ecstasy

American  

[ek-stuh-see] / ˈɛk stə si /

noun

ecstasies plural

1. rapturous delight.

2. an overpowering emotion or exaltation; a state of sudden, intense feeling.

   Synonyms:

   elation, bliss, delight

3. the frenzy of poetic inspiration.

4. mental transport or rapture from the contemplation of divine things.

5. (often initial capital letter) MDMA.

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ecstasy British  

/ ˈɛkstəsɪ /

noun

1. (often plural) a state of exalted delight, joy, etc; rapture

2. intense emotion of any kind

   an ecstasy of rage

3. psychol overpowering emotion characterized by loss of self-control and sometimes a temporary loss of consciousness: often associated with orgasm, religious mysticism, and the use of certain drugs

4. archaic a state of prophetic inspiration, esp of poetic rapture

5. slang 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine; MDMA: a powerful drug that acts as a stimulant and can produce hallucinations

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Synonym Usage

Ecstasy, rapture, transport, exaltation share a sense of being taken or moved out of one's self or one's normal state, and entering a state of intensified or heightened feeling. Ecstasy suggests an intensification of emotion so powerful as to produce a trancelike dissociation from all but the single overpowering feeling: an ecstasy of rage, grief, love. Rapture shares the power of ecstasy but most often refers to an elevated sensation of bliss or delight, either carnal or spiritual: the rapture of first love. Transport, somewhat less extreme than either ecstasy or rapture, implies a strength of feeling that results in expression of some kind: They jumped up and down in a transport of delight. Exaltation refers to a heady sense of personal well-being so powerful that one is lifted above normal emotional levels and above normal people: wild exaltation at having finally broken the record.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• ecstasies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ecstasy

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English extasie, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin extasis, from Greek ékstasis “displacement, trance,” equivalent to ek- ec- + stásis stasis

Explanation

If you’ve ever been so happy that the rest of the world seemed to disappear, you’ve felt ecstasy — a feeling or state of intensely beautiful bliss. Ecstasy will make you want to write poetry. It happened to John Donne, whose poem “The Ecstasy” is about the feeling of the whole world vanishing when he looks into his lover’s eyes. Sometimes an artist sees a stunning landscape that causes such ecstasy that she has to turn it into a painting. Ecstasy can mean a feeling or it can also be a state of being, so you might say, “I’m in ecstasy because this pumpkin pie tastes so delicious!”

Example Sentences

I think a few didn’t even realize it was a Rolls until they saw the Spirit of Ecstasy on the hood.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

In the since-deleted clip for musician Keli Holiday's new song, Ecstasy, Blue Wiggle Anthony Field and his nephew Dominic Field, who plays the Tree of Wisdom, could be seen dancing in the background.

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2025

The Last Dinner Party were named 2024's Rising Star and since then have gone on to sell out a tour and release their debut album, A Prelude to Ecstasy.

From BBC • Nov. 26, 2024

It's the Spirit of Ecstasy, the Rolls-Royce's crowning touch.

From Salon • Nov. 17, 2022

The friends of Learning and of Ecstasy, They search for silence and the horrors of gloom; The devil had used them for his steeds of Doom, Could he alone have bent their pride to slavery.

From The Flowers of Evil by Baudelaire, Charles

Related Words

• elation
• euphoria
• happiness
• joy
• rapture