exciting

[ ik-sahy-ting ]

/ ɪkˈsaɪ tɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR exciting ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

producing excitement; stirring; thrilling: an exciting account of his trip to Tibet.

Nearby words

Origin of exciting

First recorded in 1805–15; excite + -ing²

Related formsex·cit·ing·ly, adverbnon·ex·cit·ing, adjectiveun·ex·cit·ing, adjective

Definition for exciting (2 of 2)

excite

[ ik-sahyt ]

/ ɪkˈsaɪt /

verb (used with object), ex·cit·ed, ex·cit·ing.

to arouse or stir up the emotions or feelings of: to excite a person to anger; actions that excited his father's wrath.

to arouse or stir up (emotions or feelings): to excite jealousy or hatred.

to cause; awaken: to excite interest or curiosity.

to stir to action; provoke or stir up: to excite a dog by baiting him.

Physiology. to stimulate: to excite a nerve.

Electricity. to supply with electricity for producing electric activity or a magnetic field: to excite a dynamo.

Physics. to raise (an atom, molecule, etc.) to an excited state.

Origin of excite

1300–50; Middle English < Latin excitāre, equivalent to ex- ex-¹ + citāre, frequentative of ciēre to set in motion

SYNONYMS FOR excite

1 stir, awaken, stimulate, animate, kindle, inflame.

2 evoke.

4 disturb, agitate, ruffle.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR excite ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formspre·ex·cite, verb (used with object), pre·ex·cit·ed, pre·ex·cit·ing.

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

Examples from the Web for exciting

But Bush is as exciting to many conservatives as Hillary Clinton is to many progressives, meaning not so much.
The Devil in Mike Huckabee|Dean Obeidallah|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“Change can be exciting,” Cuomo says to Richards as he helps her pack up her office.
Mario Cuomo, Ann Richards Concede to Doritos|The Daily Beast Video|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Like any exciting meal, Food will leave you smiling and satisfied.
The 10 Best Albums of 2014: Taylor Swift, Sia, Run the Jewels, and More|Marlow Stern|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The most exciting and thrillingly unique artist to surface in 2014.
The 10 Best Albums of 2014: Taylor Swift, Sia, Run the Jewels, and More|Marlow Stern|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

I found this as exciting as Enright did—she sounded giddy—but one of my coworkers was less enthused.
Adnan Killed Her! No, Jay Did It! Serial’s Uncertain, True-to-Reality End|Emily Shire|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After an hour or so this ceased to be exciting and he abandoned his loophole.
Wang the Ninth|Putnam Weale
As fruits of a crowded and exciting summer Champlain could point to a group of three two-storeyed buildings.
The Founder of New France: A Chronicle of Champlain|Charles W. Colby
The exciting causes of the feeling of discomfort, for example, are always absurdly magnified.
Illusions|James Sully
He determined to quit Paris, where the life was far too exciting for his nerves, and to regain the quietude of Normandy.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 3|Various
Then commenced the most exciting struggle for mastery between brute and man that the boys had ever seen.
Bert Wilson in the Rockies|J. W. Duffield

British Dictionary definitions for exciting (1 of 2)

exciting

/ (ɪkˈsaɪtɪŋ) /

adjective

causing excitement; stirring; stimulating

Derived Formsexcitingly, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for exciting (2 of 2)

excite

/ (ɪkˈsaɪt) /

verb (tr)

to arouse (a person) to strong feeling, esp to pleasurable anticipation or nervous agitation

to arouse or elicit (an emotion, response, etc); evokeher answers excited curiosity

to cause or bring about; stir upto excite a rebellion

to arouse sexually

physiol to cause a response in or increase the activity of (an organ, tissue, or part); stimulate

to raise (an atom, molecule, electron, nucleus, etc) from the ground state to a higher energy level

to supply electricity to (the coils of a generator or motor) in order to create a magnetic field

to supply a signal to a stage of an active electronic circuit

Word Origin for excite

C14: from Latin excitāre, from exciēre to stimulate, from ciēre to set in motion, rouse

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 exciting (1 of 2)

exciting

late 14c. (n.), "action of urging, prompting, inciting," noun of action from excite (v.). As a present participle adjective, from 1811 in sense "causing disease." Sense of "causing excitement" is from 1826.

Word Origin and History for exciting (1 of 2)

excite

mid-14c., "to move, stir up, instigate," from Old French esciter (12c.) or directly from Latin excitare "rouse, call out, summon forth, produce," frequentative of exciere "call forth, instigate," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + ciere "set in motion, call" (see cite). Of feelings, from late 14c. Of bodily organs or tissues, from 1831. Main modern sense of "emotionally agitate" is first attested 1821.

exciting

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of exciting

Definition for exciting (2 of 2)

excite

verb (used with object), ex·cit·ed, ex·cit·ing.

Origin of excite

Examples from the Web for exciting

British Dictionary definitions for exciting (1 of 2)

exciting

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for exciting (2 of 2)

excite

verb (tr)

Word Origin for excite

Word Origin and History for exciting (1 of 2)

exciting

Word Origin and History for exciting (1 of 2)

excite