Rapt
adj.joyful, thoughtfulliterary
What it means
So deeply absorbed that attention is fully held.
Reach for it when describing intense, delighted concentration on what is seen or heard
The children sat rapt as the puppeteer brought the moonlit forest to life.
Choose between these
5- everyday
absorbed
when complete concentration is the essential fact
not when Absorbed can be emotionally neutral and need not carry wonder or delight.
- everyday
mesmerized
when attention seems involuntary or trance-like
not when Mesmerized can imply passivity and loss of judgment.
- professional
when careful listening is sufficient
not when Attentive allows awareness of the surroundings and is much less intense.
- formal
engrossed
when an activity occupies nearly all attention
not when Engrossed often suggests prolonged involvement rather than a spellbound response.
- literary
spellbound
when fascination feels almost magical
not when Spellbound is more dramatic and may exaggerate quiet intellectual focus.
Said against
3- distracted
- bored
- inattentive
It naturally appears in
3- rapt attention
Rapt attention greeted the first recording of the restored instrument.
- sit rapt
They sit rapt whenever their grandmother describes her first winter at sea.
- rapt audience
The rapt audience remained silent for several seconds after the final note.
Where this comes from
- Wiktionary, English adjective, absorbed sense opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.