excitement
B2Neutral, suitable for all registers from informal to formal.
Definition
Meaning
A feeling of great enthusiasm, eagerness, or emotional arousal.
Something that arouses such a feeling; a state of stimulation, activity, or agitation.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily an uncountable noun, though countable uses ('excitements') are rare and usually literary, referring to multiple instances or types of exciting events.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical differences. The word is used identically in both varieties.
Connotations
Identical core connotations. Minor potential frequency differences in specific collocations (e.g., 'holiday excitement' might be slightly more common in UK marketing).
Frequency
Very high frequency in both varieties with minimal variation.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
excitement about + noun/gerund (excitement about the trip)excitement at + noun/gerund (excitement at winning)excitement of + noun (the excitement of discovery)excitement over + noun (excitement over the new product)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A flutter of excitement”
- “Punch the air in excitement”
- “Buzzing with excitement”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used in marketing and announcements ('Share in the excitement of our product launch').
Academic
Used in psychology, neuroscience, and literary analysis ('measuring physiological arousal and subjective excitement').
Everyday
Very common for describing emotional states regarding events, news, or experiences ('The children were full of excitement before the party').
Technical
In electronics, a dated term for 'energising' a circuit ('the excitement of the coil'), but this is largely superseded by 'excitation'.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The prospect of a bank holiday weekend never fails to excite the public.
- The new evidence excited considerable interest among the researchers.
American English
- The team's winning streak is really exciting the fan base.
- The merger news excited investors, causing a spike in stock prices.
adverb
British English
- The children waited excitedly for the pantomime to start.
- He talked excitedly about his upcoming trip to Japan.
American English
- The fans cheered excitedly as the band took the stage.
- She scrolled excitedly through the real estate listings.
adjective
British English
- The most exciting part of the match was the last-minute penalty.
- They're planning an exciting holiday touring the Scottish Highlands.
American English
- It was an exciting finish to the championship game.
- She just got an exciting new job offer in tech.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- There was great excitement at the school sports day.
- The film was full of excitement.
- I could hardly contain my excitement when I opened the present.
- The excitement of living in a new city quickly faded.
- The announcement generated a palpable wave of excitement throughout the department.
- Her voice trembled with barely suppressed excitement as she shared the news.
- Amidst the media-fueled excitement surrounding the IPO, analysts urged a degree of caution.
- The intellectual excitement of grappling with a complex theory is its own reward.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of an EXIT sign - you feel excitement when you see the EXIT to a fun place, or when something EXITS the ordinary (EX-CITE-MENT).
Conceptual Metaphor
EXCITEMENT IS A FLUID IN A CONTAINER (She was filled/bursting with excitement), EXCITEMENT IS HEAT (The crowd was feverish with excitement), EXCITEMENT IS ELECTRICITY (The news sent a jolt of excitement through them).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid directly translating Russian 'возбуждение' in all contexts, as it has a primary sexual connotation in English. Use 'arousal' or 'sexual excitement' specifically for that meaning.
- Do not confuse with 'excitation' (a more technical/scientific term).
- The Russian word 'эксайтмент' is a recent, stylistically marked borrowing; in English, 'excitement' is the standard, neutral term.
Common Mistakes
- Using as a countable noun in everyday contexts (e.g., 'I had many excitements' - unnatural).
- Misspelling as 'excitment' (dropping the 'e').
- Confusing with 'excitement' as a verb (the verb is 'excite').
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'excitement' used LEAST appropriately?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Primarily positive, associated with joy and eagerness. However, it can be neutral, describing a state of physiological arousal, which in context could be negative (e.g., 'nervous excitement' before a scary event).
Rarely. The countable plural form is uncommon in modern English. It's occasionally found in literary or formal contexts ('the excitements of city life'). In 99% of cases, use it as an uncountable noun.
Both are positive. 'Excitement' is broader and can be a prolonged state. A 'thrill' is usually a sudden, intense, short-lived feeling of excitement, often with an element of danger or novelty.
Common prepositional patterns: 'excitement about/at/over' something (future/event), 'excitement of' something (inherent quality of an activity). For example, 'excitement about the holiday' and 'the excitement of skiing'.