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Synonyms

excited

American  
[ik-sahy-tid] / ɪkˈsaɪ tɪd /

adjective

  1. stirred emotionally; agitated.

    An excited crowd awaited the arrival of the famed rock group.

    Synonyms:
    impassioned, perturbed, stormy, ruffled
  2. stimulated to activity; brisk.

    an excited buying and selling of stocks.

    Synonyms:
    enthusiastic, active, eager

excited British  
/ ɪkˈsaɪtɪd /

adjective

  1. emotionally aroused, esp to pleasure or agitation

  2. characterized by excitement

    an excited dance

  3. sexually aroused

  4. (of an atom, molecule, etc) occupying an energy level above the ground state

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

Spelling tips for excited The word excited is hard to spell because people often want to skip the c (exited) or substitute it with an s (exsited), neither of which are correct. How to spell excited: When you're excited about something you exclaim "oh boy!". This phrase can help you remember that like exclaim, excited begins exc-.

Other Word Forms

  • excitedly adverb
  • excitedness noun
  • hyperexcited adjective
  • superexcited adjective
  • unexcited adjective

Etymology

Origin of excited

First recorded in 1650–60; excite + -ed 2

Compare meaning

How does excited compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Explanation

If you're excited you're enthusiastic and animated, like a kid in a candy store. Or a kid on their birthday. Or a kid on the last day of school. Meaning more than just "wildly happy," excited describes all sorts of excessive emotions (and not always the good ones). If you're excited you might be agitated, nervous, anxious, or worked up about something. Skip a little further out on the excited spectrum and you're verging on a loss of control: You're delirious, frantic, mad, or unrestrained. Less like a kid in a candy store than a kid on his tenth cup of espresso.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing excited

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.

Jefferies, in a research note released after the close on Thursday boosting its price target for Intel, remained most excited about AMD, which it believes is taking share from Intel.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

Then there’s a retired quarterback, whose brain Mendoza is especially excited to pick.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Rams coach Sean McVay is excited about possibly adding a “really good player” with the No. 13 pick of the 2026 NFL draft, but the team is keeping its options open.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

"He came rushing over and he got so excited and he said, 'that's croc!'"

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

Behind the curtain, Leah was reportedly excited, Maggie, terrified.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock