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Suppose if someone is extremely happy like a child and starts jumping gladly, what words/phrase best describe this situation, such that the following sentence can be completed.

He/she was ________.

There are a few words like, "euphoric", "deliriously happy", but I am not quite sure if these words also include the "jumping gladly" part of my question.

Is there a better word or using "jumping gladly" is just fine.

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    The expression: happy as a sandboy springs to mind.
    – Mari-Lou A
    May 9, 2015 at 8:12
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    Does the answer have to include the term jumping? In other words are you looking for a term which means "to jump up and down happily"? Or do you want to know the idiomatic equivalent of "jumping gladly" is? The question is unclear judging by the answers submitted.
    – Mari-Lou A
    May 9, 2015 at 8:43
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    @Mari-LouA:I would be glad to know a term which means "to jump up and down happily".
    – a.s.
    May 9, 2015 at 10:02

11 Answers 11

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I think you are looking for :

Jump for joy:

  • to be extremely happy:

    • Tina jumped for joy when she found out she'd be in the team.

    • "So how did Robert take the news?" "He didn't exactly jump for joy." (Cambridge Dict.)

The expression can refer both to physical and metaphorical Joyful jumps.

enter image description here

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  • I don't think Jump for joy implies literally jumping.
    – Tushar Raj
    May 9, 2015 at 8:16
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    Well, I think the expression clearly refers to that, both physically and metaphorically . mindtechnology.com/assets/images/Man_Jump_for_Joy.jpg. Is the guy in the picture jumping for joy?
    – user66974
    May 9, 2015 at 8:18
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    Apt answer, great illustration of same, +1
    – user98990
    May 9, 2015 at 12:01
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    Leap for joy also. +1
    – ermanen
    May 9, 2015 at 16:12
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    so many answers but "jump for joy" fits best for me to be filled in the blank left in my sentence.
    – a.s.
    May 10, 2015 at 14:30
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A word that fits the bill pretty perfectly is giddy. This word is used to describe childishly obnoxious joy. A giddy person is pretty much always smiling, usually giggling or laughing, and typically dancing and/or jumping, bouncing, or otherwise being energetic.

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Exult has the denotation of joy:

verb

[NO OBJECT]
Show or feel triumphant elation or jubilation:

ODO

It contains the connotation of leap:

1560s, "to leap up;" 1590s, "to rejoice, triumph,"
from Middle French exulter,
from Latin exultare/exsultare "rejoice exceedingly, revel, vaunt, boast;"
literally "leap about, leap up,"
frequentative of exsilire "to leap up,"
from ex- "out" (see ex-) + salire "to leap" (see salient (adj.)).
The notion is of leaping or dancing for joy. Related: Exulted; exulting.

She was exulting in her victory

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It might take a bit of imagining on the part of the reader, but the following suggestion might evoke the idea of "jumping gladly" that you want:

She was over the moon.

(The link is not to a well-established dictionary, I'm afraid.)

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If you really want to describe someone who is actually jumping up and down gladly, you can say:

He/she was literally jumping for joy..

(To improve on Josh's answer)

The expression means:

Be ecstatically happy:

and can be used in situations where one is happy but standing still. According to the definition, physically jumping isn't implied. That's why this is one place where literally could come in handy to mean literally, not figuratively.

[Oxford]

