ebullient
Americanadjective
-
overflowing with fervor, enthusiasm, or excitement; high-spirited.
The award winner was in an ebullient mood at the dinner in her honor.
-
bubbling up like a boiling liquid.
ebullient lava streaming down the mountainside.
adjective
-
overflowing with enthusiasm or excitement; exuberant
-
boiling
Other Word Forms
- ebullience noun
- ebulliently adverb
- nonebullient adjective
- nonebulliently adverb
- unebullient adjective
Etymology
Origin of ebullient
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin ēbullient- (stem of ēbulliēns “boiling up,” present participle of ēbullīre ), equivalent to ē- + bulli- (derivative of bulla “a bubble”) + -ent-; see origin at e- 1, boil 1 ( def. ), -ent
Explanation
More than chipper, more than happy, more than delighted is ebullient — meaning bubbling over with joy and delight. There are two senses of the word of ebullient. One describes an immediate, and ultimately short-lived, reaction to a particular event — for example if you've just won the lottery, you are ebullient. The other describes someone who is perpetually upbeat and cheerful, for example, as in "an ebullient personality." Watch out for ebullient personalities: they can often be "over the top" as well.
Vocabulary lists containing ebullient
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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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 tour kicked off at Mama Roux's club in front of a few hundred fans who were attracted as much by his ebullient indie music as their curiosity in the Beckham clan.
From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026
After a night of jubilation in Dakar, the morning newspapers were ebullient: "Heroic!"
From Barron's • Jan. 19, 2026
Examining your current holdings, you might find that ebullient stock markets last year expanded your share of equities to 70%.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 6, 2026
Played with boundless enthusiasm by S. Z. Sakall, Felix is one of the great, undercelebrated chef characters in popular culture: rotund, ebullient, deeply competent, and visibly delighted by his own work.
From Salon • Dec. 25, 2025
He sprang up, a smallish man, high-spirited and ebullient.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
