elated
ih-LAY-tid
/ɪˈleɪtɪd/
Ecstatically happy and proud; in high spirits.
Focuses on the sensation of emotional lifting or weightlessness following good news or triumph.
The story behind the word. Elated comes from the Latin verb 'efferre' (past participle 'elatus'), constructed from 'ex-' (out) and 'ferre' (to carry). To be elated literally means to be 'carried away' or 'lifted up' into the air by good fortune.
Word relationships
- overjoyed: Overjoyed highlights profound happiness, while elated adds a sense of pride and feeling elevated.
- exhilarated: Exhilarated stresses energetic, heart-pounding excitement, whereas elated emphasizes joyful pride.
- dejected: Dejected means cast down in spirit, disappointed, or depressed.
- despondent: Despondent implies loss of hope and deep gloom.
Commonly confused with
- belated: Belated means happening late or delayed, while elated means overjoyed.
Word family
- elation (noun): Great happiness and exhilaration.
- elate (verb): Make someone ecstatically happy.
Collocations
- elated by the news
- elated feeling
- elated crowd
- utterly elated
Idioms & expressions
- on cloud nine
- walking on air
Example sentences
- "She was elated when she received the official letter confirming her university admission." Achieving a goal
- "The elated team raised the championship trophy high above their heads." Victory celebration
Memory hook
E-LATED: When you hear great news LATE at night, you feel E-LATED (lifted into the sky). Landed on cloud nine.
When not to use
Do not use to describe continuous low-grade contentment; it implies a peak experience.
Fun facts
- The root 'lat-' in elated is the exact same Latin root found in 'relate', 'translate', and 'collate'.
Related words
Also appears in
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