elation

elation — noun

1. a very strong feeling of happiness and excitement that comes suddenly, often aft

1.nounB2
Definition

a very strong feeling of happiness and excitement that comes suddenly, often after a success or a longed-for event

Example

The crowd's elation grew as the final whistle blew and their team had won.

Gabriel felt a wave of elation when he received the scholarship offer.

elation + wave of (collocation for sudden intense feeling)

Common collocations
  • feel elation
  • sense of elation
  • wave of elation
  • fill with elation
  • elation at
  • elation over
Synonyms
  • joy

    broader and less intense; does not imply a sudden peak triggered by an event

  • exhilaration

    more physical and active, often tied to an exciting experience or activity

  • euphoria

    longer-lasting and often used for artificial or drug-induced highs

  • bliss

    suggests perfect contentment rather than excited happiness

Antonyms
  • depression

    the opposite pole of emotional state

  • sorrow

    a milder opposite focused on sadness

Grammar Patterns

feel + elation

sense/wave/feeling + of + elation

Usage Note

Uncountable in everyday use; common in the patterns 'a sense of elation' and 'a wave of elation.' Often triggered by a specific event such as a win, an award, or a reunion.

Common Mistakes

He was in elation when he heard the news.
He was filled with elation when he heard the news.
'elation' does not follow the preposition 'in' for state; use 'filled with' or simply 'felt.'
She had an elation after the promotion.
She felt a sense of elation after the promotion.
'elation' is uncountable and cannot take the indefinite article 'an.'

2. a clinical state in which a person displays an abnormally strong, often disconne

2.noun
Definition

a clinical state in which a person displays an abnormally strong, often disconnected feeling of happiness or optimism, typically as a symptom of mania or a brain injury

Example

The psychiatrist noted signs of elation in the patient's speech and behaviour.

clinical context: elation as a symptom

After the accident damaged his frontal lobe, Henrik experienced periods of uncontrollable elation.

elation following brain injury

Common collocations
  • pathological elation
  • signs of elation
  • periods of elation
  • elation as a symptom
Synonyms
  • euphoria

    broader clinical term; elation is a specific subtype of euphoric state

  • mania

    the broader disorder of which pathological elation is one symptom

Antonyms
  • anhedonia

    clinical inability to feel pleasure, the opposite of pathological elation

  • depression

    the depressive pole in bipolar disorder

Grammar Patterns

signs/manifestations/periods + of + elation

Usage Note

Common in medical records and psychiatric evaluations. Distinguish from sense 1 by the presence of a clinical trigger (mania, brain lesion) and the absence of a proportionate real-world cause for the happiness.

Common Mistakes

After winning the lottery, she showed signs of pathological elation.
She showed signs of pathological elation as part of her manic episode.
'pathological elation' is a clinical term for disordered mood, not for normal happiness triggered by good fortune.

Word family

  • elated
    adjectiveB2
  • elatedly
    adverbC1
  • elate
    verbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Elation, joy, exhilaration, euphoria, and bliss all describe positive emotional states but differ in intensity, duration, and trigger. 'Joy' is the broadest term, covering any feeling of happiness from mild to strong. 'Exhilaration' is more active and physical — the breathless excitement you feel on a roller coaster or after a big win. 'Euphoria' is longer-lasting and often implies a somewhat artificial cause (drugs, mania, or intense romantic feelings). 'Bliss' suggests a state of perfect contentment and peace rather than excited happiness. 'Elation' sits somewhere in the middle: a sudden, intense peak of happiness that usually follows a specific event. You feel elation when you win an award or reunite with a loved one — but you wouldn't describe a quiet afternoon reading a book as elation. That would be bliss.

joy ↗exhilarationeuphoriabliss

Common collocations

Nouns

  • sense of elation
  • feeling of elation
  • wave of elation
  • state of elation
  • cry of elation
  • signs of elation

Phrases

  • be filled with elation
  • express elation

Prepositions

  • elation at
  • elation over

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Comes from Latin 'elatus', the past participle of 'efferre' ('to carry out or lift up'), formed from 'ex-' (out) and 'ferre' (to carry). The idea of being 'lifted up' in spirit gave rise to the modern English meaning of intense happiness. The word entered English in the early 1600s and was first used to describe a raised emotional state.