elation

elation — noun

1. a very strong feeling of happiness and excitement that comes suddenly, often aft

1.名詞B2
釋義

a very strong feeling of happiness and excitement that comes suddenly, often after a success or a longed-for event

例句

The crowd's elation grew as the final whistle blew and their team had won.

Gabriel felt a wave of elation when he received the scholarship offer.

elation + wave of (collocation for sudden intense feeling)

同義詞
  • joy

    broader and less intense; does not imply a sudden peak triggered by an event

  • exhilaration

    more physical and active, often tied to an exciting experience or activity

  • euphoria

    longer-lasting and often used for artificial or drug-induced highs

  • bliss

    suggests perfect contentment rather than excited happiness

反義詞
  • depression

    the opposite pole of emotional state

  • sorrow

    a milder opposite focused on sadness

文法句型

feel + elation

sense/wave/feeling + of + elation

用法筆記

Uncountable in everyday use; common in the patterns 'a sense of elation' and 'a wave of elation.' Often triggered by a specific event such as a win, an award, or a reunion.

常見錯誤

❌He was in elation when he heard the news.
✅He was filled with elation when he heard the news.
💡'elation' does not follow the preposition 'in' for state; use 'filled with' or simply 'felt.'
❌She had an elation after the promotion.
✅She felt a sense of elation after the promotion.
💡'elation' is uncountable and cannot take the indefinite article 'an.'

2. a clinical state in which a person displays an abnormally strong, often disconne

2.名詞
釋義

a clinical state in which a person displays an abnormally strong, often disconnected feeling of happiness or optimism, typically as a symptom of mania or a brain injury

例句

The psychiatrist noted signs of elation in the patient's speech and behaviour.

clinical context: elation as a symptom

After the accident damaged his frontal lobe, Henrik experienced periods of uncontrollable elation.

elation following brain injury

同義詞
  • euphoria

    broader clinical term; elation is a specific subtype of euphoric state

  • mania

    the broader disorder of which pathological elation is one symptom

反義詞
  • anhedonia

    clinical inability to feel pleasure, the opposite of pathological elation

  • depression

    the depressive pole in bipolar disorder

文法句型

signs/manifestations/periods + of + elation

用法筆記

Common in medical records and psychiatric evaluations. Distinguish from sense 1 by the presence of a clinical trigger (mania, brain lesion) and the absence of a proportionate real-world cause for the happiness.

常見錯誤

❌After winning the lottery, she showed signs of pathological elation.
✅She showed signs of pathological elation as part of her manic episode.
💡'pathological elation' is a clinical term for disordered mood, not for normal happiness triggered by good fortune.