effervescent
Americanadjective
-
effervescing; bubbling.
-
vivacious; merry; lively; sparkling.
- Synonyms:
- lighthearted, enthusiastic, ebullient, animated
adjective
-
(of a liquid) giving off bubbles of gas; bubbling
-
high-spirited; vivacious
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of effervescent
First recorded in 1675–85; from Latin effervēscent- (stem of effervēscēns ), present participle of effervēscere to effervesce; see -ent
Explanation
Something effervescent has bubbles or froth, like a sparkling cider or a bubble bath. If you have a happy, light, cheerful personality — if you are "bubbly" — you too are effervescent. Coming from the Latin effervēscere, the original meaning was more boiling than bubbly, thanks to the ferv part, which means "hot." The word literally refers to bubbles giving off gas, and any drinks you enjoy that are nose-ticklingly effervescent make bubbles that pop and release into the air. Remember, someone with an effervescent personality is just bubbly, not full of gas!
Vocabulary lists containing effervescent
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Grade 10, List 2
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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.
Effervescent blonde actor played Chrissy Snow on TV’s “Three’s Company,” wrote 25 books and became a proponent of alternative medicine.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 31, 2023
Effervescent grime meets an unexpected digression into R&B and gospel on Stormzy’s debut.
From The Guardian • Dec. 5, 2017
The single, out this week, is an instant classic: Effervescent, 80s-inspired pop with more hooks than a butchers, it is directly inspired by Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Want To Have Fun.
From BBC • Jul. 11, 2015
Staying Effervescent Against the Odds The actress Heather Graham, 43, plays a small-town grain-elevator operator in the recently released film “At Any Price.”
From New York Times • Apr. 26, 2013
In a dingle away from a rutted highroad, Around him the earliest throstle and merle, Our human smile between milk and sleep, Effervescent of Nature he crowed.
From Poems — Volume 3 by Meredith, George
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.
