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EXHILARATING Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

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View synonyms for exhilarating

exhilarating

/ ɪɡˈzɪləˌreɪtɪŋ /

adjective

  1. causing strong feelings of excitement and happiness

    an exhilarating helicopter trip

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Derived Forms

  • exˈhilaˌratingly, adverb
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Example Sentences

Having attended several concerts in the past, Ms Kaur was sort of looking forward to the "exhilarating chaos" that comes with large crowds at big events in India.

From BBC

For the next five months, we had a casual arrangement that was as exhilarating as it was confusing.

“I have been a lap swimmer for 30 years. It is very hard but exhilarating. The water feels like silk and is hypnotic, visually.”

Across 17 Tests in 2024, England have veered from exhilarating to infuriating, often in the same session.

From BBC

This aching hurt and exhilarating happiness is palpable, especially for Syrians now able to make a bittersweet return to Homs.

From BBC

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More About Exhilarating

What does exhilarating mean?

Exhilarating means causing strong feelings of excitement and joy; thrilling and life-affirming.

Exhilarating is commonly applied to the kind of experiences that fill you with joy, wake up your senses, or make you feel alive, like riding a rollercoaster, seeing the view from the top of a mountain, or diving into cold water. Someone who experiences something exhilarating can be described as exhilarated.

Exhilarating is the adjective form of the verb exhilarate, which most commonly means to enliven, invigorate, or stimulate. Exhilarating is most often used as an adjective, but it can also be used as the continuous tense (-ing form) of the verb, as in These attractions will be exhilarating our guests from the moment they step inside the park. 

Example: The brisk wind blowing sparkling ice crystals through the air really made my morning walk exhilarating.

Where does exhilarating come from?

The first records of the word exhilarating as an adjective come from the 1600s. The verb exhilarate is recorded earlier, in the 1500s, and comes from the Latin exhilarāre, meaning “to gladden” (a less common meaning of the verb exhilarate is “to gladden” or “to make lively and cheerful”). Exhilarāre comes from hilarāre, meaning “to cheer,” and the word hilarious is based on the same root.

Exhilarating is always used positively—exhilarating things make you feel good. But not just good—the word is usually applied to intense feelings, ones that feel like a combination of pure joy and excitement. Such feelings usually come from intense experiences or activities, the kinds of ones that send a flash of adrenaline through your body or make you feel alive in some way. To be described as exhilarating, the experience has to be both intense and positive. Skiing down a mountain and feeling the bite of cold air might be exhilarating for some but downright terrifying for others.

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How is exhilarating used in real life?

Exhilarating is always used positively, especially to describe very intense feelings or experiences.

 

 

Try using exhilarating!

Is the word exhilarating used correctly in the following sentence?

Swimming with dolphins was so exhilarating—it feels like every cell in my body is pulsing with life.

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