Exultant is an adjective describing lively or triumphant joy, often expressed openly after a victory or success. It conveys intense happiness and celebration, sometimes with a sense of pride. The word is commonly used in writing and formal discourse to depict strong positive emotion in response to achievement.
"The crowd was exultant after the team clinched the championship."
"She wore an exultant smile at the news of her promotion."
"Their exultant cheers filled the hall as the results were announced."
"The exultant mood of the ceremony betrayed how deeply everyone valued the moment."
Exultant comes from the Latin exsultant-, exsultans, from exsultare, meaning to leap up, spring forth, or leap for joy. Exsultare itself derives from ex- “out, forth” combined with salire “to leap, spring.” The term passed into Middle French as exulter and into English by the late medieval period, maintaining the core sense of leaping for joy or rejoicing exuberantly. Over time, the usage broadened from physical leaping to figurative expressions of intense triumph and happiness, culminating in the contemporary sense of openly jubilant celebration. First known English attestations appear in early modern texts, where exultant described crowds, poets, or speakers who expressed overt, exuberant triumph after a victory or achievement. The word’s durability lies in its precise emotion-laden nuance: not merely happy, but triumphantly radiant joy tinged with pride and relief. In current usage, exultant often appears in literary or ceremonial contexts, where the strength of emotion is visually or audibly evident. The morphology remains consistent with other -ant adjectives formed from Latin participles, preserving the sense of state or condition arising from an action or event.
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Words that rhyme with "Exultant"
-ant sounds
-me) sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce it as /ɪɡˈzʌl.tənt/. The stress is on the second syllable: ex-UL-tant. Start with a short “ig” sound, then a clear “zul” with the /z/ following a crisp /ʌ/. End with a light /tənt/. Visualize: ig-ZULT-ant. Audio resources: you can compare with Cambridge and Oxford dictionaries’ audio, and you’ll hear the same stressed second syllable for natural rhythm.
Common errors include reducing the middle syllable too much (saying ig-ZULT-uh-nt) or misplacing the stress (ex-UL-tant pronounced with stress on the first syllable). Another frequent issue is an overly strong final -ant (/ænt/) instead of the lighter /tənt/. Correct by emphasizing the /ˈzʌl/ portion and keeping the final /tənt/ with a short, unstressed ending: ig-ZULT-ənt.
In US, UK, and AU, the main differences are vowel quality and rhoticity. US speakers typically use /ɪɡˈzʌl.tənt/ with a rhotic r-less approach in the non-r-controlled segments; UK and AU are similar but often feature crisper /t/ and slightly tighter vowels. The /ɡ/ and /z/ are consistent. The primary differences lie in vowel height and length: small shifts in /ʌ/ and the clarity of the final /tənt/ depending on smoothness or fluency in each accent.
It combines a fronted, compressed vowel in /ɪɡ/ with a stressed /ˈzʌl/ cluster, followed by a light /tənt/. The challenge is balancing the strong middle syllable with a swift, light final consonant sequence. Speakers often misplace stress or overemphasize the final -ant. Focus on the second syllable’s peak and finish with a crisp, short /tənt/ to preserve the jubilant meaning.
The word places emphasis on the second syllable in a two-stress pattern uncommon with many -ant adjectives. It’s a near-mid word where the middle syllable carries emotional nuance, not just rhythm. Paying attention to the /z/ onset of the stressed syllable helps keep the energy correct, and ensuring the final /tənt/ remains light ensures the word doesn’t sound overly heavy or staccato.
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