rhapsody
Americannoun
plural
rhapsodies-
Music. an instrumental composition irregular in form and suggestive of improvisation.
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an ecstatic expression of feeling or enthusiasm.
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an epic poem, or a part of such a poem, as a book of the Iliad, suitable for recitation at one time.
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a similar piece of modern literature.
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an unusually intense or irregular poem or piece of prose.
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Archaic. a miscellaneous collection; jumble.
noun
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music a composition free in structure and highly emotional in character
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an expression of ecstatic enthusiasm
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(in ancient Greece) an epic poem or part of an epic recited by a rhapsodist
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a literary work composed in an intense or exalted style
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rapturous delight or ecstasy
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obsolete a medley
Etymology
Origin of rhapsody
1535–45; < Latin rhapsōdia < Greek rhapsōidía recital of epic poetry, equivalent to rhapsōid ( ós ) rhapsodist + -ia -y 3
Explanation
A rhapsody is an impassioned speech or sentiment. Your rhapsody about the desserts at your city's new restaurant has all of your friends drooling and dying to try them. A rhapsody is also part of an epic poem that is suitable for reciting. The word comes from the Greek word rhapsodios, which means a person who recites epic poems, and whose root is rhaptein, meaning to stitch. A rhapsody is also a musical piece noted for its improvisational nature and irregular form. Perhaps the most famous of this type of music is George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," composed in 1924.
Vocabulary lists containing rhapsody
Poetry
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The Night Circus
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"The Tragedy of Hamlet," Vocabulary from Act 3
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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.
The newly announced cast members also include Harry Lawtey, who recently played Welsh actor Richard Burton, and Bohemian Rhapsody star Lucy Boynton.
From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026
During the 21-minute performance, the band opened with an excerpt from Bohemian Rhapsody, before transitioning into an accelerated rendition of Radio Ga Ga, as the audience clapped in unison with Mercury.
From BBC • Nov. 18, 2025
Of all the musical memories made at Rockfield, Kingsley said hearing Mercury's solo while recording Bohemian Rhapsody is one of his favourites.
From BBC • Sep. 14, 2025
Every note, important or incidental, he hit in the Rhapsody had a purposeful intensity.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 10, 2025
Everyone in the Annex except Mr. van Daan and Peter has read the Hungarian Rhapsody trilogy, a biography of the composer, piano virtuoso and child prodigy Franz Liszt.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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.
