👅 Licking a lot 💬 Sharp-tongued

tonguey

9.1

Likely to lick people or talk a lot

adjective
/ˈtʌŋi/

: lenguete

That child is so tonguey he never stops talking during class.

Examples

The puppy was especially tonguey and licked everyone it met.
Her tonguey parrot greeted every guest with a stream of chatter.
The dog looked quite tonguey after drinking water.
Why is that cat so tonguey when it licks itself?
My dog is very tonguey, always licking my face when I get home.
The puppy was tonguey, frequently sticking out its long tongue while playing.
During the hot summer, my cat gets tonguey, frequently licking her fur to cool down.

Synonyms

tongued

vstonguey

1 7.2

Having a tongue-like part, for example in bees or boards

is more about a noticeable tongue or tending to talk or lick frequently

tonguelike

vstonguey

6.6

Shaped like a tongue and often used to touch things

is about having a noticeable tongue or about talking or licking often

talky-talky

vstonguey

Informal

9.6

Full of long conversations that feel boring

is instead about physical prominence or licking rather than only speech

Antonyms

quiet

∞ 1.0

Not making much noise

reserved

3.7

Not willing to show feelings or talk much

How Talkative

garrulous

Formal

3 8.6

tonguey

9.1

talkative

33 2.5

chatty

Informal

36 3.3

quiet

189 1.0

Surface Forms

tonguey positive

Morphology

tonguey = tongue (transparent) = tongue + y

The adjective is directly formed from 'tongue' + '-y' and the literal senses (prominent tongue; tendency to lick or talk) are straightforwardly derived.

Etymology

Tonguey comes from tongue, the body part you use to 'taste', 'lick' and 'speak'. So, tonguey can describe someone or an animal that licks a lot or talks a lot, like a chatty parrot or a puppy that won't stop licking.