verb
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(often passive) to give great delight to; enrapture
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to rape
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archaic to carry off by force
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ravish
1250–1300; Middle English ravishen < Middle French raviss-, long stem of ravir to seize ≪ Latin rapere; see rape 1
Explanation
If you are ravished by a piece of music, you are overcome with intense feeling while listening to it. The older meaning of ravish is to overcome by physical assault (especially sexual assault) and is still sometimes used. Ravish is a verb of contrasts, having two meanings that, while both dealing with emotional issues, are polar opposites — the first being to fill with joy, the second being to assault and violate a woman against her will. The history of ravish began with the negative connotation — that of seizing by violence and carrying someone, usually a woman, away. It comes from the Latin rapere, although the meaning wasn't always sexual violation — the idea of rape didn't appear until the mid-15th century.
Vocabulary lists containing ravish
Much Ado About Nothing
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The Suffix -ish, Part 2
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Metamorphoses
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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.
And hey, did you know that the word “raptor”—which is often used to describe birds of prey—comes from the Latin verb rapio, which means to plunder, rob, ravish, or abduct?
From Slate • Feb. 21, 2026
“It’s going to completely ravish natural stands,” said Jenny Kimball, a professor of agronomy and plant genetics at the University of Minnesota.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 20, 2022
Le Mans ’66 was never merely a matter of speed and pride; it was also, in retrospect, a contest to ravish the eye.
From The New Yorker • Nov. 8, 2019
This is a movie that tries to ravish your senses so thoroughly you may not notice its sleights of hand.”
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 23, 2016
These days we’re more likely to use ravish in the emotional than in the violent sense.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
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.
