noun

exaltation

eg-zawl-TAY-shun/ˌeɡzɔːlˈteɪʃn/

Raising someone to a position of great honor.

The ceremony marks her exaltation to a position of great honor.

A solemn honor ceremony shows an adult recipient stepping onto the highest dais while another official places a prominent ceremonial chain of office over their shoulders and the assembly salutes.

Etymology

exLatinout, upward

+altLatinhigh

+ationLatinaction or state

Raising high supplies the central image: exaltation can elevate a person's status or feelings. Emotional elevation gives the word its sense of intense, rapturous happiness.

In context

LibriVox Audiobooks233:20

but even now I can remember the feeling of exaltation that filled me. At last I was going to see some real war.

Everyman at War. Sixty Personal Narratives of the War by Charles B. Purdom Part 1/3 | Audio Book

More examples

Many nobles resent the young prince's exaltation above his older brothers.
The poem celebrates the exaltation of a humble servant to kingship.
The portrait depicts the general's exaltation as a national hero.

Forms

exaltation · exaltations

exalt verb — Raise someone to great honor or rank.

exalted adjective — Held in great honor or esteem.

Similar words

elevation: Also covers upward movement, not just higher social standing.
promotion: Usually means advancement to a higher job or rank.
glorification: Emphasizes lavish praise rather than a rise in rank.