Exuberant

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɪɡˈzuːbəɹənt/

Definitions

1. Showing lively enthusiasm and joy ; growing or producing in large amounts or with great abundance
2. Displaying intense excitement or cheerfulness ; flourishing or yielding plentifully, often with vigorous growth
3. Characterized by energetic happiness and high spirits ; thriving or abundantly fruitful in growth or production

Etymology: Picture a cow so full of milk that it drips from the udder without being milked. That image sits at the heart of "exuberant". The Latin verb "exuberare" was built from "ex" ("out") and "uber" ("udder"), and meant "to be abundant" or "to overflow", with the earliest sense literally describing milk spilling out of a swollen udder. The word passed into English through Middle French "exubérant", which carried the same sense of abundance and overflow. Over time the physical image of overflowing fluid faded, and the word came to describe overflowing spirits and vitality, the bubbling energy of a person or mood rather than the excess of a farm animal.

Synonyms: enthusiastic, joyful, lively, ebullient, spirited

Antonyms: depressed, downcast, dismal, gloomy, melancholic