Basic Details
Word: Exuberant
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Full of energy, excitement and cheerfulness; also growing thickly and strongly, as plants do after rain.
Synonyms: lively, cheerful, enthusiastic, high-spirited
Antonyms: gloomy, dull, listless, subdued
How to Spell Exuberant
Syllables: ex - u - ber - ant
Tricky part: There is no h: it is ex-u, not exhu, even though exhaust and exhibit have one. The end is ant, not ent.
Watch out for: exhuberant, exuberent, exuburant
Memory tip: Picture a lively little ant dancing at the end of the word: ex-u-ber-ANT. The ant reminds you how exuberant ends.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The exuberant crowd danced in the streets during the Ganpati procession.
Example 2: Our exuberant puppy jumps on everyone who comes through the door.
Example 3: After the rains, the garden was exuberant with ferns and creepers.
Fun Fact
Exuberant comes from the Latin exuberare, to be very fruitful, from uber, meaning fertile, so it first described crops and plants growing richly.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. ignorent 2. arogant 3. exuberant 4. tollerant
a) willing to accept other people's views
b) behaving as if better than others
c) lacking knowledge or information
d) full of energy and cheerfulness
Show answer
d) full of energy and cheerfulness. Exuberant is spelt correctly; ignorant ends in ant, tolerant has one l, and arrogant needs two r's.
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
ex_ber_nt
a) u, e
b) u, a
c) o, a
d) a, e
Show answer
b) u, a. A u follows the x directly, and the word closes with ant.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word exuberant as used in the sentence:
Kiran's mood was exuberant after she heard that her painting had won first prize.
a) joyful
b) excited
c) gloomy
d) bubbly
Show answer
c) gloomy. A gloomy mood is low and sad, the opposite of bursting with joy.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which would most likely make a cricket fan exuberant?
a) a last-ball win
b) a lost ticket
c) a rained-off match
d) a broken bat
Show answer
a) a last-ball win
2. An exuberant garden is one that is ____.
a) thick with healthy plants
b) covered in concrete
c) dry and bare
d) freshly dug
Show answer
a) thick with healthy plants
