exultation
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing exultation
The Great Gatsby
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Emotions on Display
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Christmas Carol Vocab: A Lyrical Lexicon
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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.
The American Psychological Association defines joy as “a feeling of extreme gladness, delight or exultation of the spirit arising from a sense of well-being and satisfaction.”
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 8, 2025
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
Alexa obeyed, and the uplifting ode to happiness from the Broadway classic “Oklahoma!” filled Swerlin’s home with exultation in honor of two lives well lived.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 6, 2024
Or was it simply an overflow of exultation that they couldn’t audibly express?
From Salon • Nov. 13, 2023
An exultation of larks rose from the fen itself.
From "Beowulf: A New Telling" by Robert Nye
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.
