exhilarating

1 of 2

adjective

ex·​hil·​a·​rat·​ing ig-ˈzi-lə-ˌrā-tiŋ 

: causing strong feelings of happy excitement and elation : thrilling

an exhilarating experience

… an exhilarating ride that allows participants to catch an aerial view like they've never seen before.

—Kathryn M. Roy

… I would like to convey the sense of flight as it was almost at the very beginning of itself, when everything about it was miraculous and dangerous and exhilarating.

—James Dickey

… an exhilarating career full of deals sealed at three-martini lunches.

—Andrea Cooper

exhilaratingly

ig-ˈzi-lə-ˌrā-tiŋ-lē 

adverb

an exhilaratingly funny performance

exhilarating

2 of 2

present participle of exhilarate

Synonyms of exhilarating

Adjective

• exciting
• breathtaking
• thrilling
• interesting
• intriguing

Examples of exhilarating in a Sentence

Adjective

no recording can capture the exhilarating feeling of being at a live rock concert

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The song, with its brilliantly ironic lyrics about a manipulative ex-partner, has become an anthem of catharsis, also driven by an exhilarating orchestral arrangement and the powerful voices of Rosi and Yahritza. — Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 10 Nov. 2026

Photographs by Jesse Kornbluth Puerto Rican Thanksgiving is an exhilarating holiday remix. — Von Diaz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Nov. 2026

Those that did make the cut, which includes everything from Ferrari’s latest V-12 to a boundary-breaking Chinese EV, represent some of the most exhilarating performance vehicles of all time. — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 4 Nov. 2026

Meanwhile, winter kayaking is an exhilarating option for milder winters. — Isabelle Kliger, Vogue, 2 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1634, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for exhilarating

• accelerating
• accentuating
• accommodating
• accumulating
• adjudicating
• administrating
• affiliating
• agglutinating
• alienating
• alleviating
• amalgamating
• ameliorating