exultant
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of exultant
1645–55; < Latin ex ( s ) ultant- (stem of ex ( s ) ultāns ), present participle of exultāre to exult; see -ant
Explanation
Use the adjective exultant to describe the triumphant feeling you get when you succeed at something. The kids who win the Little League championship game will be exultant. The kid who's elected sixth grade president will feel exultant, and so will a singer who's just given the performance of her lifetime. Exultant describes an excitement that's a combination of pride, happiness, and triumph. The word exultant comes from the Latin exsilire, "to leap up," from the prefix ex-, "up or out," plus salire, "to leap." In other words, when you're exultant, you're jumping for joy.
Vocabulary lists containing exultant
Words to Capture Your Joy
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The Alchemist
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Mythology
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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.
The decision followed a sudden gas line break on Exultant Drive in Seaview on Aug. 30, as well as new geological hazard surveys, SoCalGas said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 5, 2024
Exultant at her idol’s new image, she wrote, “I very rarely see anyone with a similar body type to me do something like this. It’s empowering.”
From New York Times • May 4, 2021
He was stationed at the former Charleston Naval Base, assigned to the ocean minesweeper Exultant.
From Washington Times • Sep. 27, 2015
Exultant in the idea that we are soon to hit the 7 billion population mark, Caplan tells us that just means 7,000 one-in-a-million thinkers.
From Slate • Sep. 22, 2011
Exultant at his success, the hunter of sacrifices sped away in the darkness and placed his trophies in the hands of the priest.
From Legends of Gods and Ghosts (Hawaiian Mythology) Collected and Translated from the Hawaiian by Westervelt, W. D. (William Drake)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
