exuberance

/ɛɡˈzubərəns/

Other forms: exuberances

Use exuberance to describe joyful enthusiasm and liveliness. You appreciate the natural exuberance of small children, but you prefer to enjoy it from a distance.

The noun exuberance comes from the adjective exuberant, which itself came from a Latin word that originally described an overflowing supply of milk from the udder of a cow or goat! The word still means "overflowing," not with milk but with joy and enthusiasm. After your winning home run, the fans ran onto the field and, in their exuberance, carried you off on their shoulders . . . before you touched home plate.

Definitions of exuberance

1. noun

   joyful enthusiasm
   type of:

   joy, joyfulness, joyousness

   the emotion of great happiness

   enthusiasm

   a feeling of excitement
2. noun

   eager enjoyment or approval
   synonyms: ebullience, enthusiasm

   types:

   lyricism

   unrestrained and exaggerated enthusiasm

   madness, rabidity, rabidness

   unrestrained excitement or enthusiasm

   type of:

   life, liveliness, spirit, sprightliness

   animation and energy in action or expression