exhilaration

American  

[ig-zil-uh-rey-shuhn] / ɪgˌzɪl əˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

1. exhilarated condition or feeling.

   Synonyms:

   hilarity, jollity, joyousness, animation

2. the act of exhilarating.

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Etymology

Origin of exhilaration

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

Explanation

Exhilaration is great joy, and excitement and liveliness! When you ride an ocean wave, hear a favorite song, or have a long and uncontrollable laugh with friends, there's a feeling of exhilaration, an overflow of happiness. Most people have moments of exhilaration (egg-zill-uh-RAY-shun), sometimes during life's big moments, like a graduation or wedding, and often while just walking down the street and feeling great about the day and being alive. And exhilaration is contagious: when you witness someone else's exhilaration, it usually makes you full of warmth and joyousness too. Some synonyms of exhilaration also sound close to it, like "exultation," "exaltation," and "elation." As they say, it's all good.

Example Sentences

But in the next few months of her child’s life, this sense of exhilaration begins to shift.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

But the exhilaration felt in such moments had been matched by the "anger and profound sadness" felt in others.

From Barron's • Dec. 31, 2025

In an interview with the Washington Post, Mitchell described his work from that time as “filled with pleasure of drawing, of fighting with men I loved, the exhilaration of color and war.”

From Slate • Jun. 6, 2025

The exhilaration I came to experience entailed a fair amount of exasperation.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2025

He oscillated hourly between anguish and exhilaration, multiplying fantastically the grandeur of his victories and exaggerating tragically the seriousness of his defeats.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

Related Words

• elation
• euphoria
• high spirits
• hilarity
• joy