gabby
/'gæbi/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective 1. Excessively or annoyingly talkative, especially about trivial matters: Describes a person who talks too much, often about unimportant things, and may have difficulty stopping.
Usage
- Typical Contexts: Used informally to describe people in social situations, often with a mildly critical or humorous tone. It focuses on the quantity and trivial nature of speech rather than the content's quality.
- Grammar Notes: The adjective "gabby" is used attributively (before a noun) or predicatively (after a linking verb like , , ). Its comparative form is gabbier and its superlative form is gabbiest.
Examples
- Attributive use (before a noun):
- I couldn't finish my work because of my gabby coworker.
- The gabby taxi driver told me his entire life story.
- Predicative use (after a linking verb):
- She becomes very gabby when she's nervous.
- My uncle is friendly but a bit gabby.
Advanced Usage
- "to get gabby": to start talking excessively.
- After a few drinks, he tends to get gabby about his old sports achievements.
Variants and Related Words
- Gab (n.): Informal talk or chatter.
- We sat around having a bit of gab.
- Gab (v.): To talk idly or chatter.
- They gabbed on the phone for an hour.
- Gabbiness (n.): The quality of being gabby.
- Her gabbiness is both endearing and exhausting.
Synonyms
- Talkative: Neutral term for someone who talks a lot.
- Chatty: Informal and often positive, suggesting friendly conversation.
- Loquacious: Formal term for very talkative.
- Garrulous: Formal, often negative, implying tedious talkativeness.
- Voluble: Fluent and rapid in speech.
Antonyms
- Taciturn: Reserved or uncommunicative in speech.
- Reticent: Not revealing one's thoughts or feelings readily.
- Laconic: Using very few words.
- Quiet: Making little or no noise; not talkative.
Adjective
- full of trivial conversation
- kept from her housework by gabby neighbors