excitable
Americanadjective
-
easily excited.
Prima donnas had the reputation of being excitable and temperamental.
- Synonyms:
- fiery, passionate, emotional
- Antonyms:
- placid
-
capable of being excited.
adjective
-
easily excited; volatile
-
(esp of a nerve) ready to respond to a stimulus
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of excitable
From the Late Latin word excitābilis, dating back to 1600–10. See excite, -able
Explanation
Someone who's excitable easily becomes excited, enthusiastic, or eager. A five-year-old will be especially excitable at her own birthday party. When you describe someone as excitable, you'll usually mean it as a mild criticism — the person is easily overstimulated, and becomes excited far too readily. Passing out candy in an elementary school classroom — or bacon among a bunch of puppies — will demonstrate just how excitable a group can be. Excitable comes from the Latin excitabilis, "inciting or animating," from excitare, "stir up" or "awaken."
Vocabulary lists containing excitable
Twelve Angry Men
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Orphan Train Girl
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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.
This change increased the number of GluK4 glutamate receptors, making certain neurons more excitable than normal.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 3, 2026
I never took a vacation,” Jeffrey says of his devotion to his monthly performances during a recent phone interview after his late January show, which also drew a large, excitable crowd of supporters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 9, 2026
And it wasn’t lost on Rove that the spindly, excitable man narrating that story for them in a thick Hungarian accent “was once a 16-year-old picking up paving blocks and heaving them at Soviet tanks.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
Their excitable human creators are making big promises but I wanted to see how realistic the idea of a robot housekeeper really is.
From BBC ● Jan. 11, 2026
Sometimes you want to leave an audience thoughtful, rather than excitable.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
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.
