Definition of EBULLIENT

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Someone who is ebullient is bubbling over with enthusiasm, so it shouldn't be much of a surprise that the adjective ebullient derives from the Latin verb ebullire, which means "to bubble out." (The stem bullire is an ancestor of our word boil and derives from bulla, the Latin word for "bubble.") In its earliest known uses in English in the late 1500s, ebullient was used in the sense of "boiling" or "bubbling" that might have described a pot simmering on the stove. Only later did the word's meaning broaden to encompass emotional agitation (particularly of the exuberant kind) in addition to the tempestuous roiling of a boiling liquid.

Examples of ebullient in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Seeing Amy Sherman-Palladino without her trademark top hat is unexpected, to say the least—like observing a particularly ebullient peacock sans opulent plumage. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," 9 Dec. 2018 The first sign most of us had that all was not well was on Saturday morning, with reports that the FCA board had been called together hurriedly to discuss a successor to the ebullient executive. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "Sergio Marchionne, the man who saved Fiat Chrysler, dies at 66," 25 July 2018 Françoise is a ready-to-wear and accessories collection made in Senyk’s confident, ebullient mold—practical, yet not without whimsy, and very French (hence the name), but made in Italy. — Nicole Phelps, Vogue, "Johanna Senyk, the Ebullient Designer Behind Wanda Nylon, Is Back With a New Collection, Françoise," 24 Sep. 2018 No, this was music-making of a high professional order, refined in its conception and performed with an astonishing combination of alert, relaxed command and ebullient spontaneity. — Marcus Overton, sandiegouniontribune.com, "La Jolla Symphony & Chorus brings audience to their feet with electric performance of 'Carmina Burana'," 17 Mar. 2018 First the young pit crew then the engineers and executives began hugging each other, chanting and jumping up and down like ebullient soccer fans. — Dan Neil, WSJ, "Volkswagen’s All-Electric Effort to Climb Out of Its P.R. Hole," 4 July 2018 Before either of these experiences, my acquaintanceship with eggplant was limited to tiny cans of Progresso caponata, whose ebullient, colorful exterior hinted at the flavor within. — Evan Kleiman, latimes.com, "Cucina Italiana: The joy of eggplant. Try making a timbale," 5 July 2018 Episodes lyrical, ebullient, searching and even wacky ensue as the forces merge, separate and regroup. — John Von Rhein, chicagotribune.com, "MusicNOW's resident composers wrap up their tenure with well-received parting gifts," 22 May 2018 This second part in the playwright's Aran Islands trilogy — sandwiched between The Cripple of Inishmaan and The Banshees of Inisheer — is a brutally ebullient farce that gleefully features several gory onstage murders. — Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, "'The Lieutenant of Inishmore': Theater Review," 5 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ebullient.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.