jubilant

adjective

ju·​bi·​lant ˈjü-bə-lənt How to pronounce jubilant (audio)
Synonyms of jubilant
: feeling or expressing great joy : exultant
the jubilant winner
jubilantly adverb

Examples of jubilant in a Sentence

the nominee's jubilant acceptance speech before the cheering crowd
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Los Angeles — Democrats were feeling jubilant at this year's Democratic National Committee winter meetings after decisive victories in the off-year elections. Fin Daniel Gómez, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025 But the jubilant mood was soon to change, when two armed men opened fire on the crowds, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more in what would become Australia’s worst mass shooting for almost 30 years. Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 15 Dec. 2025 Then, the jubilant husband and wife made their way down the aisle, surrounded by a mountain of white florals. Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 13 Dec. 2025 The two Argentines leaped into each others’ arms and were then engulfed by their jubilant teammates in the corner of the field. Miami Herald, 7 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for jubilant

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin jūbilant-, jūbilans, present participle of jūbilāre "to let out whoops, invoke with shouts" (Late Latin, "sing hymns of joy, be joyous"), from *jū, jō, exclamation expressing strong emotion + -bilāre, as in sībilāre "to hiss"; *jū going back to Indo-European *i̯ū, whence also Middle High German jū, jūch, exclamation of joy, jūchezen "to rejoice," Old Icelandic ýla "to howl," Greek iȳ́, exclamation of amazement, iȳ́zein "to shout, yell"

Note: The meaning of the Late Latin verb has been influenced by jūbilaeus jubilee entry 1, which itself has been influenced formally by jūbilāre.

First Known Use

1667, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of jubilant was in 1667

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Cite this Entry

“Jubilant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jubilant. Accessed 23 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

jubilant

adjective
ju·​bi·​lant ˈjü-bə-lənt How to pronounce jubilant (audio)
: feeling or expressing great joy : exultant
jubilant teammates celebrating their victory
jubilantly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on jubilant

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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