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Make Your Point > Archived Issues > EXUBERANT

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pronounce EXUBERANT:

egg ZOOB uh runt
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connect this word to others:

You probably know that the word exuberant means excited, bubbly, spirited, enthusiastic, eb_ll___t ("boiling with joy or excitement").

But it might surprise you to note that it originally meant fertile, abundant, productive, bountiful, f_c__d ("abundantly productive"). It might even be related to the word udder. We'll see why in just a second.

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

"Exuberant" has Latin bits that literally mean "thoroughly or extremely fruitful." (The ex- bit means "thoroughly or extremely," and the rest traces uberare, "to be fruitful.")

For hundreds of years, people would describe nature as exuberant, or the earth as exuberant, or overflowing fountains as exuberant. Even abstract things like populations and love were called exuberant.

As centuries passed, "exuberant" was used more and more figuratively to describe things that seemed to abound or overflow, like people's health, strength, and zeal.

Today, "exuberant" can still mean "abundant and overflowing," but much more often it means "excited, full of energy, full of enthusiasm."

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Adjective: "an exuberant smile;" "She's exuberant on the piano."

Other forms: 

Exuberantly, exuberance (or, if you prefer, exuberantness).

how to use it:

Pick the joyful, common, formal word "exuberant" to describe happiness or energy that seems to bubble out like a fountain or abound like a fruitful harvest.

Talk about exuberant people and their exuberant smiles, laughter, singing, dancing, conversations, parties, performances and so on.

examples:

"V-Moda's sound signature has long been known for... exuberant, aggressively thumping bass that aims to recreate the feeling of being in a club."
— Vlad Savov, The Verge, 16 August 2017

"Jupiter greets me with such exuberance—and quite the embrace—one would assume we hadn't seen each other in months." 
— Nic Stone, Odd One Out, 2018

has this page helped you understand "exuberant"?

   

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.


study it:

Explain the meaning of "exuberant" without saying "overflowing with excitement" or "abundantly energetic."

try it out:

Check this out, from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Half a Yellow Sun:

"Baby was sitting on Odenigbo's shoulders, waving her stuffed doll, and the sun was bright through the thin drizzle, and Olanna was filled with a delicious exuberance."

With that in mind as an example, talk about a time you were filled with a delicious exuberance.




before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for August is "Degrees of Venndom."

I'll give you a pair of terms, and you decide how Venn-diagrammable they are. It's harder than it sounds! To see my suggested answer, scroll all the way down. Your response doesn't need to match mine; you should just be able to defend yours.

Try this today: At what degree of Venndom do BEAN and LEGUME exist? 

4th degree: these terms never overlap, like DOG and CAT.

3rd degree: these terms are nested, with one term always the other but not vice versa, like KITTEN and CAT.

2nd degree: these terms sometimes overlap, like PET and MAMMAL.

1st degree: these terms always overlap, like CAT and FELINE.

review this word:

1. Opposites of EXUBERANT, as it's most often used today, include

A. DRY and BARREN.
B. FIRM and PERMANENT.
C. MUTED and RESTRAINED.

2. In Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels, a spy "[puffs] exuberant blue smoke like a _____ furnace."

A. sly
B. happy
C. furious




Answers to the review questions:
1. C
2. B

Answer to the game question:

I had to look this up to be sure! BEAN and LEGUME are at the 3rd degree. All beans are legumes, but not all legumes are beans. For example, lentils are legumes but not beans.


a final word:


I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.

I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.


From my blog:
On vocabulary...
      36 ways to study words.
      Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
      How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
      How to improve any sentence.
      How to motivate our kids to write.
      How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
      How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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