ecstatic
Americanadjective
-
of, relating to, or characterized by ecstasy or a state of sudden, intense, overpowering emotion.
an ecstatic frenzy;
ecstatic cheering for the winning team.
-
subject to or in a state of ecstasy; full of joy; rapturous.
They are absolutely ecstatic about their new baby.
noun
adjective
-
in a trancelike state of great rapture or delight
-
showing or feeling great enthusiasm
ecstatic applause
noun
Other Word Forms
- ecstatically adverb
- nonecstatic adjective
- nonecstatically adverb
- unecstatic adjective
- unecstatically adverb
Etymology
Origin of ecstatic
First recorded in 1620–30; from Middle French extatique, and Medieval Latin ecstaticus, from Greek ekstatikós, derivative of ecstasy + -ic ( def. )
Explanation
The adjective ecstatic turns the noun "ecstasy" into a descriptive word. When Celine hit that high note, the audience was ecstatic. Originally, ecstatic had religious connotations having to do with the sheer joy of knowing God or someone truly holy. That meaning remains today, but ecstatic now includes almost anything that's really pleasurable or wonderful. I was ecstatic at the news that I'd been nominated for an award. The entire world reacted with an ecstatic sense of glee when the Berlin Wall finally came down. The hangover the next day, though, wasn't so ecstatic.
Vocabulary lists containing ecstatic
The Giver
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List 3
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ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
My great-grandmother’s diary reveals a girl ecstatic to grow corn for our troops.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
I'm probably going to cry but yeah, ecstatic.
From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026
American rapper Snoop was given an ecstatic welcome on Tuesday when he watched the Swans for the first time since becoming a minority owner of the Welsh club.
From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026
While not ecstatic about the outlook, consumers are more upbeat about the economy than they appeared to be last month, the Conference Board said Tuesday.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 24, 2026
Flames and rods and tubes and circles, not to say ordinary bulbous bulbs of every size and wattage and color, dangled like fruit from an ecstatic entanglement of wire vines.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
