exuberant

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adjective ex·u·ber·ant \ ig-ˈzü-b(ə-)rənt \

Definition of exuberant

1 :extreme or excessive in degree, size, or extent

exuberant prosperity

2 a :joyously unrestrained and enthusiastic

exuberant praise

an exuberant personality

b :unrestrained or elaborate especially in style :flamboyant

exuberant architecture

3 :produced in extreme abundance :plentiful

exuberant foliage and vegetation

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exuberantly

adverb

See exuberant defined for English-language learners

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Examples of exuberant in a Sentence

Steven Spielberg's career has been famously schizoid. On the one hand, he has made films borne aloft by exuberant juvenility (the Indiana Jones pictures, Jurassic Park, and so forth); on the other hand, he has made mature films of serious intent (The Color Purple, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan). And … there is also a third hand: he has combined those two types, most notably in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, in which he transmuted a fascinating science fiction film into near-theology. —Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic, 23 July 2001
Here we are at a jousting tournament in medieval England, and as the armored knights charge each other on horseback the exuberant crowd sings along to the old Queen heavy-metal anthem "We Will Rock You." And does the wave! —David Ansen, Newsweek, 14 May 2001
A few years ago, I learned to expect that at the end of a linguistics class that I was teaching, as I consulted with a few students before we vacated the room, the air would suddenly be lacerated by fat bass tracks and streams of exuberant invective. Tupac, as they say, was in the house. The class that was about to begin was an elective called "The Poetry of Tupac Shakur." —John McWhorter, New Republic, 22 Oct. 2001
They're the hardwood wunderkinds who think NEXT is now: the NBA's teen set. And like puppies, they're winningly exuberant (if not housebroken). Well, maybe not so "winning." —ESPN, 25 Dec. 2000
His exuberant personality makes him fun to be around.
exuberant crowds rushed to greet the returning national champions in collegiate basketball

Recent Examples of exuberant from the Web

For the exuberant crowd, Yousef Miller, with the Council on American-Islamic Relations in San Diego, had a message.

— lyndsay winkley, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Hundreds gather for unity vigil after violence in Charlottesville," 13 Aug. 2017
An industry that was once dynamic and exuberant now looks increasingly monopolistic.

— vanityfair.com, "Is Mark Zuckerberg Killing Silicon Valley?," 10 Aug. 2017
An industry that was once dynamic and exuberant now looks increasingly monopolistic.

— maya kosoff, The Hive, "Is Mark Zuckerberg Killing Silicon Valley?," 10 Aug. 2017
That smart aesthetic approach perfectly complements the exuberant and deeply felt narration provided by a core group of five storytellers.

— sheri linden, The Hollywood Reporter, "‘Liyana’: Film Review | LAFF 2017," 8 July 2017
Philadelphia Orchestra composer-in-residence Hannibal Lokumbe brought his exuberant music-with-a-conscience message to prisons, schools, and churches.

— peter dobrin, Philly.com, "Are you my audience? Arts groups target a new wave of arts appreciators," 7 July 2017
From denim jackets decorated with extraordinarily detailed depictions of the Russian circus, to shirts displaying an almost cubist treatment of Vladimir Putin, Dobrayakova's exuberant designs immediately struck chords within the fashion universe.

— robert newhouse, Teen Vogue, "Katya Dobrayakova Designs 'Ethnic Woman' Sweatshirt for Jungle Collection," 6 July 2017
Chance announced that there were 60,000 fans under the big roof for the Essence Music Festival finale, and most of the crowd stayed put for his exuberant act that ended after midnight.

— doug maccash, NOLA.com, "Chance the Rapper closes Essence Fest in a blaze of glory - almost," 3 July 2017
Catcher Mike Rivera (4) leads the exuberant parade of Gators out of the dugout after Florida sealed its first baseball national title on Tuesday night.

— mike malloy, miamiherald, "Florida captures baseball glory for first time — with the search still on for winning ball," 28 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of exuberant

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin exuberant-, exuberans, present participle of exuberare to be abundant, from ex- + uber fruitful, from uber udder — more at udder

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First Known Use: 15th century

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exuberant Synonyms

Synonyms

bouncy, bubbly, buoyant, crank [chiefly dialect], effervescent, frolic, frolicsome, gamesome, gay, high-spirited, vivacious

Antonyms

low-spirited, sullen

Related Words

extroverted (also extraverted), outgoing, uninhibited; carefree, happy-go-lucky, insouciant, joyful, lighthearted, lively, sprightly; boisterous, raucous, rollicking, rowdy; giddy, light-headed, overexuberant, silly; ecstatic, euphoric, lyric, rapturous; audacious, bold, brash, brazen, impertinent, impudent, insolent, saucy

Near Antonyms

constrained, inhibited, repressed, restrained, subdued; impassive, phlegmatic, stoic (or stoical), stolid; depressed, dour, glum, morose, surly

Synonym Discussion of exuberant

profuse, lavish, prodigal, luxuriant, lush, exuberant mean giving or given out in great abundance. profuse implies pouring forth without restraint.

- profuse apologies

lavish suggests an unstinted or unmeasured profusion.

- a lavish party

prodigal implies reckless or wasteful lavishness threatening to lead to early exhaustion of resources.

- prodigal spending

luxuriant suggests a rich and splendid abundance.

- a luxuriant beard

lush suggests rich, soft luxuriance.

- a lush green lawn

exuberant implies marked vitality or vigor in what produces abundantly.

- an exuberant imagination

EXUBERANT Defined for English Language Learners

exuberant

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adjective

Definition of exuberant for English Language Learners

: very lively, happy, or energetic : filled with energy and enthusiasm
: existing in large amounts : very plentiful

EXUBERANT Defined for Kids

exuberant

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adjective ex·u·ber·ant \ ig-ˈzü-bə-rənt \

Definition of exuberant for Students

:filled with energy and enthusiasm

The audience applause … rose in an exuberant swell …
—Lois Lowry, The Giver

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exuberance

\-bə-rəns\ noun

Medical Dictionary

exuberant

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adjective ex·u·ber·ant \ ig-ˈzü-b(ə-)rənt \

medical Definition of exuberant

:characterized by extreme proliferation

exuberant granulation tissue

remarkably exuberant metastatic calcification
—Sandy Muspratt

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exuberant

Definition of exuberant

exuberantly

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Examples of exuberant in a Sentence

Recent Examples of exuberant from the Web

Origin and Etymology of exuberant

exuberant Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of exuberant

EXUBERANT Defined for English Language Learners

exuberant

Definition of exuberant for English Language Learners

EXUBERANT Defined for Kids

exuberant

Definition of exuberant for Students

exuberance

Medical Dictionary

exuberant

medical Definition of exuberant

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