feeling very happy, interested, or eager about something that is happening or will happen
The children were excited about their first trip to the zoo.
I get excited whenever I hear my favorite band play live.
✦ Formed from the past participle of the verb “excite,” which comes from Latin ‘excitāre’ meaning “to rouse” or “to set in motion.”
(physics) having more energy than the normal or ground state
When an electron absorbs energy, it moves to an excited state.
Lasers work by forcing atoms into an excited energy level before they release photons.
✦ Adopted into physics in the early 20th century to describe particles that have absorbed energy and moved beyond their ground state.
in a way that shows great enthusiasm or excitement.
The children screamed excitedly when they saw the fireworks.
He nodded excitedly and accepted the job offer.
✦ Formed by adding the adverb-forming suffix -ly to the adjective excited (itself from excite + -ed), ultimately from Latin excītāre, from ex- + citāre (“to call forth”).
causing someone or something to feel more active, interested, or enthusiastic (present participle form of the verb ‘excite’)
The teacher is exciting her students with a hands-on science experiment.
The coach kept exciting the crowd by waving his arms.
✦ From Latin excitāre “to stir up, arouse”, passing through Middle English as ‘exciten’.
to make someone feel very happy, interested, or eager
The news of a beach trip excites the children so much that they dance around the living room.
Bright fireworks always excite the crowd at the summer festival.
✦ From Latin ‘excitare’ meaning ‘to call out’ or ‘to rouse’.
(physics, chemistry) to add energy to an atom, molecule, or particle so that it moves to a higher energy state
A short laser pulse excited the electrons in the silicon wafer during the test.
Ultraviolet light can excite certain gases, causing them to glow neon blue.
✦ Adopted in scientific language in the 19th century to describe raising a system’s energy.
to cause someone to feel sexual desire or arousal
The slow dance music excited the couple on the dimly lit floor.
Certain perfumes are designed to excite the senses.
✦ Same root as the general sense, later broadened to physical desire in the late 17th century.
