excited

excited — adjective

1. feeling or showing great happiness and energy because something enjoyable or int

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

feeling or showing great happiness and energy because something enjoyable or interesting is going to happen or has just happened

Example

Amelia was excited about her trip to Japan next month.

excited about + event/noun phrase

Lucía got really excited when she heard the news about her scholarship.

get excited (linking verb pattern)

Common collocations
  • excited about
  • excited to
  • get excited
  • feel excited
  • too excited
  • excited fans
  • excited crowd
  • excited children
Synonyms
  • thrilled

    stronger than excited; implies great joy and a sense of delight

  • eager

    focuses more on wanting something to happen soon; less emotional than excited

  • enthusiastic

    suggests sustained positive interest rather than a burst of emotion

  • pumped

    very informal, US slang; means full of high energy and anticipation

Antonyms
  • bored

    feeling uninterested or tired of something

  • indifferent

    not caring one way or the other

Grammar Patterns

be + excited + about + noun/gerund

get + excited + about + noun/gerund

be + excited + to + infinitive

be + excited + that + clause

Usage Note

Commonly followed by 'about' (for events or ideas) or a to-infinitive (for actions). The pattern 'too excited to + verb' is a fixed construction showing that excitement prevents another action.

Common Mistakes

I am exciting about the concert.
I am excited about the concert.
'exciting' describes something that causes the feeling; 'excited' describes the person who has the feeling.
She was excited from the news.
She was excited about the news.
Use 'about', not 'from', to introduce the reason for excitement.

2. not particularly interested, impressed, or enthusiastic about something because

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

not particularly interested, impressed, or enthusiastic about something because it seems ordinary, disappointing, or unappealing

Example

Ishaan said the café's new menu was nothing to get excited about.

nothing to get excited about (idiomatic expression)

The film got mixed reviews — most viewers found it nothing to get excited about.

Common collocations
  • nothing to get excited about
  • not excited about
  • not particularly excited
Synonyms
  • unimpressed

    more direct; suggests the thing failed to meet expectations

  • underwhelmed

    slightly humorous or ironic; expecting more but getting less

  • indifferent

    neutral, not caring either way

Antonyms
  • impressed

    feeling admiration for something good

  • keen

    British English; very interested and enthusiastic

Grammar Patterns

not + excited + about + noun/gerund

nothing + to get excited about

Usage Note

This sense is used almost exclusively in negative statements. The fixed expression 'nothing to get excited about' is the most common form and means 'not particularly good or impressive'. Distinguish from sense 1: in sense 1, 'not excited' simply means you lack positive feelings; in sense 2, it implies you find the thing itself underwhelming.

Common Mistakes

The restaurant was nothing to be excited about.
The restaurant was nothing to get excited about.
The fixed expression uses 'get', not 'be'.

❌ 'I was not excited about the film' (meaning it was bad) — This could mean sense 1 or 2 depending on context. For clarity, use 'nothing to get excited about' when you mean the thing itself was mediocre.

3. describing an atom, electron, or molecule that has absorbed energy and moved to

3.adjectiveC1
Definition

describing an atom, electron, or molecule that has absorbed energy and moved to a higher energy level than its normal resting state

Example

An excited atom releases energy when it returns to its normal state.

excited + atom (attributive scientific use)

The laser works by creating a large number of excited electrons inside the crystal.

Common collocations
  • excited atom
  • excited electron
  • excited molecule
  • excited state
  • excited particle
Synonyms
  • energized

    broader term; can be used in non-scientific contexts

  • activated

    implies readiness to react or change state

Antonyms
  • ground-state

    the lowest energy state of an atom or molecule

  • stable

    not in an excited or reactive state

Grammar Patterns

excited + state

excited + atom/electron/molecule/particle

in an excited state

Usage Note

Technical term used primarily in physics and chemistry. The noun form 'excitation' (C1) is also common in these fields. Not used in everyday conversation. The opposite term is 'ground state'.

Common Mistakes

The atom is very excited.' (using sense 1 meaning)
The atom is in an excited state.
In science, use the full scientific phrase to avoid confusion with the emotional meaning.
Excited molecules have more power.' (vague)
Excited molecules have more energy than ground-state molecules.
Use precise scientific language.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe a positive, forward-looking feeling, but they differ in intensity and style. 'Excited' is the most general — it covers any situation where you feel happy anticipation or high energy. 'Thrilled' is stronger: it implies a sudden, joyful reaction to great news (e.g., 'I was thrilled to hear she won the prize'). 'Eager' focuses on wanting something to happen soon, with less emphasis on emotional height (e.g., 'The students were eager to begin the experiment'). 'Enthusiastic' suggests a more sustained, energetic interest in an activity or idea (e.g., 'She is an enthusiastic supporter of the arts'). 'Pumped' is very informal American slang for being full of high energy before an event (e.g., 'The team was pumped for the championship game'). Use 'excited' in formal writing; use 'pumped' only in casual conversation.

thrilled ↗eager ↗enthusiastic ↗pumped

Common collocations

Nouns

  • excited state (scientific)
  • excited atom (scientific)
  • excited electron (scientific)

Adverbs

  • very excited
  • really excited
  • so excited
  • extremely excited
  • genuinely excited
  • particularly excited
  • wildly excited

Phrases

  • nothing to get excited about
  • too excited to [verb]
  • get excited
  • feel excited

Prepositions

  • excited about
  • excited at
  • excited by
  • excited for

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'excited' comes from the Latin verb 'excitare', meaning 'to call out, rouse, or summon'. This was formed from 'ex-' (out) and 'citare' (to call, summon). The word passed into Middle French as 'exciter' and then into English in the 14th century, originally meaning 'to stir up, provoke, or set in motion'. The emotional sense of 'feeling stirred up or aroused' developed by the 17th century. The scientific use describing atoms and molecules with higher energy levels emerged in the early 20th century alongside quantum theory.