was formed in English around the 1400s by adding the suffix -ative to the verb talk, which itself comes from Old English talian ('to tell, count'). The suffix -ative turns a verb into an adjective meaning 'tending to' or 'inclined to', so talkative literally means 'inclined to talk'. This pattern is the same as talk → talkative, just as create → creative.