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Jubilation

[ˌdʒuːbɪˈleɪʃən] · joo-bih-LAY-shun · English · noun
positiveintensity: highjoy

Triumphant, outward rejoicing.

Definition

Triumphant, outward rejoicing — joy expressed in shouting, cheering, and celebration.

Connotation & usage

The most outward, public, and demonstrative member: not just felt joy but its expression, literally “a shouting for joy.” Strongly communal and triumphant — crowds, victories, deliverance, “scenes of jubilation” — which sets it against the inward, private states of bliss and euphoria and the absorbed trance of ecstasy or rapture. Elevated in register but common in journalism; lasts the span of the celebration.

Related words

Etymology

Late 14c., from Latin iubilationem “a shouting for joy,” from iubilare “to shout for joy,” related to iubilum “a wild shout.”

How it has changed

Stable since the late 14c. in the sense of exultant, expressed rejoicing. No sourced recent-generation shift.

Sources

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From The Lexicon of Feeling — a carefully sourced dictionary & thesaurus of emotions across 60 languages. Definitions are verified against the cited sources; emotion-family, valence, and intensity tags are editorial. This is a learning tool for emotional vocabulary, not therapy or a substitute for professional care. © 2026 The Lexicon of Feeling.