English dictionary — definitions & meanings

excitability

noun

The state of being excitable

excitable

adjective

Easily made excited or agitated.

excitant

noun

Something that excites or stimulates; a stimulant.

excitation

noun

The act of exciting or putting in motion; the act of rousing up or awakening.

excite

verb

To stir up strong feelings in someone, especially enthusiasm or eagerness.

excited

adj

Full of eager enthusiasm and energy about something.

excitedly

adv

In a way that shows eagerness or enthusiasm.

exciteful

adj

Full of excitement; exciting

excitement

noun

A strong feeling of eagerness, thrill, or enthusiasm.

exciting

adj

Producing strong feelings of enthusiasm or anticipation.

exclaim

verb

To cry out suddenly, usually because of a strong feeling like surprise, pain, or delight.

exclaiming

verb

Crying out suddenly with strong emotion; the -ing form of exclaim.

exclamation

noun

A sudden loud cry, often expressing surprise, pain, or another strong emotion.

exclude

verb

To keep someone or something out, or leave it out of consideration.

excluded

adj

Kept out or not allowed to take part.

excluding

prep

Not counting or including; apart from.

exclusion

noun

The act of leaving someone or something out, or the state of being left out.

exclusive

adj

Restricted to certain people; not open to everyone.

exclusively

adv

Only, and not shared with anyone or anything else.

exclusivity

noun

The quality of being limited to a select group, or of being available from only one place.

excogitate

verb

To think over something carefully; to consider fully; cogitate.

excommunication

noun

The formal act of expelling someone from membership in a church, especially the Catholic church.

excoriate

verb

To remove the skin and/or fur of, to flay, to skin.

excoriation

noun

The act of excoriating or flaying.

excrement

noun

Solid waste passed from the body; feces.

excremental

adj

Of or pertaining to excrement

excrementitious

adj

Of or pertaining to the nature of excrement.

excreta

noun

Bodily waste which is excreted from the body.

excrete

verb

To discharge material (including waste products) from a cell, body or system.

excretion

noun

The process of removing or ejecting material that has no further utility, especially from the body; the act of excreting.

excruciate

verb

To inflict intense pain or mental distress on (someone); to torture.

excruciating

adj

Extremely painful or unbearably intense.

exculpate

verb

To clear of or to free from guilt; exonerate.

exculpation

noun

The act of exculpating from alleged fault or crime.

excursion

noun

A short trip taken for pleasure or a specific purpose, often as part of a larger journey.

excursionist

noun

A person who goes on an excursion; a traveller or tourist

excursive

adj

Tending to digress.

excursus

noun

A fuller treatment (in a separate section) of a particular part of the text of a book, especially a classic.

excusable

adj

Possible to excuse; worthy of being excused.

excusatory

adj

serving to make an excuse

excuse

verb

To forgive someone, or overlook a minor fault.

excusing

noun

The act of giving a reason to avoid blame, or of forgiving a fault.

EXE

noun

A file that a Windows computer can run directly as a program, rather than merely open and display. Its name normally ends in .exe, and double-clicking one starts the software it contains.

exec

noun

An informal short form of "executive" — someone in a senior management role.

execrate

verb

To feel loathing for; to abhor.

execration

noun

An act or instance of cursing; a curse dictated by violent feelings of hatred; an imprecation; an expression of utter detestation.

executable

adj

Capable of being executed.

execute

verb

To carry out or put into effect.

execution

noun

The act of carrying out a plan, task, or performance, and how skillfully it is done.

executioner

noun

A person whose job is to carry out death sentences.

executive

noun

A senior manager with authority to make important decisions in a company or organization.

executor

noun

A person legally appointed to carry out the instructions in someone's will.

executrix

noun

A female person who executes or carries out something.

exegesis

noun

A close, systematic explanation of a text, especially a religious one, aimed at drawing out what it actually says and meant to its first readers.

exemplar

noun

Something fit to be imitated; an ideal, a worthy model or role model: a desirable example.

exemplary

adj

So good that it serves as a model for others to follow.

exemplificator

noun

Something serving as an example.

exemplify

verb

To show or illustrate by example.

exemplum

noun

A story demonstrating a moral point; a parable.

exempt

adj

Not required to do, pay, or follow something that otherwise applies.

exemption

noun

The state of being freed from a duty, rule, or payment that would otherwise apply.

exercise

noun

Physical activity done to improve fitness or health.

exercised

adj

Having been put to use, trained, or practiced.

exercises

noun

A ceremony or assembly: opening exercises; graduation exercises.

exercising

verb

Doing physical activity to build fitness, or actively using a right or power.

exergy

noun

Concentrated or organized energy, which can be exported and do work in the process.

exert

verb

To apply or make use of something, such as force, influence, or effort.

exertion

noun

The act of applying physical or mental effort.

exes

noun

Former romantic partners; the plural of "ex."

exestuate

verb

To be agitated; to boil up; to effervesce.

exestuation

noun

A boiling up or effervescence.

exfiltration

noun

The process of exiting an area (usually behind enemy lines or in enemy territory).

exfoliant

noun

A product or ingredient that loosens and removes dead cells from the surface of the skin, either by physical rubbing with fine particles or by chemical action that dissolves the bonds holding those cells together.

