What does bigmouthed mean?
"Bigmouthed" is an informal English adjective describing someone who talks too much, especially in ways that betray confidences or reveal information best kept private. A bigmouthed friend might spoil a surprise party by letting the secret slip, and a bigmouthed employee might broadcast office gossip that was meant to stay behind closed doors. The word is mildly derogatory, carrying a tone of exasperation more than serious insult, and it appears chiefly in casual conversation and journalism rather than formal prose. It derives straightforwardly from the noun "bigmouth," itself a vivid compound of "big" and "mouth" that pictures a person whose mouth is metaphorically too large to keep secrets in. Related formations include "loudmouthed," which stresses noisiness and outspokenness, and "mealy-mouthed," its near-opposite, meaning evasive or unwilling to speak plainly. Common patterns include "too bigmouthed to keep a secret" and "bigmouthed about" a particular topic. The word is understood throughout the English-speaking world.
adjective(Informal) Tending to talk too much, especially in a way that reveals secrets or says things that should be kept private; indiscreet or loud-mouthed.
- (Of a person) habitually indiscreet; prone to revealing secrets or speaking when silence would be wiser.
"One bigmouthed colleague let slip the news of the merger before the official announcement."
"The plan failed because one bigmouthed intern mentioned it at dinner."
"He's a decent player, but far too bigmouthed for the manager's liking."
Call someone bigmouthed and you're literally saying their mouth is too big — too big to keep your secrets inside it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bigmouthed
"Bigmouthed" is formed from the noun "bigmouth" plus the adjectival suffix "-ed," following a productive English pattern seen in compounds such as "loudmouthed." Its elements are thoroughly Germanic: "big" from Old Norse "biggr" and "mouth" from Old English "mūþ." The compound belongs to a family of mouth-based character descriptors, including "loudmouthed" and "mealy-mouthed," that use the mouth as a figure for speech habits. Exact dates of first attestation are uncertain, but such formations are characteristic of colloquial English of the modern era.
Related word forms
How bigmouthed is actually used
Informal and mildly derogatory; common in everyday speech rather than formal writing. Often used predicatively ('he's too bigmouthed') or attributively ('a bigmouthed coworker'). Frequently followed by 'about' to specify the topic of the indiscretion.
Easily confused with bigmouthed
Both describe someone who talks too much, but 'loudmouthed' emphasizes being noisy and opinionated in public, while 'bigmouthed' emphasizes indiscretion and letting secrets out.