exultation

American  

[eg-zuhl-tey-shuhn, ek-suhl-] / ˌɛg zʌlˈteɪ ʃən, ˌɛk sʌl- /

Also exultancy

noun

1. the act of exulting; lively or triumphant joy, as over success or victory.

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Other Word Forms

• nonexultation noun
• self-exultation noun

Etymology

Origin of exultation

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin ex ( s ) ultātiōn- (stem of ex ( s ) ultātiō ), equivalent to ex ( s ) ultāt ( us ) (past participle of ex ( s ) ultāre to exult ) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

"Woohoo!" That's an expression you might shout in exultation or extreme happiness. On New Year's Eve, Times Square is bursting with exultation as people shout and sing joyfully to ring in the new year. Exultation comes from the Latin exsilire, which means "leap out or up." Think of leaping for joy and you've pretty much captured the sentiment of exultation. This word is used to describe a kind of triumphant joy, the kind you might see at the end of a football game when the winning team is pumping their fists, cheering and dumping Gatorade all over their coach.

Example Sentences

But it certainly has an emotional through-line, one composed of equal parts anger, grief and exultation, specifically as these are expressed through Black bodies.

From New York Times • Nov. 15, 2024

Or was it simply an overflow of exultation that they couldn’t audibly express?

From Salon • Nov. 13, 2023

When the crowd of players dispersed, Messi stood in front of the light blue and white-clad supporters pumping his arms in exultation.

From BBC • Nov. 26, 2022

The popular 37-year-old forward, who played for New Jersey from 2017-19, pumped his fist in exultation after scoring his sixth goal of the season.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 13, 2022

They owed to him their two or three politest puzzles; and the joy and exultation with which at last he recalled, and rather sentimentally recited, that well-known charade,

From "Emma" by Jane Austen