buoyant

adjective

buoy·​ant ˈbȯi-ənt 

ˈbü-yənt

: having buoyancy

Warm air is more buoyant than cool air.

: such as

a

: capable of floating

Cork is naturally buoyant.

b

: cheerful, gay

in a buoyant mood

c

: capable of maintaining a satisfactorily high level

a buoyant economy

buoyantly adverb

Synonyms of buoyant

• cheerful
• optimistic
• bright

Examples of buoyant in a Sentence

Warm air is more buoyant than cool air.

The actors were buoyant as they prepared for the evening's performance.

Recent Examples on the Web

The grinning Colbert was positively buoyant arriving to the empty engraving counter with his already-dancing wife, Evelyn McGee Colbert. — Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2026

Toward the end of the show, a female model came trundling down the runway, adorned in one of the collection’s more elegant coats crafted from a buoyant faux fur. — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2026

The class of buoyant new distributors who arrived at TIFF two years ago with fresh cash and big talk has thinned out considerably. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026

So, too, do the antics of his estate manager (a buoyant Sam Adegoke), always concocting money-making schemes, and the wide-eyed adoration of the girl next door (Amelia Mason, deftly balancing naïveté with seductiveness), who wants to save him. — Rhoda Feng, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see buoy entry 1

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for buoyant

• clairvoyant
• flamboyant

Kids Definition

buoyant

adjective

buoy·​ant ˈbȯi-ənt 

ˈbü-yənt

1

: having buoyancy

especially : capable of floating

2

: being in a happy mood : cheerful

buoyantly adverb