exhilarate

[ ig-zil-uh-reyt ]

See synonyms for: exhilarate exhilarated exhilarating exhilaratingly on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),ex·hil·a·rat·ed, ex·hil·a·rat·ing.

to enliven; invigorate; stimulate: The cold weather exhilarated the walkers.
to make cheerful or merry.

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, -ate¹

Other words for exhilarate

1	animate, inspirit, elate
2	cheer, gladden

See synonyms for exhilarate on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for exhilarate

1, 2

depress

See antonyms for exhilarate on Thesaurus.com

Other words from exhilarate

ex·hil·a·rat·ing·ly, adverb
ex·hil·a·ra·tor, noun
un·ex·hil·a·rat·ed, adjective
un·ex·hil·a·rat·ing, adjective

Words Nearby exhilarate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use exhilarate in a sentence

When I started five and a half years ago at the Ford Foundation, straight from the classroom, I was exhilarated by my new work but I missed the classroom in a very tangible way.
Why Feminists Make Better Businesspeople | Belinda Luscombe | April 10, 2022 | Time
When the 1-millimeter-wide Xenobots were first unveiled to the world last year, scientists were exhilarated by their ability to swim out and self-assemble into larger tissues.
These ‘Living Robots’ Self-Replicate—and It’s Not Terrifying | Neel V. Patel | November 29, 2021 | The Daily Beast
The experience of working at the Pushkin, where the reproductions of her university textbooks were replaced by genuine works of art, exhilarated her.
Irina Antonova, grande dame of Russian cultural life, dies at 98 | Emily Langer | December 4, 2020 | Washington Post
You can open this volume to any page and find sentences that surprise, cause laughter, exhilarate, and often do all three at once.
What Made Twain Famous | Nathaniel Rich | April 20, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
I almost envy you the excitement of golf, which helps the fresh air to exhilarate, and gives variety of exercise.
George Eliot's Life, Vol. III (of 3) | George Eliot

Though he had just heard so much to exhilarate him, he was not, on the whole, free from melancholy.
Hildebrand | Anonymous
Study well these books, sigor; for, believe me, you will find that they will exhilarate and improve your mind.
The History of Don Quixote de la Mancha | Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Wit serves to amuse or exhilarate but rarely produces useful reflection or an improvement of mind.
Sages and Heroes of the American Revolution | L. Carroll Judson
And as you increase it, or substitute for it vibrations more rapid against those myriad nerves, you exhilarate or intoxicate.
Sons and Fathers | Harry Stillwell Edwards

British Dictionary definitions for exhilarate

exhilarate

/ (ɪɡˈzɪləˌreɪt) /

verb

(tr) to make lively and cheerful; gladden; elate

Origin of exhilarate

C16: from Latin exhilarāre, from hilarāre to cheer; see hilarious

Derived forms of exhilarate

exhilaration, noun
exhilarative or exhilaratory, adjective

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

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