exhilarating

/ ɪɡˈzɪləˌreɪtɪŋ /

adjective

1. causing strong feelings of excitement and happiness

   an exhilarating helicopter trip

Derived Forms

• exˈhilaˌratingly, adverb

Example Sentences

And, even better, because the Maverick X3 comes in multiple four-seater options, everyone in the family can enjoy the exhilarating ride.

From Outside Online

He is a deadly scorer, though not necessarily an exhilarating one.

From Washington Post

It’s exhilarating to know that what we learn five years from now may not even be invented or created yet.

From Search Engine Land

This week’s great value is an exhilarating pinot grigio from the mountains of northern Italy, paired with another that’s a bit more conventional though hardly boring.

From Washington Post

These pads can also serve as a fun floating mechanism, turning a meager rapid into something much more exhilarating.

From Outside Online

For me, the research process was long but fairly exhilarating.

From The Daily Beast

What was something that funny and exhilarating that I have experienced?

From The Daily Beast

Watching the American support in the stands has been almost as exhilarating as watching the play.

From The Daily Beast

Still, when it comes to neutrinos, the stakes are exhilarating: Why does the sun shine?

From The Daily Beast

Every minute has the high drama of first love, only far more exhilarating.

From The Daily Beast

They already furnish an exhilarating example of the difference between free governments and despotic misrule.

From Project Gutenberg

There was something strangely exhilarating in the air and the dusty office smelt of salt-pork and cheese.

From Project Gutenberg

It was a perfectly exhilarating experience to walk about on real earth once more.

From Project Gutenberg

Apparently we have this exhilarating entertainment all to ourselves, for the rest of the fifteen passengers have not appeared.

From Project Gutenberg

The nervous impulse that reaches the brain through the eye may be either exhilarating or depressing.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• breathtaking
• exciting
• inspiring
• intoxicating
• invigorating
• rousing
• stirring
• thrilling
• uplifting

More About Exhilarating

What does exhilarating mean?

Exhilarating means causing strong feelings of excitement and joy; thrilling and life-affirming.

Exhilarating is commonly applied to the kind of experiences that fill you with joy, wake up your senses, or make you feel alive, like riding a rollercoaster, seeing the view from the top of a mountain, or diving into cold water. Someone who experiences something exhilarating can be described as exhilarated.

Exhilarating is the adjective form of the verb exhilarate, which most commonly means to enliven, invigorate, or stimulate. Exhilarating is most often used as an adjective, but it can also be used as the continuous tense (-ing form) of the verb, as in These attractions will be exhilarating our guests from the moment they step inside the park. 

Example: The brisk wind blowing sparkling ice crystals through the air really made my morning walk exhilarating.

Where does exhilarating come from?

The first records of the word exhilarating as an adjective come from the 1600s. The verb exhilarate is recorded earlier, in the 1500s, and comes from the Latin exhilarāre, meaning “to gladden” (a less common meaning of the verb exhilarate is “to gladden” or “to make lively and cheerful”). Exhilarāre comes from hilarāre, meaning “to cheer,” and the word hilarious is based on the same root.

Exhilarating is always used positively—exhilarating things make you feel good. But not just good—the word is usually applied to intense feelings, ones that feel like a combination of pure joy and excitement. Such feelings usually come from intense experiences or activities, the kinds of ones that send a flash of adrenaline through your body or make you feel alive in some way. To be described as exhilarating, the experience has to be both intense and positive. Skiing down a mountain and feeling the bite of cold air might be exhilarating for some but downright terrifying for others.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms of exhilarating?

• exhilarate (verb)
• exhilaration (noun)
• exhilarant (noun)

What are some synonyms for exhilarating?

• invigorating
• enlivening
• stimulating
• thrilling

What are some words that share a root or word element with exhilarating? 

 

• hilarious

 

What are some words that often get used in discussing exhilarating?

 

• experience
• feeling
• adrenaline
• rush
• alive
• exciting

How is exhilarating used in real life?

Exhilarating is always used positively, especially to describe very intense feelings or experiences.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps review — an exhilarating, emotional masterpiece https://t.co/ZxzPcVDmV5 by @tolkoto

— GamesBeat (@GamesBeat) March 10, 2020

ahh that exhilarating feeling of reaching the summit and seeing this view ⛰😌

never thought i’d say this but hiking is actually fun (including the body pain days after haha) pic.twitter.com/0gPoEOQHmy

— jas p’her (@Jasfher) January 29, 2020

Still can’t believe I did this. What an exhilarating experience. Having the best time in New Zealand! pic.twitter.com/O7XUynsusb

— Brad Faxon (@BradFaxon) March 5, 2020

 

 

Try using exhilarating!

Is the word exhilarating used correctly in the following sentence?

Swimming with dolphins was so exhilarating—it feels like every cell in my body is pulsing with life.