excited

adjective

ex·​cit·​ed ik-ˈsī-təd How to pronounce excited (audio)
ek-
Synonyms of excited
: having, showing, or characterized by a heightened state of energy, enthusiasm, eagerness, etc. : feeling or showing excitement
I noticed that John's manner was somewhat unusual. He seemed very excited and restless.—Agatha Christie
The children were too excited to sleep.
… no one in Washington seems to regard this particular revelation as anything to get excited about.—Michael Kinsley
excitedly
ik-ˈsī-təd-lē How to pronounce excited (audio)
ek-
adverb
talking excitedly

Synonyms of excited

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of excited in a Sentence

excited trading on the stock exchange followed in the wake of the favorable economic report everyone was excited about the upcoming family vacation at the ski resort
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Either way, fans were excited for the return of Brock Lesnar to Minnesota inside Hell in a Cell where Brock Lesnar is undefeated. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026 Mets fans may note that neither Sproat nor Williams is setting the world ablaze in 2026 — perhaps that will give you pause before getting too excited about Smith, Pitre and Hill. — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026 The resulting collisions formed excited compound nuclei that decayed through multiple gamma-ray steps. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 1 Aug. 2026 The owners calling out that their dog is friendly are not considering the reasons other dogs may be on leash, and their overly excited dog hasn’t had proper training. — Tanya Edwards, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for excited

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of excited was in 1855

Phrases Containing excited

Rhymes for excited

See All Rhymes for excited

Browse Nearby Words

excite
excited
excitedly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Excited.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excited. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

excited

adjective
: having or showing strong feeling
excited about the trip
excitedly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on excited

Nglish: Translation of excited for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All