exciting 1 of 2

adjective

ik-ˈsī-tiŋ How to pronounce exciting (audio)
Definition of excitingnext
1
as in thrilling
causing great emotional or mental stimulation an exciting, come-from-behind victory for the underdogs in the last game of the World Series

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in provocative
serving or likely to arouse a strong reaction and what exciting news have you for us today?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

exciting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of excite
1
as in electrifying
to cause a pleasurable stimulation of the feelings for some reason the first snowfall of the season never fails to excite us

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in encouraging
to rouse to strong feeling or action televised pictures of the victims of the famine that would excite any viewer to pity

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of exciting
Adjective
The successful application of the transmission strings method is an exciting step forward in the modelling of the atmospheres of the over 6,000 worlds in NASA's exoplanet catalog. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026 For a Chinese kid, char siu bao was as exciting as a bag of candy. — Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
Verb
Major Wilson, 17, has been around horses most of his life and now spends much of his time helping younger riders get ready, showing them how to saddle their horses without exciting them. — Jhair Romero, Houston Chronicle, 26 Feb. 2026 For Harrington and her husband Dante, the thought of triplets was shocking but exciting all the same. — Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for exciting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exciting
  1. breathtaking
  2. provocative
  3. thrilling
  4. encouraging
  5. interesting
  6. electrifying
  7. provoking
  8. intriguing
Adjective
  • Princess Rajwa was the star of the day, of course, in her breathtaking gown by Elie Saab.
    — Stephanie Bridger-Linning, Vanity Fair, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Canaletto, a prominent member of the Venetian school, is best known for his breathtaking oil paintings of Venice and London.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of breathtaking
Adjective
  • The compelling series achieves a provocative dissection of it all with rare confidence without the overindulgence of distracting CGI tossed in for sheer spectacle.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The latest comments therefore seemed predictable to regular viewers, rather than unexpectedly provocative.
    — Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of provocative
Verb
  • The Miami Hurricanes rallied from a second-half deficit for a thrilling 43-35, come-from-behind double overtime victory over the Florida State Seminoles on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Buffalo is coming off a thrilling overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of thrilling
Verb
  • Anti-Trumpers in Wichita are encouraging folks to attend the next No Kings Nationwide Day of Action on Saturday as a sort of rally warm-up.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026
  • But in his statement Hannan argued labor and environmentalists aren’t stopping development, just encouraging it be done safely.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of encouraging
Adjective
  • Those are impressive numbers, but the interesting part is how Creality has arrived at them.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2026
  • And here’s where your Social Security concern gets interesting.
    — Jeanne Sahadi, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of interesting
Verb
  • After its electrifying premiere, there were quickly reports that A24 is focused on a Best Picture campaign for the film in large part because the Academy’s fusty Documentary Branch may opt not to nominate it for Best Documentary Feature.
    — Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The Minnesota Lynx's electrifying guard, Olivia Miles, has been named the Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year.
    — Cole Premo, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of electrifying
Verb
  • The same principle applies to debates about religion, economics and virtually any subject capable of provoking strong emotions.
    — Rabbi Bruce D. Forman, Sun Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026
  • From this format emerges the tacit thesis that the Bicentennial cultural activities excelled at provoking critical, imaginative reflections on America’s past and future from artmakers and from ordinary citizens alike.
    — Anna Kornbluh, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of provoking
Adjective
  • The Patriots will finish second in the West Valley League and could be an intriguing first-round matchup in the City Section Open Division playoffs.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
  • For now, this is an intriguing proof of concept, a tantalizing glimpse of what electric mobility might look like someday, and a technology wrapped in enough engineering jargon to make the average driver’s eyes glaze over.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of intriguing

Browse Nearby Words

excites
exciting
exclaim
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Exciting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exciting. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All