English Reference
Verb

elated

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ɪˈɫeɪtəd/ UK /ɪlˈeɪtɪd/ elat·ed

v.feeling or showing great happiness and excitement. You use this when you are very pleased about something good that just happened.

v.feeling or showing great happiness and excitement. Often used to describe a state of intense joy following a specific achievement or event.


SIMPLE

She was elated when she heard she got the job.

CONTEXTUAL

The team was elated after winning the championship, celebrating with a parade through the city.

COMPLEX

The researchers were elated to discover that their hypothesis was correct, as it had taken years of meticulous data collection to reach such a conclusion.

The high-school kids are wafting groggily back to earth, buffeted and elated after a wild night around town.

The Guardian· 20 Aug 2026

Latin elatus (“raised”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated