rhapsodize

American  

[rap-suh-dahyz] / ˈræp səˌdaɪz /

especially British, rhapsodise

verb (used without object)

rhapsodized, rhapsodizing

1. to talk with extravagant enthusiasm.

2. to speak or write rhapsodies.

---

verb (used with object)

rhapsodized, rhapsodizing

1. to recite as a rhapsody.

rhapsodize British  

/ ˈræpsəˌdaɪz /

verb

1. to speak or write (something) with extravagant enthusiasm

2. (intr) to recite or write rhapsodies

---

Etymology

Origin of rhapsodize

First recorded in 1600–10; rhapsod(y) + -ize

---

Explanation

Use the verb rhapsodize to refer to speaking with extreme enthusiasm — and often at great length, like that friend who tends to rhapsodize about her favorite movie for twenty minutes straight. To correctly pronounce rhapsodize, say "RAP-so-dies." A rhapsody is a conversation or speech that is elaborate and very emotional, so to rhapsodize is to speak that way. Someone with a tendency to rhapsodize gets carried away with the emotion of the topic. That's why when you rhapsodize you don't always notice that listeners stop listening if they don't share the same passion.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rhapsodize rhapsodized rhapsodizing

But lately, it has found a new gear, notching growth that has surprised Wall Street—and pushed Hasbro’s chief executive to rhapsodize to investors about its scale.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

The videos, which now number more than 260, have become appointment viewing for movie lovers, who relish watching their favorite artists rhapsodize about cinema in unrehearsed, genuine ways.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2025

Asked what makes the native breed of Spalter hops so special, enthusiasts rhapsodize about their delicate, spicy aroma; their lightness; and the harmony and hint of bitterness the crop imparts.

From New York Times ● Sep. 12, 2023

West's faithful are more likely to rhapsodize about the way 2004's "The College Dropout" changed the pattern of their brainwaves.

From Salon ● Dec. 28, 2022

Madoc is patiently listening to her rhapsodize over the perfection of their garments.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

When Eric Schmidt, speaking last week to the University of Arizona’s graduates, rhapsodized about the coming artificial-intelligence revolution, some in the crowed jeered.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026

Back in 2005, when Roberts rhapsodized about Indiana farmland and an endless horizon punctuated only by silos and barns, he was substituting a humble, real-life Midwest upbringing for his own.

From Slate ● May 7, 2026

Cobb rhapsodized about the “clearing of the air” and the acidic smell of damp oaks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2023

Online, a group of women whom Ms. Kawasaki has dubbed “Yamagami Girls” have rhapsodized about Mr. Yamagami’s looks and the bookish intelligence they say he demonstrated on his Twitter account.

From New York Times ● Sep. 24, 2022

One or two literary men of some distinction have rhapsodized over the charms of Sherwood, notably William Howitt and Washington Irving.

From The Dukeries by E. W. Haslehust

One of those conversations is re-created in “Peter Hujar’s Day,” the title subject rhapsodizing about hustling as a working photographer in New York.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2025

Simpson knew this as early as 1976, when The New York Times ran a story rhapsodizing over his shocking success as Hertz’s pitchman, part of a $12.6 million advertising campaign.

From Salon ● Apr. 13, 2024

The head of London’s public transport system is rhapsodizing about a subway station — part of a new line he says will be “the envy of the world” when it opens this month.

From Seattle Times ● May 12, 2022

The pandemic has turned us all into armchair immunologists, rhapsodizing about T cells and antibodies with the ardor once reserved for — well, anything else.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 17, 2022

"I'm rhapsodizing," smiled Grace, her eyes very bright.

From Grace Harlowe's First Year at Overton College by Jessie Graham [pseud.] Flower

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• freak out
• go crazy

---