buoyant

adjective

buoy·​ant ˈbȯi-ənt How to pronounce buoyant (audio)
ˈbü-yənt
: having buoyancy
Warm air is more buoyant than cool air.
: such as
a
: capable of floating
Cork is naturally buoyant.
b
: cheerful, gay
in a buoyant mood
c
: capable of maintaining a satisfactorily high level
a buoyant economy
buoyantly adverb

Examples of buoyant in a Sentence

Warm air is more buoyant than cool air. The actors were buoyant as they prepared for the evening's performance.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Even with a number of hurdles to get through on the calendar between now and the end of the year — including the FOMC meeting — a strong fundamental setup, and buoyant investor optimism, has observers expecting stocks could recoup any losses, and end the year still higher from here. Sarah Min, CNBC, 6 Dec. 2024 The Return of Jiminy Glick At a buoyant seventy-four, Martin Short is keeping the art of the one-liner going strong. Ian Crouch, The New Yorker, 29 Nov. 2024 Annie tried to stay buoyant for her son, but her efforts could be sabotaged by his innocent sweetness. Julia Whelan Krish Seenivasan Lance Neal, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024 There’s really no need to get nitpicky about his buoyant screen reimagining of this musical that owes much of its origin to the Bay Area. Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 19 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for buoyant 

Word History

Etymology

see buoy entry 1

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of buoyant was in 1578

Dictionary Entries Near buoyant

Cite this Entry

“Buoyant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buoyant. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

buoyant

adjective
buoy·​ant ˈbȯi-ənt How to pronounce buoyant (audio)
ˈbü-yənt
1
: having buoyancy
especially : capable of floating
2
: being in a happy mood : cheerful
buoyantly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on buoyant

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!