igˈzȯlt, eg- verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English exalten, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French exalter, from Latin exaltare, from ex- ex- (I) + altus high — more at old
transitive verb
1. : to raise high : put in an eminent position : elevate
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God — Isa 14:13(Authorized Version)
sold at exalted prices
2. : to raise especially in rank, dignity, wealth, power, or character
the king exalted his victorious admiral to a place on the privy council
: dignify
a nation exalted by fair dealings
3. : to elevate by praise or in estimation
my father exalted dramatic poetry above all other kinds — W.B.Yeats
: magnify , extol , glorify
exalt ye the Lord — Ps 99:5(Authorized Version)
4. obsolete : to lift up (as with joy, pride, or success) : inspire with delight or satisfaction : elate
5.
a. : to enhance the activity of : stimulate to greater or higher activity : heighten , intensify
exalting the imagination to new flights of fancy
b. : refine , concentrate — used especially in alchemy
c. archaic : to make more complete or perfect
d. : to cause (virulence) to increase
virulence exalted by addition of mucin to a bacterial culture
also : to increase the virulence of
exalt a virus by repeated rapid passage through susceptible hosts
intransitive verb
: to induce exaltation : elevate
the power of brilliant conversation to excite and exalt
the exalting beauty of the forest
Synonyms:
magnify , aggrandize : exalt may indicate a raising up in prestige or significance, often with concomitant deprecation of something else
crisis government, of course, inevitably exalts any agency best situated for supplying vigorous and effective direction of affairs — F.A.Ogg & Harold Zink
magnify means to increase markedly in actual or apparent size or significance
kind, quiet, nearsighted eyes, which his round spectacles magnified into lambent moons — Margaret Deland
public opinion which thus magnifies patriotism into a religion — W.C.Brownell
to minimize the power of the judiciary and the executive, and magnify the power of the legislature — V.L.Parrington
aggrandize indicates making great in power, authority, sway, or eminence
if we aggrandize ourselves at the expense of the Mahrattas — Duke of Wellington †1852