Definition

Noun: 1. (Yiddish) A woman who talks too much; a gossip unable to keep a secret; a woman who spreads rumors and scandal. This meaning refers to a person, specifically a woman, who is known for excessive, often indiscreet talking and for spreading private or sensational information about others. 2. (Yiddish) A vulgar shrew; a shallow coarse termagant. This meaning emphasizes a woman who is not only gossipy but also loud, vulgar, nagging, or ill-tempered.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Gossip):
  • Don't tell her anything private; she's the biggest yenta in the neighborhood.
  • The news spread through the town faster than a yenta could tell it.
• Noun (Shrew):
  • He complained that his mother-in-law was a real yenta, always criticizing and making a scene.
  • The market vendor was known as a yenta for her loud, abrasive manner.

Advanced Usage

• The word yenta originates from Yiddish and carries strong cultural connotations. While it can be used humorously among friends, it is often a critical and derogatory term when used to describe someone's character.
• It is almost exclusively used as a noun to label a person with these traits.

Variants and Related Words

• Gossip (n.): A more general, less culturally specific term for a person who habitually reveals personal or sensational facts about others.
• Busybody (n.): A person who meddles in the affairs of others.
• Shrew (n.) / Termagant (n.): Words for a bad-tempered or aggressively assertive woman.

Synonyms

• Gossip
• Busybody
• Talebearer
• Chatterbox
• Shrew
• Scold

Related Idioms

• To have a mouth like a yenta: To be unable to keep secrets; to gossip incessantly.
  • Be careful what you say around her; she has a mouth like a yenta.

Noun

1. (Yiddish) a woman who talks too much; a gossip unable to keep a secret; a woman who spreads rumors and scandal
2. (Yiddish) a vulgar shrew; a shallow coarse termagant