Ebullient
adjective /ɪˈbʊliənt/ — Enthusiastic in a way that bubbles over and infects everyone around you.
Definition
Cheerful and full of energy, overflowing with enthusiasm and excitement.
Beyond the definition
Ebullient is the word for the person who makes a room louder in the best possible way. It's enthusiasm that doesn't need permission — it just rises naturally like boiling water, lifting everything nearby.
Origin & history
From Latin ebullire — to bubble up (e- 'out' + bullire 'to boil'). Originally a literal description of liquid boiling over. The emotional sense captures the same uncontainable energy.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
Her ebullient arrival transformed the office from quiet to energized in minutes.
He was ebullient about the project — his excitement had a way of becoming everyone's excitement.
There's something genuinely rare about ebullient people — they give energy rather than take it.
Synonyms
exuberant, effervescent, enthusiastic, vivacious, buoyant, animated
Antonyms
subdued, lethargic, dull, reserved, withdrawn
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
Joyful Person on Hilltop
An adult stands on a hilltop with arms raised, their face turned to the sun as the wind whips their hair in an open, vast landscape.
Ebullience is being filled with and overflowing with energy. The subject's unrestrained posture, raised arms, and sun-turned face manifest an energy that cannot be contained by the surroundings, perfectly capturing the spirit of someone who is irrepressibly cheerful and enthusiastic about the open, vast world around them.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration