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

• blithe
• blithesome
• bright
• canty [British dialect]
• cheerful
• cheery
• chipper
• eupeptic
• gay
• gladsome
• lightsome
• sunny
• upbeat
• winsome

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

Zelensky’s leadership team was buoyant about the terms. —Brian Bennett, Time, 1 May 2025

Even with their long beaks and dives from up to 100 feet in the air, brown pelicans are too buoyant to get much deeper than six feet into the water, Bergeron said, suggesting their strandings may be a sign of bigger problems to come. —Jorge L. Ortiz, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025

Returning to Churchill after his infamous two-year-plus-one-year Churchill ban dating from Medina Spirit’s 2021 betamethasone disqualification, Baffert was buoyant about the work. —Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025

At the same time, Huerta and Velez’s songs—filled with strains of salsa and mariachi and featuring some virtuosic guitar work—are buoyant and engaging. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025

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