What does excited mean?
"Excited" is an adjective describing a state of eager enthusiasm, heightened anticipation, or stirred emotion. A person who is excited feels a keen, pleasurable eagerness about something expected or happening, whether a holiday, a piece of good news, or a long-awaited reunion. The word frequently pairs with prepositions such as "about" and "to," as in "excited about the trip" or "excited to meet you." Its connotations are almost always positive, conveying energy and delight rather than anxiety. In scientific usage, however, the term takes on a precise technical meaning: an atom, molecule, or nerve is said to be "excited" when raised to a higher energy or activity level, a sense entirely free of emotional content. Derived from the Latin excitare, meaning "to rouse or stir up," the word shares its root with "excite" and "incite." Versatile and universally understood across English-speaking regions, "excited" remains one of the most common ways to express joyful anticipation in both speech and writing.
Feeling or showing eager enthusiasm and keen anticipation.
"He was excited to start his new job on Monday."
Typically followed by "about," "to," or a that-clause; strongly positive in tone.
(Physics/physiology) Raised to a higher energy or activity state.
"An excited electron emits a photon when it returns to its ground state."
Technical sense, non-emotional; common in physics, chemistry, and neuroscience.
"Excited" comes from the Latin excitare, meaning "to call out or rouse up" — literally to summon someone awake.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of excited
"Excited" is the past participle of the verb "excite," which entered English in the late Middle Ages from the Latin excitare, a frequentative form of exciere meaning "to call out, summon, or rouse." The Latin combines ex- ("out") with ciere ("to move, set in motion, call"), the same root that gives us "cite," "incite," and "recite." Originally applied to stirring up emotions or actions, the verb's participial form gradually settled into use as a standalone adjective describing a person roused to enthusiasm, and later acquired its technical sense in physics and physiology for systems raised to an active or higher-energy state.
Related word forms
How excited is actually used
Predominantly informal to neutral in register and overwhelmingly positive in connotation. In scientific contexts (physics, physiology), "excited" carries a technical, non-emotional sense describing elevated energy states. Commonly followed by "about," "to," or a "that" clause.
Easily confused with excited
"Excited" describes the person experiencing the emotion ("I am excited"), while "exciting" describes the thing causing it ("the news is exciting").