Elation is the feeling of great happiness and excitement — the high itself. If elated describes the person, elation is what they feel. It can flash for a minute (the elation of hearing you passed) or hang over a whole afternoon. Writers like it because it names that lifted feeling clearly. It is not slang and not a doctor’s word; it is ordinary, slightly careful English. Though actually the feeling often does not last, and people sometimes look back on their elation with a small smile, as if they know the ground will return. Do not mix it up with election (a vote) or inflation (prices going up), which only look a little similar.