English Reference

Word

exuberance

Phoneticsex·u·ber·ance

US/ɪɡˈzubɝəns/

UK/ɛɡzjˈuːbəɹəns/

Definitions

01energy and excitement

C1

n. a feeling of being full of energy, excitement, and cheerfulness.

n. the quality of being full of energy, excitement, and cheerful vitality. Uncountable in this abstract sense.

“The children's natural exuberance made the party very lively and fun.”

“The youthful exuberance of the performers more than compensated for their occasional lack of technical precision during the opening night.”

Academic

02overflowing abundance

C1

n. a state of having a very large or overflowing amount of something, like plants or decorations.

n. an overflowing or lavish abundance, often applied to lush vegetation or ornate artistic styles.

“We were amazed by the exuberance of the tropical plants in the garden.”

“The baroque cathedral was famous for the sheer exuberance of its gold-leaf carvings and intricate marble statues.”

Literary

Synonyms

profusionabundancelavishness

Antonyms

03financial over-optimism

C2

n. a situation where people are too excited about the economy, causing prices to rise too high.

n. a state of excessive optimism in financial markets that drives asset prices beyond their intrinsic value.

“The bank warned that irrational exuberance in the housing market could lead to a crash.”

“Economists often cite 'irrational exuberance' as a primary driver of speculative bubbles that eventually destabilise the global market.”

Academic · Technical

Usage

Frequently appears in the fixed phrase 'irrational exuberance'.

Synonyms

over-optimisminflation

Antonyms

Real-World Examples

“The adrenaline-fueled exuberance of Rose's side in the first half appeared to catch up with them in the second, but their desire to compete never wavered.”
BBC News · 17 Sept 2026
“Eventually taken into care, she finds an unlikely lifeline in Ella-G, another damaged girl whose exuberance masks wounds as profound as Jaycee’s own; both feel “on the outside of the world”.”
The Guardian · 6 Aug 2026

Etymology

From French exubérance, from Latin exuberantia (“superabundance”), from exuberare (“to grow thickly, to abound”); from ex- (“out”) + uber (“udder”), which would have originally referred to a cow or she-goat which was making so much milk that it naturally dripped or sprayed from the udder.

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

Word family

exuberanceNounexuberantAdjective

This entry

Level
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference