Verbalspreading

The verbal equivalent of manspreading—taking up more than your fair share of conversational space, leaving no room for others to contribute, and making everyone else squeeze into the margins of the discussion. Verbalspreading happens when one person dominates the conversation, interrupts anyone who tries to get a word in, and treats the dialogue as a monologue that others are privileged to witness. Unlike manspreading, which is about physical space on public transport, verbalspreading is about auditory space in any setting—meetings, parties, family gatherings, online forums. The verbalspreader's voice fills every available gap, leaving others to communicate through glances, sighs, and the desperate hope that they'll eventually need to breathe.

Example: "The team meeting was supposed to be a brainstorming session, but Dave was verbalspreading so hard that no one else could get a word in. He talked for 45 minutes straight, covering his ideas, his opinions, his weekend, and his thoughts on the office coffee machine. By the end, everyone else had mentally checked out, and Dave thought it was the most productive meeting ever. It was not."

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 15, 2026