What does driveling mean?
Driveling is an English word for speech or writing that is conspicuously foolish, silly, or lacking meaningful content. As an adjective, it describes a person, remark, argument, or piece of writing: a driveling explanation may be not merely incorrect but tediously nonsensical. As a verb, driveling means talking at length in an idle or foolish way, and as a noun it refers to the talk itself. The expression is usually derogatory and can be strongly insulting, especially when directed at someone's intelligence or sincerity. In British spelling the standard form is drivelling, while driveling is common in American usage. The word is especially useful because it combines the neutral description of empty discourse with a judgment that the speaker is wasting attention. It appears naturally in phrases such as driveling nonsense and driveling remarks. Historically, driveling belongs to a family of words connected with dribbling, dribbles, and dregs; the semantic path leads from drooling or nonsensical utterance to the modern sense of foolish talk. Although old senses survive in dictionaries, current usage overwhelmingly concerns silliness rather than physical dribbling.
Foolish, silly, or lacking meaningful content; commonly used disparagingly of a person, statement, argument, or piece of writing.
"The senator's driveling response only deepened the confusion."
Strongly derogatory in most contexts. An obsolete related sense refers to dribbling or salivating.
To talk foolishly or at length without meaningful content.
"The commentator was still driveling long after the audience had stopped listening."
The present participle of drivel, normally used when the action is ongoing.
Foolish, meaningless talk, or the act of talking in this way.
"There was little more than driveling in his explanation."
Usually uncountable and derogatory.
The noun is normally used as an uncountable mass noun.
"What he presented as an argument was merely driveling."
Driveling’s trail leads back to drool: it developed among words for dribbling and dregs before becoming a label for foolish talk.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does driveling come from?
Driveling developed from Middle English drivel, meaning 'silly talk' or 'dribbling,' and ultimately from Old English dræfl, recorded in the sense of nonsense. The word is related to dribble and to Germanic words associated with dregs or sediment, reflecting an older association with liquid that runs or dribbles. Its early modern use for foolish talk and its development as a participial adjective produced the modern senses.
Related word forms
How driveling is actually used
Chiefly derogatory and often strongly insulting, especially when directed at someone's intelligence, sincerity, or speaking ability. American and Canadian spelling generally uses one l, while British and other varieties using British spelling use two. The physical sense involving dribbling or salivating is now obsolete in ordinary use.
Easily confused with driveling
Drivelling is the British spelling of the same word; driveling is the standard spelling in American and Canadian English.