logorrhea: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2formal, medical, literary, critical
Quick answer
What does “logorrhea” mean?
excessive and often incoherent talking or writing.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
excessive and often incoherent talking or writing; verbal diarrhea
Can extend metaphorically to any excessive, uncontrolled flow (e.g., of data, information, ideas), typically seen as tiresome or lacking substance.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning. Slightly more common in US intellectual/literary criticism.
Connotations
Equally pejorative in both dialects.
Frequency
Low-frequency word in both; understood by educated speakers.
Grammar
How to Use “logorrhea” in a Sentence
[Subject] + suffer from/be afflicted with/exhibit + logorrheaThe + logorrhea + of + [speaker/writer]adjective + logorrhea (e.g., tedious, incoherent)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “logorrhea” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The debater began to logorrheate, losing the thread of his argument entirely.
American English
- He logorrheaed for an hour, never once pausing for questions.
adverb
British English
- He spoke logorrheically, packing every sentence with needless clauses.
adjective
British English
- His logorrheic tendencies made the committee meeting interminable.
American English
- We endured another logorrheic email from the director.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare. Possibly in critiques of long-winded reports or presentations: 'The CEO's logorrhea obscured the quarterly figures.'
Academic
Used in literary criticism, rhetoric, and psychology to describe excessively verbose texts or speech. 'The essay was dismissed as academic logorrhea.'
Everyday
Very rare in casual conversation. Might be used humorously or sarcastically among educated friends: 'Sorry for my logorrhea last night!'
Technical
Clinical/psychiatric term for pressured, excessive speech, often a symptom of mania or certain disorders.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “logorrhea”
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “logorrhea”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “logorrhea”
- Misspelling: 'logorrhoea' (UK medical) is an accepted variant, but 'logorrhea' (US) is more common globally. Pronouncing it /ˌlɒɡ.əʊˈriː.ə/ (incorrect stress). Using it to simply mean 'talkative' without the negative, excessive connotation.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is highly critical and clinical, not casually rude. Using it directly about someone's speech would be a sharp insult, implying a pathological lack of control.
It is used for both, though its clinical origin relates to speech. Critiques of verbose, rambling writing commonly employ it.
'Verbosity' is simply using too many words. 'Logorrhea' adds connotations of incoherence, compulsion, and a relentless, uncontrolled flow, making it more pejorative.
Stress the third syllable: log-uh-REE-uh. The 'g' is a hard /ɡ/ as in 'go'.
excessive and often incoherent talking or writing.
Logorrhea is usually formal, medical, literary, critical in register.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A case of logorrhea”
- “Struck down by logorrhea”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
LOG (as in a record of words) + RHEA (flow, like in 'diarrhea'). A 'flow of words'.
Conceptual Metaphor
SPEECH/WRITING IS A FLUID (often an uncontrollable, pathological one).
Practice
Quiz
In which context would 'logorrhea' be LEAST appropriate?