exhilaration

noun

ex·​hil·​a·​ra·​tion ig-ˌzi-lə-ˈrā-shən How to pronounce exhilaration (audio)
1
: the action of exhilarating
2
: the feeling or the state of being exhilarated

Examples of exhilaration in a Sentence

I felt a kind of exhilaration when I reached the top of the mountain. the lavish spectacle results in one exhilaration after another
Recent Examples on the Web Don a flight suit and feel the exhilaration of skydiving – but with a little less danger than the real thing. Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2024 The conversation in every production room wasn’t about the gorgeous exhilaration of cinematic expression, but about the grounding of that expression in story and character. Phil Lord, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2024 The reward: exhilaration beating that of any theme park. Robin Soslow, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 But DuVernay manages to inject exhilaration and moments of genuine joy and humor into an enterprise that pulses with life in all its detail and contradiction. Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 17 Jan. 2024 In the Gut’s ‘Second Brain,’ Key Agents of Health Emerge Why the First Drawings of Neurons Were Defaced The daunting work that lies ahead can’t quench researchers’ exhilaration over the current atlases. Quanta Magazine, 13 Dec. 2023 The work was a bizarre mixture of utter boredom (fly-fishing data transfer) and exhilaration. Ben Lerner, Harper's Magazine, 3 Nov. 2023 The thrills are the in-world details and the exhilaration of survival, many references to which make their way into onscreen Easter Eggs for fans of the game. Jen Yamato, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2023 Oneohtrix Point Never speaks directly to that new sensation—the ease and exhilaration of it, but also the hazy, sourceless ennui that settles in when someone invests too much time in an ersatz and disembodied facsimile of life. Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'exhilaration.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1622, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of exhilaration was in 1622

Dictionary Entries Near exhilaration

Cite this Entry

“Exhilaration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exhilaration. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

exhilaration

noun
ex·​hil·​a·​ra·​tion ig-ˌzil-ə-ˈrā-shən How to pronounce exhilaration (audio)
1
: the action of exhilarating
2
: the state or the feeling of being exhilarated : high spirits

More from Merriam-Webster on exhilaration

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