What does exhilarate mean?
Word: Exhilarate
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Exhilarate means to make someone feel very happy, excited and full of energy.
Synonyms: thrill, elate, invigorate
Antonyms: depress, sadden
Word origin: Comes from a Latin verb meaning to make very cheerful.
How do you spell exhilarate?
Syllables: ex - hil - a - rate
Tricky part: The h after ex is silent and easy to miss, so exilarate is wrong.
Watch out for: exilarate, exhilirate
Memory tip: The h after ex is silent but always written: picture it holding its breath in excitement.
Exhilarate in a sentence
Example 1: The boat ride through the rapids at Rishikesh exhilarated us.
Example 2: Winning the inter-school quiz exhilarated the whole class.
Example 3: A cold morning run always exhilarates my father.
Fun Fact
Exhilarate came into English in the 1500s from Latin, where it meant simply to make cheerful; today it is often used for the rush of speed, height or sport.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the option in which the following letters will fit in the given order: i, a, a
a) coll_b_r_te
b) exh_l_r_te
c) c_l_br_te
d) inv_g_r_te
Show answer
b) exh_l_r_te. Invigorate takes i, o, a, celebrate e, e, a and collaborate a, o, a, which leaves exhilarate.
Word Puzzle
Match each word with its synonym:
1. exhilarate 2. console 3. deceive a. excite b. trick c. comfort
a) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
b) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
c) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
d) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
Show answer
c) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b. Exhilarating news excites you, a friend who consoles you comforts you, and to deceive is to trick.
Sound Check
In which word is 'h' pronounced differently?
a) exhaust
b) exhibit
c) exhale
d) exhilarate
Show answer
c) exhale. In exhale the h is heard; in the other three it is silent.
Word Tally
Score 3 marks for each correctly spelt word. How many marks in all?
exhilarate, adventure, delightfull, holiday, enthusiasim
a) 15
b) 9
c) 6
d) 12
Show answer
b) 9. Delightful and enthusiasm are misspelt, so three words score 3 marks each.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which experience is most likely to exhilarate someone?
a) waiting in a bank queue
b) cleaning out the fridge
c) a long power cut
d) a first paragliding flight
Show answer
d) a first paragliding flight
2. A runner who feels exhilarated after a race is ____.
a) bored and half asleep
b) worn out and gloomy
c) joyful and full of energy
d) angry and very tense
Show answer
c) joyful and full of energy
