exhilarate

[ ig-zil-uh-reyt ]
See synonyms for: exhilarateexhilaratedexhilaratingexhilaratingly on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),ex·hil·a·rat·ed, ex·hil·a·rat·ing.
  1. to enliven; invigorate; stimulate: The cold weather exhilarated the walkers.

  2. to make cheerful or merry.

Origin of exhilarate

1
First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin exhilarātus, past participle of exhilarāre “to gladden,” equivalent to ex- “from, out of, beyond” + hilarāre “to cheer” (see hilarity); see ex-1, -ate1

Other words for exhilarate

Opposites for exhilarate

Other words from exhilarate

  • ex·hil·a·rat·ing·ly, adverb
  • ex·hil·a·ra·tor, noun
  • un·ex·hil·a·rat·ed, adjective
  • un·ex·hil·a·rat·ing, adjective

Words Nearby exhilarate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use exhilarate in a sentence

  • Though he had just heard so much to exhilarate him, he was not, on the whole, free from melancholy.

    Hildebrand | Anonymous
  • Study well these books, sigor; for, believe me, you will find that they will exhilarate and improve your mind.

    The History of Don Quixote de la Mancha | Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
  • Wit serves to amuse or exhilarate but rarely produces useful reflection or an improvement of mind.

  • And as you increase it, or substitute for it vibrations more rapid against those myriad nerves, you exhilarate or intoxicate.

    Sons and Fathers | Harry Stillwell Edwards

British Dictionary definitions for exhilarate

exhilarate

/ (ɪɡˈzɪləˌreɪt) /


verb
  1. (tr) to make lively and cheerful; gladden; elate

Origin of exhilarate

1
C16: from Latin exhilarāre, from hilarāre to cheer; see hilarious

Derived forms of exhilarate

  • exhilaration, noun
  • exhilarative or exhilaratory, adjective

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