verb
blather
Blather (verb) means to talk quickly without saying much that makes sense.
verb
1
To talk quickly without saying much that makes sense.
"On and on he blathered, taking refuge in the one thing he felt lent him superiority: words."
— Richard Flanagan, The Pot-Bellied Seahorse (2001)
"It was at the unveiling of Sir John Gray's statue. Edmund Dwyer Gray was speaking, blathering away, and here was this old fellow, crabbed-looking old chap, looking at him from under his bushy eyebrows."
— James Joyce, Grace (1905)
2
To say something silly or pointless, using far more words than needed.
"Then, just before the wedding, the old man feels he’s honor bound to tell his future son-in-law the secret of his past; so the damned idiot blathers the whole story of his killing the man and breaking jail!"
— Eugene O’Neill, Dynamo (1929)
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Etymology
Comes from Middle English bletheren, bloderen, from Old Norse blaðra (“to speak inarticulately, talk nonsense”). It is cognate with Scots blether, bladder, bledder (“to blather”), dialectal German bladdern (“to talk nonsense, blather”), Norwegian bladra (“to babble, speak imperfectly”), and Icelandic blaðra (“to twaddle”).
Synonyms
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Rhymes for blather
See all rhymes for blather →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of blather?
"blather" (verb) means to talk quickly without saying much that makes sense.
What is another word for blather?
Other words for "blather" include babble, blether, smatter, blither.
What are the different meanings of blather?
"blather" has 2 main meanings: 1. To talk quickly without saying much that makes sense; 2. To say something silly or pointless, using far more words than needed.
