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.
These Christophers were the result of Julian trying to copy his own style, to regain the ebullient spark lost after his muse left his side.
From Salon • Apr. 17, 2026
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
Liu can rattle off a list of everything she loves about it: the entrance to the triple salchow, the exit after the loop, the loop itself, the step sequence—and the ebullient finale.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026
After a night of jubilation in Dakar, the morning newspapers were ebullient: "Heroic!"
From Barron's • Jan. 19, 2026
He was as ebullient and ruddy as mulled claret, and Nately liked him a great deal, although he did not like mulled claret.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
