exalt

American  

[ig-zawlt] / ɪgˈzɔlt /

verb (used with object)

1. to raise in rank, honor, power, character, quality, etc.; elevate.

   He was exalted to the position of president.

   Synonyms:

   ennoble, raise, dignify, promote

   Antonyms:

   humble

2. to praise; extol.

   to exalt someone to the skies.

   Synonyms:

   glorify

   Antonyms:

   depreciate

3. to stimulate, as the imagination.

   The lyrics of Shakespeare exalted the audience.

4. to intensify, as a color.

   complementary colors exalt each other.

5. Obsolete. to elate, as with pride or joy.

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exalt British  

/ ɪɡˈzɔːlt /

verb

1. to raise or elevate in rank, position, dignity, etc

2. to praise highly; glorify; extol

3. to stimulate the mind or imagination of; excite

4. to increase the intensity of (a colour, etc)

5. to fill with joy or delight; elate

6. obsolete to lift up physically

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Usage

Exalt is sometimes wrongly used where exult is meant: he was exulting (not exalting ) in his win earlier that day

Related Words

See elevate.

Other Word Forms

• exalter noun
• self-exalting adjective
• superexalt verb (used with object)
• unexalting adjective

Etymology

Origin of exalt

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English exalten, from Latin exaltāre “to lift up,” from ex- ex- ¹ + alt(us) “high” + -āre, infinitive verb ending

Explanation

You might like your manager, but if you exalt her, it means you really put her on a pedestal and treat her like royalty. To exalt is to hold or raise someone up to a high position or status. It doesn't have to mean literally putting that person into a high position, but instead treating them almost like nobility. Overly doting parents exalt their infant to the point where they praise him every time he wets his diaper and call the neighbors over every time he coos.

Example Sentences

“Anzac Day has never asked us to exalt in the glories of war. Anzac Day asks us to stand against the erosion of time and to hold on to their names,” Albanese added.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 24, 2024

Francis “certainly didn’t want to exalt imperialistic logic or government personalities, who were cited to indicate certain historic periods of reference,” Bruni said in a statement.

From Washington Times • Aug. 29, 2023

The power of film to irrationally transform and exalt is almost a religion to Woo, and another reason why he was the natural go-to guy for this lucrative movie franchise.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 11, 2023

But to compare Shree to Western writers is to miss the point of “Tomb of Sand”: to exalt Hindustan beyond the bloodstained legacy of its former colonial powers.

From Washington Post • Feb. 3, 2023

In a curious way, many people simultaneously exalt and dismiss mathematicians and scientists as impractical whizzes.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

Related Words

• dignify
• extol
• glorify
• laud
• magnify
• revere