ebullient

adjective

ebul·​lient i-ˈbu̇l-yənt 

-ˈbəl-

1

: boiling, agitated

2

: characterized by ebullience : having or showing liveliness and enthusiasm

ebullient performers

ebulliently adverb

Did you know?

Someone who is ebullient is bubbling over with enthusiasm, so it shouldn't be much of a surprise that ebullient comes from the Latin verb ebullire, which means "to bubble out." When ebullient was first used in the late 1500s its meaning hewed closely to its Latin source: ebullient meant "boiling" or "bubbling," and described things like boiling water and boiling oil instead of someone's bubbly personality. Only later did the word's meaning broaden beyond describing the liveliness of a boiling liquid to encompass emotional liveliness and enthusiasm.

Examples of ebullient in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

His sixth goal provoked an ebullient celebration. —Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 15 Jan. 2026

Coming from a background of match racing, the ebullient Kiwi brings a lot of aggression and energy to the race course. —Andrew Rice, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026

By contrast, Farmer’s book editor Davis is charming and ebullient, but also vain, dishonest, overtly macho and misogynistic. —Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026

Flora spent much of the evening dancing with her escort, Quentin Roosevelt, an ebullient young man her age. —Fiona Donovan, Vanity Fair, 30 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin ebullient-, ebulliens, present participle of ebullire to bubble out, from e- + bullire to bubble, boil — more at boil

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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