buoyant
Americanadjective
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tending to float in a fluid.
-
capable of keeping a body afloat, as a liquid.
-
not easily depressed; cheerful.
- Synonyms:
- sunny, jaunty, breezy, lighthearted, happy
-
cheering or invigorating.
adjective
-
able to float in or rise to the surface of a liquid
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(of a liquid or gas) able to keep a body afloat or cause it to rise
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cheerful or resilient
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of buoyant
Explanation
Something that is buoyant floats in water. Since floating is happier than sinking, buoyant also refers to things are fun and upbeat. Someone with a buoyant personality is fun to be around, laughs a lot, smiles, and cheers other people up. Buoyant people are lively and lighthearted — the opposite of sad, depressed, and bummed out. Buoyant people are also called bubbly and cheerful, and it should help to remember that buoyant objects float — just like a buoyant person can seem like they're floating too (as in the expression "floating on air").
Vocabulary lists containing buoyant
Words to Capture Your Joy
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In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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More Positive Words to Describe a Person
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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.
Some analysts such as Su are optimistic that demand will stay buoyant, given the deepening integration of AI tools into business operations.
From Barron's • Jun. 29, 2026
At the same time, buoyant lithosphere to the west generates an opposing force.
From Science Daily • Jun. 28, 2026
When term limits forced Greenspan to retire in January 2006, the economy was solid, inflation low, and prices of stocks and houses buoyant.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 22, 2026
It’s hard for me to think about O’Herlihy’s buildings without thinking first about the man himself: his buoyant voice, quick smile and sing-song enthusiasm.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026
Till morning dawned I was tossed on a buoyant but unquiet sea, where billows of trouble rolled under surges of joy.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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.
