buoyant

[ boi-uhnt, boo-yuhnt ]

/ ˈbɔɪ ənt, ˈbu yənt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR buoyant ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

tending to float in a fluid.

capable of keeping a body afloat, as a liquid.

not easily depressed; cheerful.

cheering or invigorating.

Nearby words

buoy boat, buoyage, buoyancy, buoyancy bags, buoyancy compensator, buoyant, buoyant force, bupa, buphthalmia, bupivacaine, buppie

Origin of buoyant

First recorded in 1570–80; buoy + -ant

SYNONYMS FOR buoyant

3 happy, lighthearted, breezy, jaunty, sunny.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR buoyant ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

buoy·ant·ly, adverbnon·buoy·ant, adjectivenon·buoy·ant·ly, adverbun·buoy·ant, adjective

un·buoy·ant·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for buoyant

It was in this buoyant baby boom atmosphere that my parents grew up.
Those Kansas City Blues: A Family History|Katie Baker|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Seeger showed Springsteen that political music could be buoyant, even as it dealt with the weightiest issues.
Springsteen, Seeger, and the Joy of Political Music|Howard Wolfson|February 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The stock market has been buoyant, and interest rates have been rising in part because of expectations of higher economic growth.
The December Jobs Report Is Drunk|Daniel Gross|January 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The little girl who had once stood there with a bouquet was out in California, a buoyant and youthful 66 years old.
The Little Girl Who Welcomed Mossadegh to New York|Michael Daly|September 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST

What is less convincing is her buoyant optimism about our odds of survival.
It’s the End of the World but We’ll Be Fine|Nick Romeo|May 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A pain came to Guida's heart as she read the flowing tale of his buoyant love.
The Battle Of The Strong, Complete|Gilbert Parker
It demanded a buoyant courage, and a heart happy in its toil; and the archdeacon's heart was happy, and his courage was buoyant.
The Warden|Anthony Trollope
This buoyant energy of hope and effort is to be the result of the consciousness of imperfection of which we have spoken.
Expositions of Holy Scripture|Alexander Maclaren
Maud hoped that the buoyant and spirited young Irishman would some day return to the farm.
Hendricks the Hunter|W.H.G. Kingston
He had never seen her so buoyant; her animal spirits had never leapt so high.
The Battle Of The Strong, Complete|Gilbert Parker

British Dictionary definitions for buoyant

buoyant

/ (ˈbɔɪənt) /

adjective

able to float in or rise to the surface of a liquid

(of a liquid or gas) able to keep a body afloat or cause it to rise

cheerful or resilient

Word Origin for buoyant

C16: probably from Spanish boyante, from boyar to float, from boya buoy, ultimately of Germanic origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012