Words / C2

i-BUL-ee-uh-nt/ɪˈbʌliənt/

Ebullient means bubbling over with cheerful energy. Excited is everyday and shorter-lived; exuberant is a close synonym. Ebullience is the noun, and the word is literary or journalistic — a profile, a match report — not a text to a friend. In speech, on a high or full of beans (informal British) is more natural; do not use it for quiet, steady happiness.

Meaning

Full of cheerful energy and excitement (formal).

Examples

• “She was ebullient after the results came out.”
• “The room was ebullient when the results went up.”
• “His ebullient manner sat oddly with the grim agenda.”

Good to know

Bubbling cheerful energy. Formal/literary. Everyday: exuberant / on a high. Noun: ebullience.

Near in meaning

exuberant

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