excitable

adjective

ex·​cit·​able ik-ˈsī-tə-bəl 

1

: capable of being readily roused into action or a state of excitement or irritability

2

: capable of being activated by and reacting to stimuli

excitable cells

excitability

ik-ˌsī-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

excitableness

ik-ˈsī-tə-bəl-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• nervous
• volatile
• anxious
• hyper
• unstable
• hyperactive

Examples of excitable in a Sentence

an excitable child who needs a stable home life

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2023 and the first months of 2024, his name cropped up in a lot of excitable articles in the Rio de Janeiro press. —Jack Lang, New York Times, 27 June 2025

The telling of the entire story of America, after all, calls into question the greatness that Donald Trump pledges to restore, and agitates a base that remains threatened and excitable by our multicultural reality. —Kevin Sack, Time, 3 June 2025

Anyone familiar with the world of the Grateful Dead knows that one of the band’s most devoted and excitable fans was the late Bill Walton, the illustrious Hall of Fame NBA center who died in May 2024 at 71. —David Browne, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2025

Groups of excitable teenage boys waited their turn to play EA FC on a bank of massive flat screen TVs. —James Montague, New York Times, 18 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing excitable

• hyper-excitable

Rhymes for excitable

• copyrightable

Kids Definition

excitable

adjective

ex·​cit·​able ik-ˈsīt-ə-bəl 

1

: easily excited

2

: capable of being excited

excitability

-ˌsīt-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

Medical Definition

excitable

adjective

ex·​cit·​able ik-ˈsīt-ə-bəl 

of living tissue or an organism

: capable of being activated by and reacting to stimuli : exhibiting irritability

the biochemistry of excitable membranes

—Science

excitability

-ˌsīt-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

plural excitabilities