effusive
Americanadjective
-
unduly demonstrative; lacking reserve.
effusive greetings; an effusive person.
-
pouring out; overflowing.
-
Geology. extrusive.
adjective
-
extravagantly demonstrative of emotion; gushing
-
(of rock) formed by the solidification of magma
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of effusive
Explanation
Getting a compliment from your effusive Aunt Sally can be a little embarrassing. Since she's so effusive, Aunt Sally holds nothing back, gushing with enthusiasm. The adjective effusive means "extravagantly demonstrative," and if you know someone who expresses positive emotions in a heartfelt, bubbly way, you understand just what the word means. The word effusive has a surprisingly similar definition in geology; it describes a particular kind of volcanic eruption, one in which lava bubbles up out of the volcano and flows around it.
Vocabulary lists containing effusive
ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 1
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 8
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Many will make their public tributes to the president more frequent and effusive, hoping to avoid Mr. Cornyn’s fate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
The good news: It’s never too late to send a thank-you card, although the message should be extra effusive if it arrives a year down the line.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 13, 2026
Known for her effusive charm, King apparently won Weiss over.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 4, 2026
Senior Barstool producer TJ Hitchings was effusive about the city’s iconic Tonga Room, calling it “the best bar I’ve ever been to in my life.”
From Salon ● Feb. 10, 2026
His speech, once effusive and rapid, was hesitant and fitful; the words emerged with a sudden, surprising force, as if he were spitting out strange pips of food that had been put into his mouth.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.