Word.ws English Dictionary

talked like a book

talked like a book is the simple past and past participle of talk like a book.

Meaning of talk like a book

Verb

talk like a book (third-person singular simple present talks like a book, present participle talking like a book, simple past and past participle talked like a book)

  1. (informal, simile) To talk pedantically, or using excessively difficult or literary words.
    • People ſhould not vvrite as they talk, except in letters (vvhich are but a converſation in vvriting): it is too careleſs. And they neither can nor ought to ſpeak as they vvrite, for this vvould be unnatural. I ſuppose it vvas first intended as a compliment to a perſon to ſay, He talks like a book...1744, [Nicolas-Charles-Joseph] Trublet, “Of the Different Talents for Speaking and Writing”, in [anonymous], transl., Essays upon Several Subjects of Literature and Morality. […], London: […] J....
  2. (informal, simile) To talk precisely and with authority.
    • You cannot conceive, ladies, hovv good a ſchool that tavern vvas to me. It vvas frequented by a great number of learned men, vvho talked like a book concerning the character of a vvorthy man; of the pleaſure and advantage that, in every condition of life, attended the being juſt, good, and...1793 February, [Jean-François] Marmontel, “The Waterman of Besons”, in [anonymous], transl., The Sentimental and Masonic Magazine, volume II, Dublin: […] John Jones, […], →OCLC, page 131

Questions about talked like a book

What is talked like a book the simple past and past participle of?
Talked like a book is the simple past and past participle of talk like a book.

Words near talked like a book in the dictionary

  1. talked down to
  2. talked everything
  3. talked fast and loose
  4. talked in circles
  5. talked into
  6. talked like a book
  7. talked like an apothecary
  8. talked nasty
  9. talked out
  10. talked out of
  11. talked out of one's arse

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: talked like a book (page history and authors); talk like a book (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this entry: “talked like a book.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/talked_like_a_book. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.