# buoyed

/ˈbuid/ (US) · /bˈɔɪd/ (UK) · CEFR C1 · Verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/buoyed
Updated: 2026-10-15

## Definition

to make people feel happier or more hopeful, or to keep something like prices or confidence high. You use it when good news lifts people or markets.

For teachers: to lift or sustain morale, confidence, or prices; to keep afloat physically or figuratively. Often used in the passive with 'by' to name the supporting cause.

## Examples

- She feels buoyed by the good news.
- Investors felt buoyed by the strong jobs report and pushed stock prices higher.
- Buoyed by early praise for her novel, she wrote with renewed confidence through the difficult second draft.

## Synonyms

lift, boost, encourage, uplift, cheer, hearten

## Antonyms

depress, discourage, dampen, dishearten

## Usage notes

- Transitive; takes a direct object. In the passive, the cause follows 'by' ('buoyed by good sales').

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.