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    I didn't down you (pinky swear!), but I'm betting whoever did, did so because your answer is too close/similar to Josh's. Maybe your suggestion of "add literally" would be better as a comment under his answer? And on that note, it's a sad fact that literally has developed a secondary sense of figuratively (arrgh!) which some people can't stomach. It could be the case that one of those people read your answer and didn't realize you meant literally literally, and downvoted you because they believed you used the word to mean figuratively (i.e. to add emphasis).
    – Dan Bron
    May 9, 2015 at 9:53
  • @DanBron: I tried commenting below Josh's answer. He disagreed and seemed to think that literally was implied in the idiom. I didn't think so. Hence the answer. Should I take it down?
    – Tushar Raj
    May 9, 2015 at 9:55
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    @DanBron: I NEVER use literally to mean figuratively. I don't care that dictionaries allow it.
    – Tushar Raj
    May 9, 2015 at 9:59
  • The answer doesn't bug me. If the downvotes don't bug you (bearing in mind it's always possible you'll receive more) there's no reason to take it down. Having said that, making suggestions on or disagreeing with the nuances of a particular answer is very common, as is the author of the answer rejecting or ignoring those suggestions. Often a comment on an answer serves as much as a signpost to other users as it does as a suggestion to that one particular author. If others agree with you, the comment will get upvoted. That may ultimately persuade the author; if not, the upv'd comment is there.
    – Dan Bron
    May 9, 2015 at 10:02
  • I believe that the source of the phrase is literal---I, myself, have been known to occasionally jump for (or, with) joy (Super Bowl XLIX)---though the meaning has expanded and now includes the figurative or pseudo-jumping sense. Josh's graphic illustration is a superb example of the true-jumping sense, IMHO.
    – user98990
    May 9, 2015 at 11:22
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He was “skipping with unbridled exuberance”

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You could use the word "ebullient" for the cheerful part.

Depending on which dictionary you use, the origin seems to come from 'boiling up' -- a bit of a stretch to equate it with jumping, but it might work for what you need it for.

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You are looking for the word "Ecstasy" and can be described as below.

If you’ve ever been so happy that the rest of the world seemed to disappear, you’ve felt ecstasy — a feeling or state of intensely beautiful bliss.

In your sample question.He was screaming in ecstasy.

Read more about this www.vocabulary.com.

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  • Hey Krishna. The link is helpful: would you mind quoting the relevant parts of that page directly within your answer? Also, there's a new policy EL&U adopted this year that links should say the name of the site that they're linking to (in your case, that means mentioning vocabulary.com by name).
    – Dan Bron
    May 9, 2015 at 9:49
  • @DanBron : now it looks gud?
    – Krishna Chandra Tiwari
    May 9, 2015 at 9:52
  • Very good! If you like, you can use the blockquote formatting directive > , but that's certainly not mandatory. The only other thing I could suggest is changing the last sentence to make it clearer the actual quote came from vocabulary.com rather than only advice to go visit that site.
    – Dan Bron
    May 9, 2015 at 9:58
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FULL OF PISS AND VINEGAR... To say that people are “full of piss and vinegar” is to say that they are brimming with energy. Although many speakers assume the phrase must have a negative connotation, this expression is more often used as a compliment, “vinegar” being an old slang term for enthusiastic energy.

Phrasefinder.org: 'Full of piss and vinegar'

Rowdy, boisterous, full of youthful energy.

The earliest citation I've found is from 1936 in John Steinbeck's novel In Dubious Battle:

"Listen, mister," London said, "them guys is so full of piss and vinegar they'll skin you if you show that slick suit outside."

Steinbeck was clearly pleased with the phrase (although it is unlikely that he coined it himself) and repeated the use of it 1938 in his better known novel The Grapes of Wrath:

Grampa walked up and slapped Tom on the chest, and his eyes grinned with affection and pride. "How are ya, Tommy?"

"O.K.," said Tom. "How ya keepin' yaself?"

"Full a piss an' vinegar," said Grampa.

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He/she was ... ecstatically jubilant, uncontrollably elated, rambunctious and overjoyed.

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    Welcome to ELU. Question marks in answers raise flags. Please don't use question marks in answers: make a definite answer which you can support with a corroborative quote. Also, it would be good to check spelling.
    – Andrew Leach ♦
    May 9, 2015 at 8:54
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The best single-word answer would be gamboling.

to skip about, as in dancing or playing; frolic.

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  • Hi Michael, welcome to EL&U. This isn't a bad start, but it's too short: the system has flagged it as "low-quality because of its length and content." An answer on EL&U is expected to be authoritative, detailed, and explain why it is correct. It's best if you edit your answer to provide more information - e.g., add a published definition of gambol (linked to the source) and say why it suits the context. For further guidance, see How to Answer and take the EL&U Tour. :-)
    – Chappo Hasn't Forgotten Monica
    May 9, 2019 at 9:01
  • Thanks for letting me know. I thought it added something useful to the discussion but please feel free to delete it.
    – MichaelMaggs
    May 9, 2019 at 10:13

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