voluble

voluble
adjective
vol·;u·;ble ;v;l-y;-b;l
Synonyms of voluble
1
: easily rolling or turning : rotating
2
: characterized by ready or rapid speech : glib, fluent
volubility
;v;l-y;-;bi-l;-t;
 noun
volubleness
;v;l-y;-b;l-n;s
 noun
volubly
;v;l-y;-bl;
 adverb


Did you know?
In a chapter titled “Conversation,” from her 1922 book Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics, and at Home, Emily Post offers her trademark good advice for the loquacious among us: “There is a simple rule, by which if one is a voluble chatterer ... one can at least refrain from being a pest or a bore. And the rule is merely, to stop and think.” Voluble, as is clear in this context, describes someone or something (as in “voluble personality/prose/presence”) characterized by ready or rapid speech. Voluble traces back to the Latin verb volvere, meaning “to set in a circular course” or “to cause to roll.” Another volvere descendant, volume, can also be a help in remembering voluble’s meaning, not because someone described as voluble speaks at a loud volume, per se, but because they have volumes to say.

Choose the Right Synonym for voluble

talkative, loquacious, garrulous, voluble mean given to talk or talking.

talkative may imply a readiness to engage in talk or a disposition to enjoy conversation.

a talkative neighbor
loquacious suggests the power of expressing oneself articulately, fluently, or glibly.

a loquacious spokesperson
garrulous implies prosy, rambling, or tedious loquacity.

garrulous traveling companions
voluble suggests a free, easy, and unending loquacity.

a voluble raconteur
Examples of voluble in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Covert operations, such as the assassination of a top terrorist leader or Pakistani intelligence or military official, may offer plausible deniability but are unlikely to satisfy the voluble political and public demand for action.
—Sushant Singh, Foreign Affairs, 29 Apr. 2025
But perhaps none has been as voluble or persistent as Michael Roth, who has been president of Wesleyan since 2007.
—Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2025
That gig features Newsom, former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch and sports agent Doug Hendrickson in yet another podcast feedin’ the hunger of those with a bottomless appetite for the state’s voluble chief executive.
—Mark Z. Barabak, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2025
Here, the director of some of the most voluble of all films exalts immediate experience and rarefied perception to grand historical dimensions—Oliveira condenses a lifetime of artistic striving into infinitesimal flourishes of overwhelming power.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2025

Word History
Etymology
Middle English volible, voluble "able to turn, changing," borrowed from Latin vol;bilis "turning on its axis, rolling, flowing, (of speech) readily flowing, fluent," from vol;-, variant stem of volvere "to set in a circular course, cause to roll" + -bilis "capable (of acting) or worthy (of being acted upon)" — more at wallow entry 1, -able

First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of voluble was in the 15th century
See more words from the same century