Ebullient

/ɪˈbʊliənt/

adjectiveC1

Definition

Ebullient means feeling or showing great excitement and happiness. It describes a person who is full of energy and enthusiasm, often in a way that others can easily see. This word is used when someone's mood is very bright and lively.

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See It in Action

Showing lively and enthusiastic happiness

  • She was ebullient after hearing the good news about her job.
  • The children were ebullient during the school festival.
  • His ebullient personality makes him popular at parties.

Full of energy and excitement in behavior or expression

  • The speaker’s ebullient style kept the audience interested.
  • After the game, the team was ebullient and celebrating loudly.

Make It Stick

  • Think of "ebullient" like "happy" (A1 word), but much stronger and more energetic—like happiness with extra energy and excitement
  • Picture a person jumping up and down with a big smile, full of lively energy that you can feel in the room
  • It’s the feeling when you win a prize or get very good news and you cannot stop smiling and talking happily
  • Sounds like "e-BULL-i-ent" → imagine a bull jumping with energy and excitement, full of life and power
  • Think of a character in a movie who is always cheerful and full of life, lifting up everyone’s mood around them
  • NOT like "calm" (quiet and peaceful), "ebullient" is loud and full of energy
  • NOT like "sad" or "tired"—ebullient is the opposite, full of strong positive feelings
  • NOT just "happy" (which can be quiet), "ebullient" shows happiness that is active and very visible

Try Other Words

  • Enthusiastic: showing strong interest or excitement (Use when you want to show active interest, not just general happiness)
  • Joyful: feeling or showing great happiness (Use when focusing on deep happiness, less about energy)
  • Excited: feeling very happy and eager (Use when the energy is about looking forward to something)

Unboxing

  • Prefix: "e-" meaning "out" or "up"
  • Root: from Latin "bullire" meaning "to boil" or "bubble"
  • Suffix: "-ent" meaning "having the quality of"
  • Etymology: From Latin "ebullientem," meaning "boiling up," like water bubbling with heat
  • Historical development: Originally used to describe boiling liquids, later used metaphorically for people bubbling with strong feelings
  • Modern usage: Used to describe very happy and lively people or moods, showing strong positive energy

Reflect & Connect

When have you felt ebullient in your life? What made you feel that strong, happy energy?
How can being ebullient affect the people around you in a group or team?

Fill in the blanks

1.She was ebullient ___ receiving the award because it was a ___ moment for her.
2.His ebullient mood made the whole room feel ___ and more ___.
3.Unlike being calm or quiet, ebullient people often ___ their happiness with loud voices or big smiles.
4.After winning the game, the team was ebullient and started to ___ loudly.
5.When someone is ebullient, they usually speak and move with a lot of ___ and ___.
6.You might feel ebullient when you get very good news or when something ___ exciting happens.
7.An ebullient person is different from a shy person because they show their ___ feelings openly.