exhilaration

[ig-zil-uh-rey-shuhn]

noun

1. exhilarated condition or feeling.

   Synonyms: hilarity, jollity, joyousness, animation

2. the act of exhilarating.

Word History and Origins

Origin of exhilaration¹

First recorded in 1615–25, exhilaration is from the Late Latin word exhilarātiōn- (stem of exhilarātiō ). See exhilarate, -ion

Example Sentences

One can only imagine the shock and then the exhilaration when it became obvious that the boulder was a huge statue of the divine Greek hero Hercules.

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You feel the exhilaration of veering off the path, the self-exile of speeding toward nowhere, the dread that this caravan has veered too far for its own safety.

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The exhilaration that Harris’ campaign frequently exuded in those early rallies is summarized here, but those accounts don’t capture the joy.

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“When Michael called me, it was exhilaration,” Phillips said in a phone interview.

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But even its exhilaration gets bested by a centerpiece underwater sequence in which Cruise scuba dives alone in silence suffering stunts that you cannot believe.

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Related Words

• elation 
• euphoria 
• high spirits 
• hilarity 
• joy