What does elated mean?
"Elated" is an adjective describing a state of overwhelming happiness and exhilaration, usually triggered by success, victory, or unexpected good news. Someone who is elated is not merely pleased but uplifted — bursting with joy, energy, and a sense of triumph. The word carries a strongly positive connotation and tends to sit at a more formal or literary register than casual alternatives like "happy" or "thrilled," making it common in journalism, literature, and expressive speech about momentous occasions. It most often follows linking verbs such as "be," "feel," or "seem" ("she was elated by the result"), though it can also modify nouns directly ("an elated audience"). Derived from the Latin "elatus," the past participle of "efferre" meaning "to lift up or carry out," the word literally embodies the sensation of being raised aloft by joy. Because it captures a peak emotional moment that ordinary vocabulary undersells, "elated" remains a precise and vivid choice for describing life's brightest highs.
adjectiveExtremely happy and excited; in high spirits, often as a result of a success or good fortune.
- Feeling or expressing great happiness and excitement, especially after a success, achievement, or piece of good news; in very high spirits.
"She was elated when she learned she had won the fellowship."
"The team was elated after clinching the championship in the final seconds."
"He arrived home elated, clutching the acceptance letter he had waited months to receive."
When you're elated, Latin is literally lifting you up — the word traces back to "effere," meaning to carry out or raise aloft, as if joy itself were hoisting you into the air.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of elated
The adjective "elated" derives from the past participle of "elate," which comes from the Latin "elatus," meaning "raised" or "lifted up," the past participle of "efferre" ("to bring out or raise"), formed from "ex-" ("out") plus "ferre" ("to carry"). Originally, in early modern English, "elate" could describe something physically raised or lofty, as well as a person swollen with pride. Over time the pride-related sense faded and the word settled into its current positive meaning of being lifted up by joy, becoming well established by the seventeenth century. It shares this Latin root with related words such as "elation" and connects distantly to other "ferre" derivatives like "translate" and "latent."
Related word forms
How elated is actually used
"Elated" is more formal and emphatic than everyday words like "happy" or "glad" — it implies an intense, often transient burst of joy rather than a settled state of contentment. It typically appears predicatively ("she was elated") but also occurs attributively ("an elated crowd"). It is frequently intensified with adverbs such as "utterly" or "absolutely."
Easily confused with elated
"Elute" is a chemistry verb meaning to wash out or extract one substance from another, while "elated" describes intense happiness.
"Elevated" means raised or heightened (in position, level, or status), whereas "elated" refers specifically to a feeling of great joy.