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exalt

American  
[ig-zawlt] / ɪgˈzɔlt /

verb (used with object)

exalts, present (3rd person singular) exalted, past participle, past exalting present participle
  1. to raise in rank, honor, power, character, quality, etc.; elevate.

    He was exalted to the position of president.

    Synonyms:
    ennoble, raise, dignify, promote
    Antonyms:
    humble
  2. to praise; extol.

    to exalt someone to the skies.

    Synonyms:
    glorify
    Antonyms:
    depreciate
  3. to stimulate, as the imagination.

    The lyrics of Shakespeare exalted the audience.

  4. to intensify, as a color.

    complementary colors exalt each other.

  5. Obsolete. to elate, as with pride or joy.


exalt British  
/ ɪɡˈzɔːlt /

verb

  1. to raise or elevate in rank, position, dignity, etc

  2. to praise highly; glorify; extol

  3. to stimulate the mind or imagination of; excite

  4. to increase the intensity of (a colour, etc)

  5. to fill with joy or delight; elate

  6. obsolete to lift up physically

"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

Exalt is sometimes wrongly used where exult is meant: he was exulting (not exalting ) in his win earlier that day

Synonym Usage

See elevate.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of exalt

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English exalten, from Latin exaltāre “to lift up,” from ex- ex- 1 + alt(us) “high” + -āre, infinitive verb ending

Explanation

You might like your manager, but if you exalt her, it means you really put her on a pedestal and treat her like royalty. To exalt is to hold or raise someone up to a high position or status. It doesn't have to mean literally putting that person into a high position, but instead treating them almost like nobility. Overly doting parents exalt their infant to the point where they praise him every time he wets his diaper and call the neighbors over every time he coos.

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