exhilarating
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
making you feel very excited and full of energy, like a fast ride or a big success.
causing a strong feeling of excitement and happiness; refreshingly thrilling. Often used to describe physical activities or emotional breakthroughs.
Simple“The speed of the boat was exhilarating as it flew across the water.”
In context“Climbing to the summit at dawn provided an exhilarating sense of achievement that made the months of training worthwhile.”
PitfallThe roller coaster was exhilarated. The roller coaster was exhilarating.Use 'exhilarating' to describe the thing that causes the feeling, and 'exhilarated' to describe the person who feels it.
SynonymsAntonyms
“Katherine Hensel/National Park Service via AP Hiking a picturesque valley or climbing a craggy gorge are some of the most exhilarating experiences in nature.”
“After five years of running and operating my own firm, there are weeks that feel repetitive and tasks that are more mundane than exhilarating.”
By surface analysis, exhilarate + -ing.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.