exaltation

noun

ex·​al·​ta·​tion ˌeg-ˌzȯl-ˈtā-shən 

ˌek-ˌsȯl-

1

: an act of exalting : the state of being exalted

2

: an excessively intensified sense of well-being, power, or importance

3

: an increase in degree or intensity

exaltation of virulence of a virus

Examples of exaltation in a Sentence

feelings of joy and exaltation

Recent Examples on the Web

James insisted that the gas, for decades a carnival attraction prior to its use as an anesthetic in oral surgery, granted him access to a sublime realm of existence akin to religious exaltation. —Federico Perelmuter, Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2023

Physiological birth becomes not about nature, selfhood, or exaltation but about survival. —Allison Yarrow, ELLE, 24 July 2023

The film also features plenty of dance itself—centered on the discipline and exaltation of ballet and the ennobling delights of inspired choreography—which Arzner films, lovingly and probingly, with a connoisseur’s eye. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2021

The Founding consequently points to an ideal of ordered liberty of the type to which Edmund Burke referred: one that rejects liberty’s separation from natural reason, truth and virtue, while simultaneously disassociating order from a Schmittian exaltation of state authority. —Samuel Gregg, National Review, 6 Feb. 2022

Sam Smith fans, lift your hands in exaltation. —Stephen Daw, Billboard, 27 Jan. 2023

Petersen’s camera races through the sub’s corridors, simultaneously evoking fear, claustrophobia … and exaltation. —Vulture, 19 Aug. 2022

An exaltation of paint. —Chadd Scott, Forbes, 8 June 2021

Francis, by contrast, saw its origins in the exaltation of authority and abuse of power in the church hierarchy. —Rachel Donadio, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2022

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Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

exaltation

noun

ex·​al·​ta·​tion ˌeg-ˌzȯl-ˈtā-shən 

1

: the act of exalting : the state of being exalted

2

: a greatly heightened sense of personal well-being, power, or importance

Medical Definition

exaltation

noun

ex·​al·​ta·​tion ˌeg-ˌzȯl-ˈtā-shən  ˌek-ˌsȯl- 

1

a

: marked or excessive intensification of a mental state or of the activity of a bodily part or function

b

: an abnormal sense of personal well-being, power, or importance : a delusional euphoria

2

: an increase in degree or intensity

exaltation of virulence of a virus