Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Unrestrained or excessive in emotional expression; gushy.
- adjective Profuse; overflowing.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In petrography, a volcanic rock poured out on the surface of the earth: contrasted with intrusive rocks. Also
extrusive . - Pouring out; flowing forth profusely: as, effusive speech.
- Hence Making an extravagant or undue exhibition of feeling.
- Poured abroad; spread or poured freely.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective archaic Pouring out; pouring forth freely.
- adjective (Geol.) formed by an outpouring of molten lava, or pertaining to rocks so formed.
- adjective overly demonstrative; expressing emotion in an unrestrained manner; exhibiting unrestrained enthusiasm; -- of people and human actions. Contrasted with
reserved . - adjective (Geol.) volcanic rocks formed by a nonexplosive outpouring of lava in molten or plastic form; in distinction from so-called
intrusive , orplutonic , rocks.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective
gushy ;unrestrained ,extravagant orexcessive (inemotional expression ) - adjective archaic
pouring , spilling out freely;overflowing - adjective
extrusive ; having solidified after being poured out as molten lava
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective extravagantly demonstrative
- adjective uttered with unrestrained enthusiasm
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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A perfect example of Hodgkin’s sharp personality is the small You Are My Sunshine, which, like a sycophant’s true feelings, contains a snide black core within effusive, almost hyper orange and yellow.
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A perfect example of Hodgkin’s sharp personality is the small You Are My Sunshine, which, like a sycophant’s true feelings, contains a snide black core within effusive, almost hyper orange and yellow.
Howard’s Blend 2006
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So boring, from the Pierce Brosnan comparison through the description of him as "astute", "effective", "effusive"- sorry that last one describes the tenor of the article rather than the man- it is simply nothing more than p.r.
Establishment 2009
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So boring, from the Pierce Brosnan comparison through the description of him as "astute", "effective", "effusive"- sorry that last one describes the tenor of the article rather than the man- it is simply nothing more than p.r.
Archive 2009-06-17 2009
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As he felt the young fellow's eyes upon him he recalled the effusive piety of his conversation at Tyler Sudley's house, his animadversions on violin-playing and liquor-drinking, and Brother Peter Vickers's mild and merciful attitude toward sinners in those un-spiced sermons of his, that held out such affluence of hope to the repentant rather than to the self-righteous.
The Moonshiners At Hoho-Hebee Falls 1895 Mary Noailles Murfree 1886
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We are served tea by the kind of effusive waitress who works in high-end London hotels.
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Rebecca's mother was not "effusive" about Rebecca's pregnancy not because she rejected the idea of a pregnancy, but because of who she was having the baby with: her Buddhist teacher who was already married and has a young child.
Rebecca Walker Becca 2007
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When he complained at the front desk, he got nothing but effusive, meaningless praise -- oh yes, the most wonderful guest must be correct, our criminal staff is surely at fault -- and a bill for the previous night's stay.
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If I recall correctly, my tone was one of jaw-dropped admiration and the kind of effusive praise that can only come from the young and impressionable vis-a-vis their encounter with an artist who either works proudly outside the mainstream or has found a way to subvert the norm from within.
Box Office Prophets Brett Beach 2010
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A warm, empathetic character who benefits from Faour's lively, ebullient presence, Muna is the kind of effusive person who can't help offering a U.S. customs officer the unsolicited observation that "my husband, he is not a good man."
dewiclark29 commented on the word effusive
–adjective 1. unduly demonstrative; lacking reserve: effusive greetings; an effusive person. 2. pouring out; overflowing.
September 22, 2008