exaltation

IPA/ˌeɡzɔːlˈteɪʃn/
IPA/ˌeɡzɔːlˈteɪʃn/

exaltation — noun

1. a powerful feeling of joy and excitement, usually after a great success or happy

1.nounC1
Definition

a powerful feeling of joy and excitement, usually after a great success or happy event.

Example

Elena felt pure exaltation when she crossed the marathon finish line first.

feel exaltation at a moment of triumph

A wave of exaltation swept through the crowd as the home team scored.

a wave of exaltation swept through [a group]

Common collocations
  • a feeling of exaltation
  • a sense of exaltation
  • a wave of exaltation
  • filled with exaltation
Synonyms
  • elation

    very close; a bit less formal and more everyday

  • ecstasy

    even stronger, often overwhelming or rapturous

  • euphoria

    an intense glow of well-being, sometimes brief or relief-driven

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

a feeling of exaltation

Usage Note

Usually uncountable and often appears as 'a feeling/sense/wave of exaltation'; the trigger is typically a triumph, a win, or a piece of wonderful news.

Common Mistakes

I felt exaltation when I found a parking spot.
I was pleased when I found a parking spot.
'exaltation' is an intense, almost spiritual joy, too strong for small everyday pleasures.

2. the process of lifting a person into a more important rank, office, or position

2.nounC1
Definition

the process of lifting a person into a more important rank, office, or position of power.

Example

Ryo's sudden exaltation to company director shocked his older colleagues.

exaltation to + [a high office]

The young priest's exaltation to bishop surprised the whole quiet town.

Common collocations
  • exaltation to (a rank)
  • exaltation to the throne
  • rapid exaltation
Synonyms
  • elevation

    neutral term for a rise in rank or status

  • promotion

    the everyday workplace word for the same idea

  • advancement

    steady upward progress in a career or hierarchy

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

exaltation to + rank/office

Usage Note

Formal or historical; the object is a person and the goal is a rank, office, or throne, often introduced by 'to' or 'above'.

Common Mistakes

She got an exaltation and a pay rise at work.
She got a promotion and a pay rise at work.
in everyday workplace English use 'promotion'; 'exaltation' is formal or historical.

3. the act of praising and honouring a person or god very highly, especially in wor

3.nounC2
Definition

the act of praising and honouring a person or god very highly, especially in worship.

Example

The choir sang songs of exaltation as morning light filled the stone church.

songs/hymns of exaltation

Every spring the villagers hold a festival of exaltation for the harvest goddess.

Common collocations
  • songs of exaltation
  • hymns of exaltation
  • exaltation of (a god)
Synonyms
  • glorification

    praising someone or something as glorious or divine

  • veneration

    deep respect, especially religious

  • acclaim

    loud public praise, often for an achievement

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

exaltation of + person/deity

Usage Note

Most common in religious or ceremonial writing — 'songs of exaltation', 'exaltation of [a god or hero]'. Distinguish from sense 2, which is a change of rank, not praise.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words describe intense happiness, but they differ in flavour and register. 'Elation' is the most everyday: a bright, energetic joy, often right after good news. 'Exaltation' is more formal and lofty, mixing joy with a sense of being lifted up or spiritually moved. 'Ecstasy' and 'rapture' are the most extreme — an almost overwhelming delight that blots out everything else, with 'rapture' carrying a dreamy, spiritual edge. 'Euphoria' suggests a strong glow of well-being that may be brief or even chemically caused, as after a win or under medication. Compare: 'she felt elation when she passed' (ordinary), 'the choir sang in exaltation' (lofty), and 'fans screamed in ecstasy at the final goal' (overwhelming).

exaltation ↗elation ↗ecstasy ↗euphoria ↗rapture

Common collocations

Nouns

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Exaltation comes from the Latin verb 'exaltare', built from 'ex-' ('up, out') and 'altus' ('high') — literally 'to raise up high'. It passed through Old French 'exaltacion' into English in the late 1300s, first in religious writing about praising God and lifting the soul, and later widened to cover both a rise in rank and an intense feeling of joy.

First known use

14th century

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1