driveller
/'drivlə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. A person who dribbles: Specifically, someone who lets saliva flow uncontrollably from the mouth, often used to describe a young child or an individual who cannot control this bodily function. 2. A person who talks nonsense: Someone whose speech is foolish, trivial, or lacking in sense; a person who talks in a silly or childish manner.
Usage and Examples
- Referring to someone who dribbles:
- The nurse patiently cared for the elderly driveller.
- As a baby, he was quite a driveller and always needed a bib.
- Referring to someone who talks foolishly:
- Don't listen to him; he's just a driveller with no real knowledge of the topic.
- The meeting was hijacked by a driveller who wouldn't stop talking about irrelevant gossip.
Advanced Usage and Notes
- The term driveller is often pejorative and can be considered insulting, especially when used to describe someone's intellectual capacity or the quality of their speech.
- It is derived from the verb drivel, meaning to let saliva flow from the mouth or to talk nonsense.
- In older or more literary contexts, it can imply a state of senility or extreme foolishness.
Variants and Related Words
- Drivel (noun/verb): Saliva flowing from the mouth; or foolish talk. To drivel is to let saliva flow or to talk nonsense.
- He dismissed the article as mere drivel. (noun)
- The old man would often drivel on about the past. (verb)
- Dribbler (noun): A more common and neutral synonym for a person who dribbles, especially in medical or sports contexts (e.g., a basketball player who dribbles the ball).
Synonyms
- Dribbler: (for the saliva meaning)
- Fool: A silly or stupid person.
- Idiot: A very foolish person.
- Babbler: Someone who talks incessantly or foolishly.
- Blatherer: Someone who talks at length in a nonsensical way.
Antonyms
- Sage: A profoundly wise person.
- Orator: A skilled and eloquent public speaker.
- Eloquent person: Someone who speaks in a clear, persuasive, and meaningful way.
Noun
- a person who dribbles; he needs a bib"
- that baby is a dribbler
- someone whose talk is trivial drivel