effusive

adjective ef·fu·sive \ i-ˈfyü-siv , e- , -ziv \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of effusive

1 :marked by the expression of great or excessive emotion or enthusiasm

effusive praise

2 archaic :pouring freely

3 :characterized or formed by a nonexplosive outpouring of lava

effusive rocks

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effusively

adverb

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effusiveness

noun

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Examples of effusive in a Sentence

They offered effusive thanks for our help.
often effusive no matter what the occasion, my aunt is even more so at weddings and funerals

Recent Examples of effusive from the Web

And since the revelations about possible collusion between the Trump team and the Kremlin have begun to snowball toward an impeachment crisis, the American president’s once effusive praise for Putin has vanished.

— owen matthews, Newsweek, "Lovers' Quarrel: Trump, Putin and the World's Most Dangerous Codependent Relationship," 10 Aug. 2017
Conway’s effusive praise for the congressman is amusing when compared to Trump’s broadsides against him this spring.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Trump’s warped view of loyalty and the conceit of ‘the Oct. 8th coalition’," 31 July 2017
The era’s effusive architectural spirit animated elaborate multilevel shopping palaces.

— justin davidson, Daily Intelligencer, "The Strange State of New York’s Street-Level Retail Storefronts," 14 July 2017
The situation turned fast in 2015, though, when Miko was less than effusive about Tannehill on her radio show.

— jack dickey, SI.com, "Grimes Against Humanity: How Brent and Miko navigate their world of social media and the NFL," 13 July 2017
Each member is given her chance to shine through the effusive verses, while the song switches things up a bit in the second half with Irene and Yeri providing a rap bridge before the final rendition of the chorus.

— tamar herman, Billboard, "Red Velvet Offers a Taste of Summer With 'Red Flavor' Song & Video: Watch," 9 July 2017
Based on the cheerful interview, Broski seems like nothing less than the polar opposite of his character; his answers are littered with sunny remarks and effusive cheer.

— laura bradley, HWD, "Meet the Soft-Spoken Actor Behind the Scariest Twin Peaks Moment Yet," 30 June 2017
Dwyer has been a great scorer for Kansas City, with an effusive personality and great drive to succeed.

— jonathan tannenwald, Philly.com, "Alejandro Bedoya, Andre Blake headed to Gold Cup, could miss eight Union games," 26 June 2017
Beilein, as would be expected, had nothing but effusive praise for Wilson on Thursday in a statement released by Michigan.

— matt velazquez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Bucks select Michigan's D.J. Wilson with 17th pick in NBA draft," 22 June 2017

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

effusive History is Overflowing

We've used "effusive" in English to describe excessive outpourings since the 17th century. In the 1800s, geologists adopted the specific sense related to flowing lava-or to hardened rock formed from flowing lava. "Effusive" can be traced to the Latin verb effundere ("to pour out"), which itself comes from "fundere" ("to pour") plus a modification of the prefix ex- ("out"). Our verb "effuse" has the same Latin ancestors. A person effuses when he or she speaks effusively. Liquids can effuse as well (as in "water effusing from a pipe").

Origin and Etymology of effusive

borrowed from Medieval Latin effūsīvus "generating profusely, lavish," from Latin effūsus (past participle of effundere "to pour out, discharge, expend") + -īvus -ive — more at ¹effuse

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1687

See Words from the same year