exciting

exciting — adjective

1. An event, experience, or piece of news that is exciting makes you feel very inte

1.adjectiveA2
Definition

An event, experience, or piece of news that is exciting makes you feel very interested, happy, and full of energy because something new or special is happening or might happen soon.

Example

Arjun felt his heart pound during the exciting final match of the season.

collocation: exciting + match / game / final

The science fair was so exciting that Lien could hardly sleep the night before.

pattern: so + exciting + that-clause

Common collocations
  • exciting opportunity
  • exciting news
  • exciting time
  • exciting experience
  • exciting prospect
  • exciting development
  • exciting project
  • exciting adventure
Synonyms
  • thrilling

    More intense than exciting; suggests danger, speed, or high stakes — e.g. a thrilling chase, a thrilling finish

  • exhilarating

    Describes a strong physical or emotional rush, often from fast movement or success — e.g. an exhilarating climb, an exhilarating win

  • stimulating

    Focuses on mental or sensory engagement rather than emotional excitement — e.g. a stimulating discussion, a stimulating piece of art

  • gripping

    Used almost exclusively for stories, films, or performances that hold your attention tightly

Antonyms
  • boring

    The most direct opposite — something dull that fails to interest or excite

  • dull

    Slightly more formal than boring; suggests a lack of liveliness or brightness

  • tedious

    Describes something that is boring because it is too long, slow, or repetitive

Grammar Patterns

be + exciting

find/think + NP + exciting

so + exciting + that-clause

Usage Note

Exciting describes the thing or event that causes the feeling; excited describes a person's feeling itself. Compare: 'an exciting film' (the film causes excitement) vs 'an excited child' (the child feels excitement).

Common Mistakes

I was very exciting about the trip.
I was very excited about the trip.
Use excited (not exciting) when describing how a person feels.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Thrilling is more intense than exciting and often involves danger, speed, or high stakes — a thriller film or a last-minute goal. Exhilarating focuses on a strong physical or emotional rush, like the feeling after a fast run or a big success. Stimulating is more about mental or sensory engagement than emotion — a stimulating class or a stimulating piece of music keeps your mind active. Gripping is used almost only for stories, films, or books that hold your attention so tightly you cannot stop. For everyday situations — a new job, a party, a trip — exciting is the most natural and widely used choice.

thrilling ↗exhilaratingstimulatinggripping

Common collocations

Nouns

  • exciting news
  • exciting opportunity
  • exciting time
  • exciting experience
  • exciting development
  • exciting prospect

Adverbs

  • really exciting
  • very exciting
  • so exciting
  • particularly exciting
  • truly exciting
  • highly exciting

Phrases

  • an exciting time ahead
  • the most exciting part
  • nothing more exciting than

Prepositions

  • exciting for someone
  • exciting to someone

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Exciting comes from the verb excite, which entered English through French exciter from Latin excitare meaning 'to rouse, call out, or set in motion.' The -ing suffix turns the verb into an adjective describing something that causes the feeling of excitement. The adjective first appeared in the early 1800s and has been in common use ever since.