rhapsody

[ rap-suh-dee ]
See synonyms for rhapsody on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural rhap·so·dies.
  1. Music. an instrumental composition irregular in form and suggestive of improvisation.

  2. an ecstatic expression of feeling or enthusiasm.

  1. an epic poem, or a part of such a poem, as a book of the Iliad, suitable for recitation at one time.

  2. a similar piece of modern literature.

  3. an unusually intense or irregular poem or piece of prose.

  4. Archaic. a miscellaneous collection; jumble.

Origin of rhapsody

1
1535–45; <Latin rhapsōdia<Greek rhapsōidía recital of epic poetry, equivalent to rhapsōid(ós) rhapsodist + -ia-y3

Words Nearby rhapsody

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use rhapsody in a sentence

  • The Koran is a rhapsody, without connection, without order, and without art.

    A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10) | Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
  • John knew them all, from the latest pop melodies to a swing version of the classic rhapsody of The Stars.

    The Holes and John Smith | Edward W. Ludwig
  • "Lots of girls are stage-struck," he said presently, breaking in on Mr. Martel's rhapsody.

    Quin | Alice Hegan Rice
  • Hildebrand asked, quietly, when the King had run to the end of his rhapsody.

    The Proud Prince | Justin Huntly McCarthy

British Dictionary definitions for rhapsody

rhapsody

/ (ˈræpsədɪ) /


nounplural -dies
  1. music a composition free in structure and highly emotional in character

  2. an expression of ecstatic enthusiasm

  1. (in ancient Greece) an epic poem or part of an epic recited by a rhapsodist

  2. a literary work composed in an intense or exalted style

  3. rapturous delight or ecstasy

  4. obsolete a medley

Origin of rhapsody

1
C16: via Latin from Greek rhapsōidia, from rhaptein to sew together + ōidē song

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012