Definition
A person who is excessively talkative, silly, or frivolous; someone who chatters constantly or acts irrationally.
Etymology
Origin uncertain but first appeared in 16th-century England; possibly onomatopoetic, echoing the idea of chattering nonsense. Some suggest demonic origins from medieval folklore. The word gained prominence through literature and has remained in English ever since.
Kelly Says
This word sounds exactly like what it means—say it aloud and you hear silliness bouncing around your mouth—which is probably why it's survived 500 years despite having no clear origin!
Translations
AMአማርኛ
ፍሊብበርቲጂበት
flib-ber-ti-jibet
ARالعربية
فليبرتيجيبيت
flay-ber-ti-jibet
BNবাংলা
ফ্লিবার্টিজিবেট
flib-ar-ti-jibet
CACatalà
flibbertigibbet
flib-ber-ti-jibet
CSČeština
flibbertigibbet
flibber-ti-jibet
DADansk
flibbertigibbet
flibber-ti-jibet
DEDeutsch
flibbertigibbet
flibber-ti-jibet
ELΕλληνικά
φλιμπέρτιτζιμπέτ
flib-er-ti-dzibet
ESEspañol
flibbertigibbet
flibber-ti-jibet
FAفارسی
فلیبرتیجبت
flay-ber-ti-jibet
FISuomi
flibbertigibbet
flibber-ti-jibet
FRFrançais
flibbertigibbet
flibber-ti-jibet
GUGU
ફ્લિબરટિજિબેટ
flib-er-ti-jibet
HAHA
flibbertigibbet
flib-ber-ti-jibet
HEעברית
פליברטיג'יבט
flib-er-ti-jibet
HIहिन्दी
फ्लिबर्टिगिबेट
flib-ber-ti-gibet
HUMagyar
flibbertigibbet
flibber-ti-jibet
IDBahasa Indonesia
flibbertigibbet
flib-ber-ti-jibet
IGIG
flibbertigibbet
flib-ber-ti-jibet
ITItaliano
flibbertigibbet
flibber-ti-jibet
JA日本語
フリブバート
furibu-ba-to
KKKK
флібертіджібет
flib-er-ti-dzhib-et
KMKM
ហ្វលីបឺរតីជីបេត
flib-ber-ti-jibet
KO한국어
플리버티지빗
peuri-be-ti-ji-bit
MRMR
फ्लिबर्टिगिबेट
flib-er-ti-jibet
MSBahasa Melayu
flibbertigibbet
flib-ber-ti-jibet
MYမြန်မာ
ဖလစ်ဘာတီဂိဘက်
flib-ba-ti-gi-bet
NLNederlands
flibbertigibbet
flibber-ti-jibet
NONorsk
flibbertigibbet
flibber-ti-jibet
PAPA
ਫਲਿਬਰਟਿਗਿਬੇਟ
flib-er-ti-jibet
PLPolski
flibbertigibbet
flibber-ti-jibet
PTPortuguês
flibbertigibbet
flibber-ti-jibet
RORomână
flibbertigibbet
flibber-ti-jibet
RUРусский
флибертиджебет
flibber-ti-dzeb-et
SVSvenska
flibbertigibbet
flibber-ti-jibet
SWKiswahili
flibbertigibbet
flib-ber-ti-jibet
TAதமிழ்
ஃப்ளீபர்டிஜிப்பெட்
flee-per-ti-jibet
TEతెలుగు
ఫ్లిబర్టీజిబెట్
flib-er-ti-jibet
THไทย
ฟลิบเบอร์ติจิบเบต
flib-ber-ti-jibet
TLTL
flibbertigibbet
flib-ber-ti-jibet
TRTürkçe
flibbertigibbet
flibber-ti-jibet
UKУкраїнська
флібертіджібет
flib-er-ti-dzhib-et
URاردو
فلیبرتیجبت
flay-ber-ti-jibet
VITiếng Việt
flibbertigibbet
flib-ber-ti-jibet
YOYO
flibbertigibbet
flib-ber-ti-jibet
ZH中文
弗里伯提吉贝特
fú lǐ bō tè jí bèi tè
ZUZU
flibbertigibbet
flib-ber-ti-jibet
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Historically applied predominantly to women as an insult for chattiness or frivolity. The term carries gendered contempt for vocalization and emotional expression coded as feminine.
Inclusive Usage
Avoid using this term; it carries unmotivated gendered contempt. If referencing the word itself, acknowledge its exclusionary history.
Inclusive Alternatives
["talkative person","energetic person","verbose speaker"]
Empowerment Note
Women's greater comfort with verbal communication has been pathologized rather than recognized as a social strength; this term enforces silence.