unexcited

Unexcited is an adjective with two main senses. In everyday usage, it describes someone or something that is not feeling or showing enthusiasm or arousal; in science, it denotes a state of matter or system that has not absorbed energy to reach an excited state.

In ordinary English, unexcited is less common than words like calm, unmoved, indifferent, or unenthusiastic. It can describe reactions, audiences, or responses as neutral or lacking notable emotion: "The audience remained unexcited despite the performance." The tone is often neutral or clinical rather than expressive.

In science, particularly physics and chemistry, unexcited refers to an atom, molecule, or particle in its ground or non-energized state. It is contrasted with an excited state, in which higher energy levels are populated. The term appears in discussions of spectroscopy, photochemistry, and energy transfer.

Examples: "The electron stays unexcited until it absorbs a photon." "She was unexcited by the news, showing little reaction." Etymology: from un- prefix + excited, with excited derived from Latin excitare "to stir up, excite." See also: unenthusiastic, calm, ground state, excited state.