exhilarant means causing exhilaration or pleasure. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “exhilarant” is a great word
EXHILARANT — [Adjective, Noun] Causing exhilaration; that which exhilarates. From Latin exhilarant-, exhilarans, present participle of exhilarare ("to gladden, cheer"), from ex- ("thoroughly") + hilarare ("to make cheerful"), from hilaris ("cheerful"). Unlike "exhilarating," which describes the resultant feeling of thrill, or "stimulant," which denotes a broad agent of physiological arousal, "exhilarant" names the specific cause of spirited, cheerful elevation. It is the shocking clarity of mountain air after a long climb, the effervescent burst of champagne on the tongue, or the sudden, liberating truth spoken in a silent room—a pinpointed source of the lightness that counterweights our gravity.
Etymology
From Latin exhilarantis. See exhilarate. By surface analysis, ex- + Latin hilar(ō) + -ant.
adj
- Causing exhilaration or pleasure.“exhilarant drugs”
noun
- Something that exhilarates.