exhilarate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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exhilarationnoun
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exhilaratornoun
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exhilarativeadjective
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unexhilaratedadjective
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unexhilaratingadjective
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exhilaratinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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exhilaratesimple
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exhilaratessimple
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have exhilaratedperfect
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has exhilaratedperfect
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am exhilaratingprogressive
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are exhilaratingprogressive
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is exhilaratingprogressive
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have been exhilaratingperfect progressive
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has been exhilaratingperfect progressive
Past
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exhilaratedsimple
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had exhilaratedperfect
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was exhilaratingprogressive
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were exhilaratingprogressive
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had been exhilaratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of exhilarate
First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin exhilarātus, past participle of exhilarāre “to gladden,” equivalent to ex- “from, out of, beyond” + hilarāre “to cheer” ( see hilarity); see ex- 1, -ate 1
Explanation
Exciting or thrilling things might exhilarate you. If you love acting, just the thought of being on stage might exhilarate you, giving you a feeling of giddy excitement. The Latin word exhilarare meant "to gladden" and exhilarate still holds a similar meaning today. If you feel down, maybe imagining a high, clear sky on a fresh, cool day can exhilarate your spirit. You found out that driving a race car exhilarates you but only makes your friend carsick. I hope you brought some rags.
Vocabulary lists containing exhilarate
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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.
They were very big shoes to fill, but 110 goals and 75 assists for Chelsea had demonstrated Hazard's ability to consistently excite and exhilarate at the highest level.
From BBC • Oct. 10, 2023
Oakeshott understood in 1961 that modernity’s emancipation of the individual from the “warmth of communal pressures” did not exhilarate everyone.
From Washington Post • Dec. 24, 2021
At a time when academia can resemble an archipelago, the disciplines more specialized than finch beaks in the Galápagos, Robinson’s audaciously heterodox thinking can exhilarate.
From New York Times • Mar. 9, 2018
The fact that he manages to exhilarate and inspire in spite of this is his glory.
From The Guardian • Apr. 1, 2010
In his secret life, Walter was a fabulously wealthy entrepreneur. exhilarate.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
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.
