English Reference

Word

ebullience

Phoneticsebul·lience

US/ˌɪˈbʊɫjəns/

UK/ɪbˈʊliəns/

Definition

n. a feeling of being very happy, energetic, and full of excitement. You use it to describe someone who is bubbling over with joy.

n. the quality of being cheerful and full of energy; exuberant. Often describes a personality trait or a temporary state of high spirits.

Examples

“Her natural ebullience made everyone at the party feel welcome.”

“Despite the long hours and difficult conditions, the team's ebullience never faded as they neared the project's completion.”

“The investor's ebullience regarding the new tech sector was tempered only by the central bank's warning about rising interest rates.”

Examples

simple

“Her natural ebullience made everyone at the party feel welcome.”

contextual

“Despite the long hours and difficult conditions, the team's ebullience never faded as they neared the project's completion.”

complex

“The investor's ebullience regarding the new tech sector was tempered only by the central bank's warning about rising interest rates.”

Usage

Typically used in the singular; often paired with adjectives like 'natural', 'youthful', or 'characteristic'.

Real-World Examples

“Interviewed by the Guardian’s Laura Snapes on Sunday morning in the Cabaret tent at the festival, she seems totally thrilled by the experience, chatting away with characteristic ebullience.”
The Guardian · 25 Jun 2023
“Yet in recent weeks — and particularly in parts of the country where life is edging back toward normalcy — there is a post-pandemic ebullience emerging in how Americans are dressing.”
The New York Times · 25 May 2021
“Her glamour and ebullience carried her through more than half a century in the public eye, especially as a regular hostess of the Eurovision Song Contest.”
BBC News · 20 Mar 2018
“Starting with a movement in the composer’s most eruptive and jagged style it continues with music of bouncing ebullience whose wayward lyricism incorporates Turnage’s characteristically vital bluesy inflections.”
The Guardian · 23 Jan 2017

Etymology

From Latin ēbullientem, the accusative singular of ēbulliēns ("boiling"), present participle of ēbulliō ("to boil out"), itself from ē- ("out") + bulliō ("to bubble, boil") from bulla ("bubble"), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰew- ("to blow, inflate"), with English -ence added to form the noun.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Synonyms

This entry

Level
C2 · Proficiency
Frequency
Rare
Updated

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