longwindedness
Talking too much
Longwindedness is the quality of using more words than necessary, especially in speech or writing that goes on tediously.
A longwinded speaker takes forever to make a point: The professor's longwindedness meant every lecture ran twenty minutes over.
The term suggests not just length but unnecessary elaboration—padding that tries the listener's patience.
Unnecessary word excess
- wordinessExcessive use of language
- circumlocutionIndirect, wordy expression
- pleonasmRedundant expression
- tautologyRedundant or circular statement
redundancy · diffuseness · logorrhea · garrulity · loquacity · volubility · verbiage · overelaboration
Veering off topic
- meanderingFollowing a winding course
- tangentialBarely connected to main point
- discursivenessTendency to wander topically
- circuitousnessLack of directness
wandering · maundering · waffling · unfocused · aimless · sprawling · disjointed · incoherent
Failing to engage interest
- tiresomeCausing boredom or annoyance
- wearisomeCausing fatigue through monotony
- monotonousUnchangingly dull
- dullLacking edge or interest
dreary · repetitive · droning · plodding · interminable · unending · exhausting · mind-numbing
One who prattles endlessly
- blowhardBoastful empty talker
- chatterboxOne who talks incessantly
- filibusterDelaying tactic through speech
- monologueUninterrupted solo address
harangue · lecture · sermon · oration · droning · pontificating · prattling · blathering
verbosity
Unnecessary word excess
- wordinessExcessive use of language
- circumlocutionIndirect, wordy expression
- pleonasmRedundant expression
tautology · redundancy · diffuseness · logorrhea · garrulity · loquacity · volubility · verbiage · overelaboration · superfluity
digression
Veering off topic
- meanderingFollowing a winding course
- tangentialBarely connected to main point
- discursivenessTendency to wander topically
circuitousness · wandering · maundering · waffling · unfocused · aimless · sprawling · disjointed · incoherent · scattered
boring
Failing to engage interest
- tiresomeCausing boredom or annoyance
- wearisomeCausing fatigue through monotony
- monotonousUnchangingly dull
dull · dreary · repetitive · droning · plodding · interminable · unending · exhausting · mind-numbing · soporific
windbag
One who prattles endlessly
- blowhardBoastful empty talker
- chatterboxOne who talks incessantly
- filibusterDelaying tactic through speech
monologue · harangue · lecture · sermon · oration · droning · pontificating · prattling · blathering · talkativeness
longwindednessbrevity
Shortness of expression
conciseness · succinctness · terseness · briefness · pithiness
longwindednessconcision
Verbal economy, pared down
directness · getting to the point · precision · pointedness · incisiveness
long, wind, windy, windiness, longwinded, longer, longest, length, lengthen