Exhilaration (noun) is a vivid, intense feeling of excitement and lively stimulation. It often arises from thrilling experiences or moments of peak happiness, producing a lively, energizing emotional rush. The term conveys a sense of uplift and exuberant motivation that heightens perception and action.
- Common phonetic challenges: misplacing primary stress, turning -reɪ.ʃən into -reɪ.ʃən with a reduced syllable, and softening the /z/ or /gz/ cluster. - Corrections: place stress on the /reɪ/ nucleus and keep the four-syllable rhythm; articulate /gz/ clearly as /ɡz/; avoid reducing the final -tion more than necessary; keep /ʃən/ as a light, audible suffix.
US vs UK vs AU: - US often rhotic, so /ɪɡˌzɪl.əˈreɪ.ʃən/ retains r-colored preceding vowels in connected speech; UK tends to more precise vowel quality and slightly shorter vowels in non-stressed syllables; AU may feature broader vowels and a slightly higher closing of the mouth for /ɪ/ and /ə/; ensure clear /reɪ/ diphthong in all accents and maintain final /ʃən/.
"The roller coaster drop filled her with exhilaration as wind rushed past."
"There was a palpable exhilaration in the room after the final whistle."
"His speech ended with exhilaration, leaving the audience buzzing with energy."
"The team celebrated with exhilaration, sprinting onto the field in triumph."
Exhilaration comes from the Latin exhilarare, meaning to exhilarate, which itself is formed from the prefix ex- (out, thoroughly) and the verb hilare (to cheer up, be cheerful). The modern English noun derives from the verb exhilarate, attested in the 16th century via French influence. The root hilare traces to Latin hilaris, meaning cheerful, pleasant, or lively. Through centuries, exhilaration broadened from simple happiness to a sense of intense, energizing excitement that can accompany danger, novelty, or triumph. Early usage often described physical liveliness or spirits being uplifted, evolving in the 18th–19th centuries to emphasize psychological arousal and heightened perception. The form with -ation marks a noun of action or effect, referring to the state produced by the action of exhilarate. First known use in English appears in the early modern period, aligning with broader adoption of affective nouns in literature and rhetoric.
💡 Etymology tip: Understanding word origins can help you remember pronunciation patterns and recognize related words in the same language family.
Help others use "Exhilaration" correctly by contributing grammar tips, common mistakes, and context guidance.
💡 These words have similar meanings to "Exhilaration" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Exhilaration" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Exhilaration"
-ion sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
🎵 Rhyme tip: Practicing with rhyming words helps you master similar sound patterns and improves your overall pronunciation accuracy.
Break it into four clear parts: ex-hil-ar-a-tion. IPA: ɪɡˌzɪl.əˈreɪ.ʃən. Primary stress on the second-to-last syllable (ˈreɪ) with secondary stress on the middle -lɪ- segment. Start with a light /ɪ/ then a crisp /ɡ/ and /z/ blend, follow with a schwa /ə/ in the third syllable, and end with /ʃən/. Practice saying: ɪɡˌzɪl.əˈreɪ.ʃən, then slower: ɪɡˌzɪl.əˈreɪ.ʃən.
Common errors: misplacing the stress by saying ɪɡˈzɪl.əˈreɪ.ʃən or breaking into too many schwas. Another frequent mistake is eliding the /z/ or /ɡ/ cluster, producing a weaker onset. Correction: keep /ɡz/ intact after ɪ; ensure the /ˌzɪl/ has secondary stress; articulate the /reɪ/ as a clear diphthong with a strong mid-to-high tongue position and avoid reducing the schwa too much. Finally, don’t skim the final -tion; pronounce /ʃən/ with a light but audible suffix.
US typically uses /ɪɡˌzɪl.əˈreɪ.ʃən/ with rhoticity not affecting vowel, UK features a similar pattern but with slightly clipped vowels and non-rhotic tendencies in careful speech; Australian often shows a broader, slightly longer /ɪ/ and a more open /ɪː/ in the first syllable, while /ə/ in the third syllable may be reduced. The stressed /reɪ/ tends to be a clear diphthong in all, but vowel quality varies pleasantly by region. IPA references align with standard transcriptions per region.
Two main challenges: a four-syllable rhythm with a stressed mid-to-late syllable (reɪ) can be hard to time; and the consonant cluster -gz- after the initial i- requires precise voicing and timing. The /z/ joining /l/ also demands careful tongue positioning to avoid a muffled sound. Work on articulatory clarity: separate initial /ɡ/ and /z/ briefly, emphasize /reɪ/ as a bright diphthong, and maintain a steady flow into the final /ʃən/.
A distinctive feature is maintaining the secondary stress pattern on the penultimate syllable in many fast speech contexts: ɪɡˌzɪl.əˈreɪ.ʃən. Make sure the -l- isn’t swallowed and that you keep the /z/ as a voiced sound before the /ɪl/ cluster, avoiding an overly softened onset. It helps to practice with a rhythm drill: ɪɡˌzɪl.ə-ˈreɪ.ʃən, then ɪɡˌzɪl.əˈreɪ.ʃən.
🗣️ Voice search tip: These questions are optimized for voice search. Try asking your voice assistant any of these questions about "Exhilaration"!
- Shadowing: listen to a fast native read and imitate with exact timing. - Minimal pairs: focus on -zɪl- vs -zɪl-; practice ɪɡ vs ɪk to stabilize onset. - Rhythm practice: four-syllable count; slow, then normal, then fast tempo. - Stress practice: mark primary stress before -reɪ-; practice with ɪɡˌzɪl.əˈreɪ.ʃən. - Recording: record and compare to a native speaker; adjust pitch and timing. - Context sentences: use 'exhilaration' in scenes of adventure and performance.
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