Elating

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. To cause an individual to experience intense happiness and joyfulness through uplifting feelings and spirited excitement
2. Producing a strong sense of joy and uplifting excitement in someone
3. Giving rise to feelings of cheerful elation and spirited happiness

Etymology: "Elating" is the present participle of "elate", and the verb carries a surprisingly physical picture in its Latin ancestor. Middle English took "elate" from Latin "ēlātus", meaning "exalted" or "lofty", the past participle of "efferō", which literally meant "bring out" or "carry out" and also "raise up". So the joy in "elating" began as something being lifted off the ground, as if the spirit rose with it. The word's Latin base is "ferō", "to carry", the same root that gives English "transfer", "defer" and "confer". Adding the prefix "ē-" (out, away) produced a verb for carrying something out or raising it, and its past participle shifted to describe anything raised high, whether a hill or a person's mood. English kept that sense of elevation, so "elate" describes a spirit lifted upward rather than merely pleased.

Synonyms: uplifting, exhilarating, joyful, inspiring, cheerful

Antonyms: depressing, disheartening, dismaying, sorrowful, sad