Basic Details
Word: Buoyed
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Past tense of buoy: kept something afloat, or made someone feel more cheerful and hopeful.
Synonyms: encouraged, cheered, lifted, boosted
Antonyms: discouraged, depressed
How to Spell Buoyed
Syllables: buoyed
Tricky part: The u comes before the o: b-u-o-y. Most people write bouyed because the word sounds like boyed.
Watch out for: bouyed, buoied, bowyed
Memory tip: Buoy and buoyant share the same opening, b-u-o. Say it in your head as bu-oy while you write it.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The good news from the hospital buoyed the whole family.
Example 2: Her spirits were buoyed by a phone call from her grandmother.
Example 3: The life jacket buoyed him up until the boat returned.
Fun Fact
In British English buoy is usually said like boy, while many Americans say it as boo-ee. The spelling is the same on both sides of the Atlantic.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word buoyed as used in the sentence:
After two losses, the hockey team was buoyed by an easy win in Ranchi.
a) confused
b) exhausted
c) discouraged
d) encouraged
Show answer
d) encouraged. A team that is buoyed feels lifted and hopeful, so encouraged is the match.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
b_o_ed
a) o, y
b) u, y
c) a, y
d) u, i
Show answer
b) u, y. Buoy is spelt b-u-o-y, and the y stays before ed.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. ancher 2. harbur 3. buoyed 4. voyege
a) a long journey by sea
b) a heavy hook that holds a ship in place
c) kept afloat or cheered up
d) a sheltered place where ships stay
Show answer
c) kept afloat or cheered up. Voyage ends -age, anchor ends -or and harbour ends -our.
Mingle-Mangle
Unscramble the jumbled word in the sentence and choose the correct word:
Good exam results ebydou his spirits for the whole summer.
a) buoyed
b) buried
c) bored
d) bowed
Show answer
a) buoyed. Only buoyed has a y; bowed needs a w and buried an r.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. If you feel buoyed by good news, you feel ____.
a) cheerful and hopeful
b) tired and sleepy
c) angry and upset
d) bored and dull
Show answer
a) cheerful and hopeful
2. A buoy in the sea is ____.
a) a kind of seaweed
b) a floating marker
c) a small fishing boat
d) an underwater rock
Show answer
b) a floating marker
