exhilarating
Britishadjective
Other Word Forms
- exhilaratingly adverb
Explanation
Something exhilarating is so exciting it makes you a little giddy. "Snowboarding that black-diamond trail was exhilarating!" Zipping through the snow is certainly exhilarating, but ski bunnies and snowboarders might not choose this fancy adjective first. They might just yell, "Woohoo!" It's always been a fun-loving word; its Latin roots mean "gladden, cheer." A ride on a glass elevator with a cute vampire could be exhilarating, and so could a surprise party, or a ride on an old roller coaster. It can be so refreshing, you can't exhale after something exhilarating happens.
Vocabulary lists containing exhilarating
The Giver
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 2
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The Joy Luck Club
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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.
Draper lost an exhilarating 26-shot rally, was broken back when serving for the match and won one less point than Djokovic - but still came out on top.
From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026
While making “Aprende Peque” episodes is creatively exhilarating, Muñoz said it’s the fan reaction and interaction that mean the most to her.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026
England played their first two matches at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium and were below their exhilarating best that has seen them win 12 of their last 14 T20 internationals.
From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026
YouTube’s MrBeast, the creator and host of the exhilarating reality competition series “Beast Games,” currently airing its second season on Prime Video.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2026
It’s possible my attraction is rooted in the fact that she’s such a force and everyone adores her, so it’s fairly exhilarating when her attention is on me.
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
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.
