talking-head
|talk-ing-head|
🇺🇸
/ˈtɔkɪŋˌhɛd/
🇬🇧
/ˈtɔːkɪŋˌhɛd/
person shown talking on screen
Etymology
'talking-head' originates from English, specifically the compound of the present participle 'talking' (from the verb 'talk') and the noun 'head', formed in mid 20th-century American English to describe on-screen commentators.
'talking-head' developed from the literal image of a 'head' shown 'talking' on television; the phrase gained figurative use in media criticism in the 1950s–1960s and became a common noun 'talking-head' for pundits and commentators.
Initially a literal compound describing a head that is talking (or shown talking); over time it evolved into a chiefly media-related term meaning a commentator or a person who speaks superficially on broadcast media.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a television or radio commentator whose face is shown while they deliver opinions or analysis; a pundit.
The panel was full of talking-heads offering differing opinions on the election.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a derogatory term for someone who speaks at length without substance, especially on television or in media.
Critics dismissed him as a talking-head who recycled talking points without offering new insight.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/02 22:54