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.

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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

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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

Romantic partners gush about love at first sight; parents rhapsodize about meeting their babies for the first time.

From New York Times ● Feb. 15, 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

King Charles has rhapsodized about the charms of Romania for decades.

From New York Times ● May 1, 2023

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2023

He rhapsodized over the intelligence of his pupils and bemoaned his inadequate gift of tongues.

From Prester John by Buchan, John

Kristofferson never sounded more like Leonard Cohen than he did here, rhapsodizing in a parched croon about a woman’s redeeming devotion as producer Fred Foster ladles on just the right amount of easy-listening schmaltz.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 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

He is prone to rhapsodizing about the open road.

From New York Times ● Feb. 9, 2022

With the distinctive fragrance of pumpkin spice hanging in the air, many have begun rhapsodizing over the fourth Thursday in November . . . aka Thanksgiving!

From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2021

In England all Nature is robed in vivid green, the air is balmy; and all those beauties abound which usually set poets rhapsodizing, and young men sentimentalizing, and young girls tantalizing.

From The Lady of the Ice A Novel by De Mille, James

Related Words

• freak out
• go crazy