Link Centre Dictionary

exhilarate

ex·hi·la·rate

UK/ɪɡˈzɪləɹeɪt/ US/ɛɡ-/ uncommon

verb

1.

fill with sublime emotion; tickle pink (exhilarate is obsolete in this usage)

  • “The children were thrilled at the prospect of going to the movies”
  • “He was inebriated by his phenomenal success”
Synonyms

Origin

From Latin exhilarō (“to delight, to gladden, to make merry”), from ex- (“out, away”) (from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵʰs (“out”)) + hilarō (“to cheer, to gladden”), from hilaris (“cheerful, light-hearted, lively”), from Ancient Greek ἱλαρός (hilarós, “cheerful, merry”), from ἵλαος (hílaos, “gracious, kind, propitious”), from Proto-Indo-European *selh₂- (“comfort, mercy”). By surface analysis, ex- + Latin hilar(ō) + -ate.

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.