effusive
adjective
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Effusive History Is Overflowing
We've used effusive in English to describe excessive outpourings since the 17th century. In the 1800s, geologists adopted the specific sense related to flowing lava—or to hardened rock formed from flowing lava. Effusive can be traced, via the Medieval Latin adjective effūsīvus ("generating profusely, lavish"), to the Latin verb effundere ("to pour out"), which itself comes from fundere ("to pour") plus a modification of the prefix ex- ("out"). Our verb effuse has the same Latin ancestors. A person effuses when speaking effusively. Liquids can effuse as well, as in "water effusing from a pipe."
Synonyms
Examples of effusive in a Sentence
Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2025
There will be effusive flower arrangements in the gorgeous Vienna concert hall, the Musikverein.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024
Sanders was effusive postgame talking about him and the job the Cougars did Saturday night.
—David Ubben, The Athletic, 28 Dec. 2024
Those in the know were effusive in their praise of pymetrozine to save their high-dollar weed crops from the destructive, sap-sucking bugs.
—Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for effusive 
Cite this Entry
“Effusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/effusive. Accessed 19 Jan. 2025.
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effusive
adjective
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