Georgian · insult · noun, adjective
Gadabout
GAD-uh-bout /ˈɡædəbaʊt/pronunciation given by a dictionary
First recordedby 1757
A person who goes restlessly from place to place in search of fun, company or gossip. From the verb gad, 'to wander idly'. The older form 'gadder about' goes back to the 1560s.
Where it was first recorded
Dated by 1757 by Merriam-Webster, which does not name the work (Etymonline dates the noun only to 1830, the adjective to 1817)
Also spelled: gad-about
In its own time
RANTIPOLE. A rude romping boy or girl; also a gadabout dissipated woman.
Today
Modern exampleSince retiring, my aunt has become a proper gadabout: book club Monday, salsa Tuesday, Lisbon by Friday.
Fine to use, now mostly affectionate, for someone with a busy social life.
Grose used it of a 'dissipated woman' (in his rantipole entry); the modern sense is neutral.
Questions
What does gadabout mean?
A person who goes restlessly from place to place in search of fun, company or gossip. From the verb gad, 'to wander idly'. The older form 'gadder about' goes back to the 1560s.
When was gadabout first used?
It is first recorded by 1757 — Dated by 1757 by Merriam-Webster, which does not name the work (Etymonline dates the noun only to 1830, the adjective to 1817).
Can you still use gadabout today?
Fine to use, now mostly affectionate, for someone with a busy social life.
Sources
- gadabout — Merriam-Webster
- gadabout (n.) — Online Etymology Dictionary
- A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, Francis Grose, 1st edition (London: S. Hooper, 1785) — Internet Archive (scan + OCR)
- A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1811 edition, 'Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue'), Francis Grose — Project Gutenberg eBook #5402
- gadabout — Wiktionary
Checked 2026-09-30 · verdict: attested — found in the dictionaries and texts listed above