excitable
Americanadjective
-
easily excited.
Prima donnas had the reputation of being excitable and temperamental.
- Synonyms:
- fiery, passionate, emotional
- Antonyms:
- placid
-
capable of being excited.
adjective
-
easily excited; volatile
-
(esp of a nerve) ready to respond to a stimulus
Other Word Forms
- excitability noun
- excitableness noun
- excitably adverb
- nonexcitable adjective
- nonexcitableness noun
- nonexcitably adverb
- unexcitable adjective
- unexcitablely adverb
Etymology
Origin of excitable
From the Late Latin word excitābilis, dating back to 1600–10. See excite, -able
Explanation
Someone who's excitable easily becomes excited, enthusiastic, or eager. A five-year-old will be especially excitable at her own birthday party. When you describe someone as excitable, you'll usually mean it as a mild criticism — the person is easily overstimulated, and becomes excited far too readily. Passing out candy in an elementary school classroom — or bacon among a bunch of puppies — will demonstrate just how excitable a group can be. Excitable comes from the Latin excitabilis, "inciting or animating," from excitare, "stir up" or "awaken."
Vocabulary lists containing excitable
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While we’re giving advice, one imagines the Vatican has many excitable monsignors running the pontiff’s social-media accounts, and one suspects they are hyped to show the pope is giving rizz.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
The fine arts have long struggled with a so-called graying audience, and have moved mountains to innovate in ways that keep the genres fresh in order to attract younger, excitable crowds.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026
Instead he’s something between an excitable morning TV anchor and the rooster who thought he brought the dawn.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026
Their excitable human creators are making big promises but I wanted to see how realistic the idea of a robot housekeeper really is.
From BBC • Jan. 11, 2026
He was a lean, happy, excitable man who had turned out to be calm and serene in combat.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
