Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Zestfully enthusiastic.
  • adjective Boiling or seeming to boil; bubbling.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Boiling over, as a liquid; overflowing; hence, over-enthusiastic; overdemonstrative.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Boiling up or over; hence, manifesting exhilaration or excitement, as of feeling; effervescing.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective boiling, agitated, enthusiastic, high-spirited

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective joyously unrestrained

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin ēbulliēns, ēbullient-, present participle of ēbullīre, to bubble up : ē-, ex-, up, out; see ex– + bullīre, to bubble, boil.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Latin bullire ("to bubble up") (English boil). Compare bubbling, bubbly, and perky, which give a similar image.

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Examples

  • My own vote for best-dressed (and there were several contenders) goes to Caldecott Chair Gratia Banta, truly chic, glamorous and in ebullient in a strapless, shimmering orange gold gown that looked to me like it was made of silk shantung.

    And they medalled! Roger Sutton 2006

  • I called the ebullient Mr. Posner and asked him for advice for the business owner struggling to build a great online reputation.

    NYT > Home Page By DAVID H. FREEDMAN 2010

  • In the case of words like "ebullient" and "shellacking," people are searching because they don't know what the heck they mean.

    Our 'Pragmatic,' 'Ebullient' Year of 'Austerity' Andrew Flynn 2010

  • A happy word following a disastrous incident: The Chilean miner "Super Mario" Sepulveda was described as "ebullient," or "showing liveliness and enthusiasm," after he finally emerged from the collapsed mine.

    Our 'Pragmatic,' 'Ebullient' Year of 'Austerity' Andrew Flynn 2010

  • Anyone who paints "ebullient" on a clothespin qualifies as interesting.

    Clothespins and Crabb James Gurney 2009

  • Posner said he doesn't expect returns to regain the heights attained before the financial crisis, when markets were "ebullient" and capital requirements were lower.

    BusinessWeek.com -- Top News 2011

  • Posner said he doesn't expect returns to regain the heights attained before the financial crisis, when markets were "ebullient" and capital requirements were lower.

    BusinessWeek.com -- Top News 2011

  • Posner said he doesn't expect returns to regain the heights attained before the financial crisis, when markets were "ebullient" and capital requirements were lower.

    BusinessWeek.com -- Top News 2011

  • A number of media outlets used "ebullient" to describe events around the rescue of the

    StarTribune.com rss feed 2010

  • A number of media outlets used "ebullient" to describe events around the rescue of the

    StarTribune.com rss feed 2010

Comments

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  • 1. overflowing with fervor, enthusiasm, or excitement; high-spirited: The award winner was in an ebullient mood at the dinner in her honor.

    2. bubbling up like a boiling liquid

    March 18, 2009

  • Just had to look this up as I used it in another comment - and it meant what I thought it meant.

    May 25, 2011

  • I came back, as I wrote you, feeling utterly exhausted. The feeling is wearing away, but I am far from being ebullient.

    Anaïs Nin, A Literate Passion

    December 14, 2011

  • From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers (p. 60): "One day the manager of Webster Clothes, a menswear store across the road, had come into the drugstore and, admiring Kathy's ebullient personality, asked her if she'd be willing to quit K&B or, if not, take a second job at Webster."

    July 29, 2012