rapture

American  

[rap-cher] / ˈræp tʃər /

noun

1. ecstatic joy or delight; joyful ecstasy.

   Synonyms:

   exaltation, transport, beatitude, bliss

   Antonyms:

   misery

2. Often raptures. an utterance or expression of ecstatic delight.

3. the carrying of a person to another place or sphere of existence.

4. Theology. the Rapture, the experience, anticipated by some fundamentalist Christians, of meeting Christ midway in the air upon his return to earth.

5. Archaic. the act of carrying off.

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verb (used with object)

raptured, rapturing

1. to enrapture.

rapture British  

/ ˈræptʃə /

noun

1. the state of mind resulting from feelings of high emotion; joyous ecstasy

2. (often plural) an expression of ecstatic joy

3. the act of transporting a person from one sphere of existence to another, esp from earth to heaven

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verb

1. archaic (tr) to entrance; enrapture

Related Words

See ecstasy.

Other Word Forms

• raptureless adjective

Etymology

Origin of rapture

First recorded in 1590–1600; rapt + -ure

Example Sentences

She flipped the lid up and went into raptures about the fried chicken and potato salad.

From Literature

Here beauty is celebrated with voluptuous rapture, setting the mood for “Oh, Yemanja,” a mythic, watery mother’s prayer from Tania León’s opera “Scourge of Hyacinths.”

From Los Angeles Times

As I listened to the details of what else she was doing to prepare for the rapture, I noticed that she was sporting a shirt with Charlie Kirk’s name on it.

From Salon

In Disney, Dudamel’s “Resurrection” had the quality of rapture in surround sound.

From Los Angeles Times

Let’s replace Broadway with a bunch of rinks—and ask Stanley Cup hockey teams to send us all into the riveted rapture.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• communion
• contentment
• ecstasy
• elation
• euphoria
• exaltation
• exhilaration