exuberant
Americanadjective
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effusively and almost uninhibitedly enthusiastic; lavishly abundant.
an exuberant welcome for the hero.
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abounding in vitality; extremely joyful and vigorous.
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extremely good; overflowing; plentiful.
exuberant health.
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profuse in growth or production; luxuriant; superabundant.
exuberant vegetation.
adjective
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abounding in vigour and high spirits; full of vitality
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lavish or effusive; excessively elaborate
exuberant compliments
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growing luxuriantly or in profusion
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of exuberant
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin exūberant-, stem of exūberāns “abounding,” present participle of exūberāre “to be abundant,” from ex- ex- 1 + ūberāre “to be fruitful” (verb derivative of ūber “fertile”; see also udder)
Explanation
Are you feeling really happy and enthusiastic about something? Describe yourself with the adjective exuberant! Exuberant can be traced back to the same Indo-European root that has brought the word udder. If you picture the plentiful amount of milk a cow can give, it is easy to remember that exuberant always describes something that is abundant or plentiful like exuberant foliage. Abundance also comes into play in its primary use today to mean "very enthusiastic, full of energy or overjoyed." When the bell rings on the last day of school, you will be exuberant.
Vocabulary lists containing exuberant
The Giver
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 4
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Words to Capture Your Joy
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The exuberant conductor Gustavo Dudamel has been performing the symphony with the New York Philharmonic this month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
While the analogy between recent months and the top of the dot-com bubble is stark and alarming, it’s not the only evidence pointing to the downside risk of exuberant earnings-growth assumptions.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
The dotty pumpkins and kaleidoscope rooms of Yayoi Kusama, who has died aged 97, were as vibrant as the artist herself, but her exuberant work was the expression of a long battle with mental illness.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
Alicante gives it ill-fated monuments and exuberant crowds.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
My mom’s relatives tended to gather at Southside’s house around the corner—drawn by my grandfather’s cooking, the ongoing games of bid whist, and the exuberant blasting of jazz.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
