exuberant

adjective

ex·​u·​ber·​ant ig-ˈzü-b(ə-)rənt How to pronounce exuberant (audio)
1
a
: joyously unrestrained and enthusiastic
exuberant praise
an exuberant personality
b
: unrestrained or elaborate especially in style : flamboyant
exuberant architecture
2
: produced in extreme abundance : plentiful
exuberant foliage and vegetation
3
: extreme or excessive in degree, size, or extent
exuberant prosperity
exuberantly adverb
Choose the Right Synonym for exuberant

profuse, lavish, prodigal, luxuriant, lush, exuberant mean giving or given out in great abundance.

profuse implies pouring forth without restraint.

profuse apologies

lavish suggests an unstinted or unmeasured profusion.

a lavish party

prodigal implies reckless or wasteful lavishness threatening to lead to early exhaustion of resources.

prodigal spending

luxuriant suggests a rich and splendid abundance.

a luxuriant beard

lush suggests rich, soft luxuriance.

a lush green lawn

exuberant implies marked vitality or vigor in what produces abundantly.

an exuberant imagination

Examples of exuberant in a Sentence

Steven Spielberg's career has been famously schizoid. On the one hand, he has made films borne aloft by exuberant juvenility (the Indiana Jones pictures, Jurassic Park, and so forth); on the other hand, he has made mature films of serious intent (The Color Purple, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan). And … there is also a third hand: he has combined those two types, most notably in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, in which he transmuted a fascinating science fiction film into near-theology. Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic, 23 July 2001
Here we are at a jousting tournament in medieval England, and as the armored knights charge each other on horseback the exuberant crowd sings along to the old Queen heavy-metal anthem "We Will Rock You." And does the wave! David Ansen, Newsweek, 14 May 2001
A few years ago, I learned to expect that at the end of a linguistics class that I was teaching, as I consulted with a few students before we vacated the room, the air would suddenly be lacerated by fat bass tracks and streams of exuberant invective. Tupac, as they say, was in the house. The class that was about to begin was an elective called "The Poetry of Tupac Shakur." John McWhorter, New Republic, 22 Oct. 2001
They're the hardwood wunderkinds who think NEXT is now: the NBA's teen set. And like puppies, they're winningly exuberant (if not housebroken). Well, maybe not so "winning." ESPN, 25 Dec. 2000
His exuberant personality makes him fun to be around. exuberant crowds rushed to greet the returning national champions in collegiate basketball
Recent Examples on the Web Tierra Whack: World Wide Whack [Interscope] On World Wide Whack, billed as Tierra Whack’s debut album, the exuberant rap innovator shifts gear, probing a world of alienation and disillusionment compounded by grief and depression. Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 15 Mar. 2024 Its rugged exterior protects your iPad from even the most exuberant users. Tanya Edwards, Parents, 13 Mar. 2024 Her hair, an exuberant spill of eighties curls, makes a silhouette on the column behind her. Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2024 America’s great indigenous art had evolved from the exuberant transgressions of the 1920s to the danceable rhythms of the swing era to the prickly cubism of bebop. James Kaplan, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2024 Super Micro — 50% of whose revenue comes from AI, noted CRN — was exuberant about the results. Peter Cohan, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Baker’s book, by contrast, was opinionated, lyrical, and exuberant. Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 24 Feb. 2024 Grant Halverson / Getty Images The Clark incident, coming Jan. 21 after then-No. 2 Iowa's loss at Ohio State, offered a reminder of the risk facing athletes and coaching staffs stuck in the path of an oncoming exuberant rush of fans eager to celebrate at midcourt. CBS News, 24 Feb. 2024 Stéphane’s arrival flashes him back to a more exuberant, younger self (Jérémy Gillet) who is falling hopelessly in love with farm-boy Thomas (Julien de Saint Jean). Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'exuberant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin exuberant-, exuberans, present participle of exuberare to be abundant, from ex- + uber fruitful, from uber udder — more at udder

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of exuberant was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near exuberant

Cite this Entry

“Exuberant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exuberant. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

exuberant

adjective
ex·​u·​ber·​ant ig-ˈzü-b(ə-)rənt How to pronounce exuberant (audio)
: joyfully enthusiastic
exuberance
-b(ə-)rən(t)s
noun
exuberantly adverb

Medical Definition

exuberant

adjective
ex·​u·​ber·​ant ig-ˈzü-b(ə-)rənt How to pronounce exuberant (audio)
: characterized by extreme proliferation
exuberant granulation tissue
remarkably exuberant metastatic calcificationSandy Muspratt

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