Rapt
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.
Words to choose between 5
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
|
-
everyday
absorbed
Fits when complete concentration is the essential fact
Careful Absorbed can be emotionally neutral and need not carry wonder or delight.
-
everyday
mesmerized
Fits when attention seems involuntary or trance-like
Careful Mesmerized can imply passivity and loss of judgment.
-
professional
Fits when careful listening is sufficient
Careful Attentive allows awareness of the surroundings and is much less intense.
-
formal
engrossed
Fits when an activity occupies nearly all attention
Careful Engrossed often suggests prolonged involvement rather than a spellbound response.
-
literary
spellbound
Fits when fascination feels almost magical
Careful Spellbound is more dramatic and may exaggerate quiet intellectual focus.
Opposites 3
- distracted
- bored
- inattentive
Common phrases 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.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated