Mouthy

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Displaying a strong inclination to converse openly or assertively, often to the point of being considered rude or intrusive
2. Exhibiting an outspoken nature, often characterized by talking excessively or expressing opinions in a bold manner that may be perceived as brusque or rude
3. Prone to speaking in a way that is assertive and sometimes offensively frank

Etymology: "Mouthy" is about as plain as English etymology gets: it is simply "mouth" with the adjectival suffix "-y" attached. The noun "mouth" descends from Old English "mūþ", which traces back through Proto-Germanic to an Indo-European root, while "-y" came into English from Old English "-iġ", meaning "having the quality of" or "full of". So a mouthy person is, literally, one full of mouth. The sense of "quick with retorts" grows naturally from that picture. Someone who talks back readily seems to be all mouth, with the mouth doing the work where a more considerate person would hold back. The word is therefore built entirely from ordinary parts, and its meaning follows directly from the image of the mouth itself rather than from any borrowed or specialised vocabulary.

Synonyms: talkative, chatty, loquacious, garrulous, verbose

Antonyms: quiet, reserved, taciturn, silent, mute