Ebullience
noun /ɪˈbʌl.i.əns/ — Enthusiastic, high-spirited, irrepressible energy
Definition
The quality of being cheerful, enthusiastic, and irrepressibly high-spirited — energy that spills over its container, that cannot be held back or subdued.
Beyond the definition
Joy that boils over. Ebullience is enthusiasm that has no self-consciousness — it has not yet learned to moderate itself for the comfort of others. It is infectious precisely because it is unguarded.
Origin & history
From Latin 'ebullire' (to boil over, bubble up) — 'e-' (out) + 'bullire' (to boil). Related to 'bubble' and 'boil'. The chemistry of high spirits — heat that produces visible, upward movement.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
Her ebullience was genuine — not performed enthusiasm but the real thing, which made it impossible to resist.
The puppy's ebullience was exhausting and completely disarming — it had not yet learned that some moments call for restraint.
Great teachers often have a natural ebullience — not cheerfulness exactly, but an energy about their subject that is contagious.
Synonyms
exuberance, vivacity, enthusiasm, effervescence, high spirits
Antonyms
lethargy, apathy, restraint
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Conductor Leading Orchestral Peak
A conductor gestures expansively with hands and body at the height of a performance, with dramatic lighting capturing the energy of the moment.
This image depicts the physical manifestation of high energy that cannot be contained. The expansive, totalizing gesture represents ebullience, where inner enthusiasm spills outward into the environment, mirroring the irrepressible high spirits and overflowing energy characteristic of someone in a state of genuine, fervent ebullience.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration