exhilarate
verb
Thomas MatthewsCharles DickensMadeleine B. Stern
Did you know?
Many people find exhilarate a difficult word to spell. It's easy to forget that silent "h" in there, and is it an "er" or "ar" after the "l"? It may be easier to remember the spelling if you know that exhilarate ultimately derives from the Latin adjective hilarus, meaning "cheerful." (This also explains why the earliest meaning of exhilarate is "to make cheerful.") Exhilarate comes from exhilaratus, the past participle of exhilarare, which is formed by combining ex- and hilarare, a verb that derives from hilarus and means "to cheer or gladden." If hilarus looks familiar, that may be because it's also the source of hilarious and hilarity (as well as hilariously and hilariousness, of course).
Synonyms
Examples of exhilarate in a Sentence
Guy Lodge, Variety, 14 Feb. 2025
The op-ed seems to imply that an exhilarating lifestyle is linked to income.
—Garth Andrew Myers, Hartford Courant, 26 Jan. 2025
Though more Disney theme parks opened in Florida, Shane’s family would still only visit for one epic day, at the end of which, Shane would be exhilarated and exhausted, but haunted by the lingering feeling of having missed out on this or that.
—Darryn King, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
The experience left her feeling exhilarated and inspired.
—Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for exhilarate 
Dictionary Entries Near exhilarate
Cite this Entry
“Exhilarate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exhilarate. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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exhilarate
verb
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