Definition

1 : marked by the expression of great or excessive emotion or enthusiasm
2 : characterized or formed by a nonexplosive outpouring of lava

Did You Know?

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.”

Examples

Lila’s history teacher wrote an effusive letter of recommendation.

“Lyrics like that are desolate, a little tragic; they necessitate a singing style that’s not overly effusive.” — Jon Caramanica, The New York Times, 8 Dec. 2020