exalt

[ig-zawlt]

See more synonyms for exalt on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to raise in rank, honor, power, character, quality, etc.; elevate: He was exalted to the position of president.
to praise; extol: to exalt someone to the skies.
to stimulate, as the imagination: The lyrics of Shakespeare exalted the audience.

to intensify, as a color: complementary colors exalt each other.
Obsolete. to elate, as with pride or joy.

Origin of exalt

1375–1425; late Middle English exalten < Latin exaltāre to lift up, equivalent to ex- ex-¹ + alt(us) high + -āre infinitive ending

Related formsex·alt·er, nounself-ex·alt·ing, adjectivesu·per·ex·alt, verb (used with object)un·ex·alt·ing, adjective

Can be confusedexalt exult

Synonym study

1. See elevate.

Synonyms for exalt

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1. promote, dignify, raise, ennoble. 2. glorify.

Antonyms for exalt

1. humble. 2. depreciate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for exalting

glorify, magnify, dignify, laud, extol, revere, bless, acclaim, ennoble, raise, advance, applaud, intensify, eulogize, erect, worship, commend, apotheosize, upgrade, aggrandize

Examples from the Web for exalting

Historical Examples of exalting

I should rejoice to see her passing through a discipline so chastening and exalting.
Ernest Linwood
Caroline Lee Hentz
“And then, the filthy, toping rioters—” she continued, exalting her voice.
Southern Literature From 1579-1895
Louise Manly
Two things I can't bear—your lowering yourself like this, and your exalting me.
A Pessimist
Robert Timsol
But the brilliancy is here not only penetrating, but also exalting.
The Sense of Beauty
George Santayana
Beethoven insists on exalting you, but Wagner lets you revel and feel naughty.
The Folly Of Eustace
Robert S. Hichens

British Dictionary definitions for exalting

exalt

verb (tr)

to raise or elevate in rank, position, dignity, etc
to praise highly; glorify; extol
to stimulate the mind or imagination of; excite
to increase the intensity of (a colour, etc)
to fill with joy or delight; elate
obsolete to lift up physically

Derived Formsexalter, noun

Word Origin for exalt

C15: from Latin exaltāre to raise, from altus high

usage

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

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

Word Origin and History for exalting

exalt

late 14c., from Old French exalter (10c.), from Latin exaltare "raise, elevate," from ex- "out, up" (see ex-) + altus "high" (see old). Related: Exalted; exalting.