What does uplifted mean?
Uplifted most often describes a person, mood, or spirit that has been made happier, more hopeful, or more encouraged. It carries a positive emotional and sometimes moral or spiritual tone: an achievement, kind act, or inspiring experience may leave people feeling uplifted. The word can also have a physical sense, referring to something raised or directed upward, as in an uplifted hand or an uplifted view. In everyday contemporary use, the figurative sense is much more common than the literal one. Uplifted is related to the word uplift, which can mean raising something or improving the condition of people or communities. Compared with simply happy, uplifted often suggests an emotional lift or renewed confidence; compared with inspired, it may emphasize encouragement and optimism. It is a useful word when describing a positive change that leaves people feeling more confident, generous, or alive.
Feeling or expressing happiness, hope, encouragement, or spiritual elevation; raised or directed upward.
"The community felt uplifted by the success of the youth program."
The figurative emotional sense is dominant in contemporary usage.
The past tense and past participle of lift.
"The performer uplifted the child onto the stage."
This form is less common than lifted in ordinary speech and can sound formal or literary.
One word can describe both a raised object and a lifted spirit: uplifted turns physical altitude into emotional encouragement.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does uplifted come from?
Uplifted is formed from up, lift, and the regular past and participle ending -ed. Its meaning developed by extending the older physical idea of raising something upward to emotional, moral, and social improvement. The related compound uplift was already used for the act of raising or elevating and for the resulting improvement. Lift itself has Germanic ancestry and is related to forms in languages including Old Norse and Old English.
Related word forms
How uplifted is actually used
As an adjective, uplifted is especially common for emotions, moods, and spirits. Its use as a finite verb is less frequent and often sounds formal or literary; lifted is more usual for the physical action.
Easily confused with uplifted
Lifted usually describes something physically raised, while uplifted is now more commonly figurative, describing people who feel encouraged, happier, or spiritually elevated.