Rapture
noun /ˈraptʃə/ — A feeling of intense pleasure or joy beyond ordinary experience.
Definition
A feeling of intense pleasure and happiness; the state of being transported by a lofty emotion — ecstasy, especially as caused by something beautiful or beloved.
Beyond the definition
Rapture is joy that has exceeded joy's ordinary container — the feeling that goes beyond pleasure into transport. Religious traditions reached for it to describe the divine encounter; secular contexts reach for it for music, sex, love, art. The word implies being taken out of yourself — not just happy but removed to somewhere happiness is total.
Origin & history
From Latin raptura (a seizing, carrying away), from rapere (to seize, snatch). Related to rapt, rapacious — the sudden taking. Rapture is literally being seized and carried away.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
She listened to the final movement in rapture — tears without sadness, stillness without boredom.
There is a rapture available in the first days of new love that is worth remembering when the ordinariness returns.
The rapture on her face when she finally understood the proof was worth the six months of waiting.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Rapture” when the meaning fits your context: A feeling of intense pleasure and happiness; the state of being transported by a lofty emotion — ecstasy, especially as caused by something beautiful or beloved.
Synonyms
Antonyms
misery, agony, numbness
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Exultant Joy on Hilltop
An adult stands on a hill with arms raised toward the sun, their expression and posture reflecting intense, transported joy.
The act of being transported by a lofty, beautiful emotion in the open landscape characterizes the feeling of rapture, where internal joy is triggered by grandeur.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Rapture" mean?
Rapture is noun meaning: A feeling of intense pleasure or joy beyond ordinary experience.. A feeling of intense pleasure and happiness; the state of being transported by a lofty emotion — ecstasy, especially as caused by something beautiful or beloved.
Where does the word "Rapture" come from?
From Latin raptura (a seizing, carrying away), from rapere (to seize, snatch). Related to rapt, rapacious — the sudden taking. Rapture is literally being seized and carried away.