exfoliate

verb

To remove dead cells from the surface of the skin by rubbing it with a scrub, cloth or chemical treatment.

exfoliation

noun

The scaling off of a bone, a rock, or a mineral, etc.; the state of being exfoliated.

exformation

noun

All the shared body of knowledge which is not explicitly used when people communicate, but without which communication would be impossible.

exhalation

noun

The act or process of exhaling; breathing out

exhale

verb

To breathe out; to push air out of the lungs.

exhaling

verb

Breathing out; the -ing form of exhale.

exhaust

verb

To use up something completely, or to wear someone out.

exhausted

adj

Extremely tired, with no energy left.

exhaustedness

noun

The state, quality, or condition of being exhausted.

exhaustible

adj

Capable of being exhausted.

exhausting

adjective

Extremely tiring; draining all your energy.

exhaustion

noun

A state of extreme tiredness in which your energy is completely used up.

exhaustive

adjective

Covering every possible detail or angle; extremely thorough.

exhibit

verb

To put something on public display, especially in a gallery, museum, or competition.

exhibition

noun

A public display of art, objects, or products, often in a gallery or museum.

exhibitioner

noun

A student at secondary school or university who has been awarded an exhibition. The exhibition usually involves a financial prize and may include the right to wear a distinctive gown, especially at the University of Oxford.

exhibitionism

noun

The practice or character trait of deliberately drawing attention to oneself.

exhibitionist

noun

Someone who deliberately behaves in an attention-seeking or showy way.

exhibitor

noun

Someone who exhibits something.

exhilarate

verb

To cheer, to cheer up, to gladden, to make happy, to elate.

exhilarated

adj

In a state of high spirits.

exhilarating

adjective

Extremely exciting and thrilling, often in a way that lifts your mood.

exhilaration

noun

A feeling of intense excitement and happiness.

exhort

verb

To urge; to advise earnestly.

exhortation

noun

A strong, urgent piece of encouragement or advice, especially one meant to spur someone into action.

exhumation

noun

The act of digging up a body that has been buried.

exhume

verb

To dig up a body that has been buried.

exigency

noun

The demands or requirements of a situation which often demand immediate action.

exigent

adj

Urgent; pressing; needing immediate action.

exile

noun

The state of being forced to live away from your home country, often for political reasons.

exist

verb

To be real; to have actual being.

existence

noun

The fact or state of being real or of occurring.

existent

adj

existing; having life or being, current; occurring now

existential

adjective

Relating to existence, especially the fact or nature of being alive.

existing

adjective

Currently in existence; present now.

exit

noun

A way out of a place, such as a door or a passage.

exiting

noun

The act of leaving or going out.

exits

noun

Plural of exit — more than one way out, or more than one act of leaving.

Exley

noun

A surname of English origin.

exnovation

noun

The removal of innovation, for example by settling upon a working strategy and not seeking further changes.

Exodus

noun

A mass departure of people, often from a place they consider unsafe or unwelcoming.

exonerate

verb

To officially clear someone of blame or wrongdoing.

exonerated

adjective

Officially cleared of guilt or blame.

exoneration

noun

An act of disburdening, discharging, or freeing morally from a charge or imputation.

exorability

noun

The quality or state of being exorable.

exorable

adj

Capable of being moved or persuaded.

exorableness

noun

The quality or state of being exorable.

exorbitant

adjective

Unreasonably high, especially in price.

exorcise

verb

To drive out an evil spirit from a person or place, usually through ritual or prayer.

exorciser

noun

One who performs an exorcism.

exorcism

noun

A ritual intended to drive an evil spirit out of a person or place.

exorcist

noun

A person, often a priest, who performs exorcisms to drive out evil spirits.

exord

noun

A preface or prefatory passage.

exordium

noun

A beginning.

exoskeleton

noun

A hard external shell that supports and protects an animal's body, as seen in insects and crustaceans.

exoteric

adj

Of a doctrine, information, etc.: suitable to be imparted to the public without secrecy or other reservations.

exotericism

noun

The quality of being widely known or exoteric.

exoterism

noun

The outward forms that religion takes; the institutional aspects of faith and religion, such as rituals, moral precepts, and institutions.

exotic

adjective

Coming from a distant, foreign place and having an unusual or excitingly different quality.

expand

verb

To make something bigger in size, scope, or amount.

expandable

adj

Having the capacity to be expanded.

expanse

noun

A wide, open stretch of land, sea, or sky.

expansion

noun

An act, process, or instance of expanding.

expansionary

adj

That promotes or exhibits expansion.

expansionistic

adj

Of, or pertaining to expansionism.

expansive

adjective

Covering a large area or wide range; extensive.

expat

noun

An expatriate; a person temporarily residing in a foreign nation, often for an occupation, training, or education.

expatiate

verb

To write or speak at length; to be copious in argument or discussion.

expatriate

adj

Living outside of one's own country.

expatriation

noun

Voluntary migration from one's native land to another.

expect

verb

To believe that something will happen.

expectable

adj

Able to be expected.

expectancy

noun

A feeling of anticipation about something that is likely to happen.

expectant

adjective

Filled with anticipation, waiting for something to happen.

expectation

noun

A strong belief that something will happen or turn out a certain way.

expected

adjective

Believed to be likely, coming, or due.

expecting

adjective

Pregnant.