exuberance
Americannoun
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Also exuberancy. the state of being exuberant.
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an instance of this.
His pranks are youthful exuberances.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of exuberance
From the Latin word exūberantia, dating back to 1630–40. See exuberant, -ance
Explanation
Use exuberance to describe joyful enthusiasm and liveliness. You appreciate the natural exuberance of small children, but you prefer to enjoy it from a distance. The noun exuberance comes from the adjective exuberant, which itself came from a Latin word that originally described an overflowing supply of milk from the udder of a cow or goat! The word still means "overflowing," not with milk but with joy and enthusiasm. After your winning home run, the fans ran onto the field and, in their exuberance, carried you off on their shoulders . . . before you touched home plate.
Vocabulary lists containing exuberance
An Inspirational Back-to-School Word List
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Words inspired by "Inside Out"
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The Things They Carried
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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 most mundane questions are met with exuberance: “Certainly!”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Investor exuberance in the sector has sent valuations soaring.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Greenspan is most well-known for his 1996 speech in which he mused about irrational exuberance in the financial markets.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
Greenspan couldn’t: His exuberance warning came three years too early.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
In this, if in no other way, we can see the wild and reckless exuberance of our production, and waste seems to be the index.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
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.
