English Reference

Word

exuberant

Phoneticsex·u·ber·ant

US/ɪɡˈzubɝənt/

UK/ɛɡzjˈuːbəɹənt/

Definition

adj. showing a lot of energy and excitement. You use this to describe someone who is very happy and full of life.

adj. characterised by or displaying great energy, enthusiasm, or excitement. Often used to describe a person's emotional state or a physical display of joy.

Examples

“The children were exuberant after winning the game.”

“The exuberant crowd cheered loudly as the team entered the stadium for the final match.”

“Despite the initial skepticism of the board, the exuberant young CEO's vision for the company eventually led to a significant increase in market share.”

Examples

simple

“The children were exuberant after winning the game.”

contextual

“The exuberant crowd cheered loudly as the team entered the stadium for the final match.”

complex

“Despite the initial skepticism of the board, the exuberant young CEO's vision for the company eventually led to a significant increase in market share.”

Real-World Examples

Common in culture writing

“Quart and her colleague Andrew Flatt described The Greatest Showman as “fearless in its emotion: open-hearted, exuberant and unapologetically joyous, celebrating those considered outsiders and dreamers”.”
The Guardian · 15 Aug 2026
“This novel feels thinner in texture than the exuberant Only Here, Only Now, leaving the reader largely to infer the characters’ motivation.”
The Guardian · 12 Aug 2026

Etymology

From Middle French exubérant, from Latin exūberāns, the present active participle of exūberō (“be abundant”). Put together from ex (“out”), and uber (“udder”), and originally would have 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

Domain

Medicine

This entry

Level
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/exuberant

English Reference