Rapture
n.joyful, energeticliterary
What it means
A state of overwhelming joy or delighted absorption.
Reach for it when expressing happiness or wonder at an unusually intense level
She listened in rapture as the choir filled the unfinished hall.
Choose between these
7- everyday
when clear pleasure is strong but not overwhelming
not when Delight is flexible enough for small joys and does not convey total transport.
- everyday
when emotional warmth matters more than degree
not when Joy is the safer broad word but loses the exceptional intensity.
- warm
when serene, complete happiness is the mood
not when Bliss is peaceful, whereas rapture can be excited and outwardly expressive.
- professional
when an unusually heightened state is being observed
not when Euphoria can suggest a temporary clinical or chemically induced condition.
- formal
when success produces a soaring mood
not when Elation usually follows good news or achievement rather than beauty or contemplation.
- literary
when emotion reaches an almost transcendent extreme
not when Ecstasy pushes beyond this degree and also carries religious or drug-related associations.
- literary
transport
when older, elevated language for being carried away fits
not when Transport is archaic in this sense and may confuse readers.
Said against
3- misery
- despair
- indifference
It naturally appears in
3- in rapture
In rapture, the young astronomer watched the comet emerge from cloud.
- state of rapture
A state of rapture swept through the crowd when the missing dog appeared.
- gaze with rapture
Visitors gaze with rapture at the ceiling's newly uncovered colors.
Where this comes from
- Wiktionary, English noun, ecstasy 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.