ecstasy

American  

[ek-stuh-see] / ˈɛk stə si /

noun

plural

ecstasies

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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Related Words

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.

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

Hundreds of fans flooded on to the pitch in ecstasy, zigzagging around, arms aloft.

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026

You have avoided great depths of despair and panic, and even greater heights of self-congratulation and ecstasy.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026

It’s a dynamic production, with a distorted bassline that lurches and synths that flutter on the verses and explode on the choruses, signaling a moment of dancefloor ecstasy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

Whatever the influence, Platt’s parting number sent us home on a cloud of ecstasy.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 15, 2025

“He smells of honey and roses and milk,” she murmurs, a look of ecstasy on her face.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

Related Words

• elation
• euphoria
• happiness
• joy
• rapture