Rhapsody
n.joyful, energeticliterary
What it means
An intensely enthusiastic expression or a free-flowing musical work.
Reach for it when describing exuberant praise or expansive emotion in elevated language
Her review became a rhapsody on the colors of the restored frescoes.
Choose between these
6- warm
intense joy is the experience
not when Ecstasy does not name words or music.
- professional
fantasia
a free musical composition is meant
not when Fantasia is not verbal praise.
- formal
ode
a shaped lyrical tribute is intended
not when An ode follows a poetic form.
- formal
paean
sustained praise celebrates a subject
not when Paean has a ceremonial feel.
- literary
effusion
emotion pours out at length
not when Effusion can sound excessive.
- literary
overwhelming delight is central
not when Rapture names emotion, not its expression.
Said against
3- denunciation
- lament
- restraint
It naturally appears in
3- rhapsody on a theme
The pianist played a rhapsody on a folk theme.
- burst into rhapsody
The critic burst into rhapsody over the final scene.
- romantic rhapsody
A romantic rhapsody closed the concert.
Where this comes from
- wiktionary, English noun senses: ecstatic expression and free-form musical work 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.