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.
Exultation and pride vie with a new sense of responsibility — and anxiety — as Billy envisions a future that will erase or at least ennoble his sorry past.
From New York Times • Apr. 27, 2015
Labor claims a big victory Exultation filled the headquarters of the AFL-CIO last week�and with good reason.
From Time Magazine Archive
Exultation is the word to describe my feelings.
From Time Magazine Archive
Exultation was creeping over the clan; once more their leader had done himself proud.
From The Strength of the Pines by Marshall, Edison
Exultation took the aspect of humility, and while men were conscious of their well-deserving, they were the more sensible of their dependence on a power they could neither influence nor comprehend.
From The Wept of Wish-Ton-Wish by Cooper, James Fenimore
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.
