ecstatic

1 of 2

adjective

ec·​stat·​ic ek-ˈsta-tik 

ik-ˈsta-

: of, relating to, or marked by ecstasy

ecstatically

ek-ˈsta-ti-k(ə-)lē 

ik-ˈsta-

adverb

ecstatic

2 of 2

noun

: one that is subject to ecstasies

Did you know?

If you feel like “a hot air balloon that could go to space” or, perhaps, “like a room without a roof,” you might—with all due respect to Pharrell Williams—be not just happy but ecstatic. In other words: euphoric, over the moon, positively brimming with joy or excitement. Ecstatic has been used in English since the late 1500s, arriving (via Medieval Latin) from the Greek adjective ekstatikós meaning, among other things “out of one’s senses.” Ekstatikós, in turn, was formed in part from eksta-, the stem of such verbs as existánai, “to displace or confound,” and exístasthai “to be astonished or lose consciousness.” That seems an appropriate history for a word that can describe someone who is nearly out of their mind with intense emotion. Eksta-, it should be noted, also contributed to the Greek noun ékstasis, meaning “astonishment” or “trance,” which led to ecstasy (the English word, of course, not the universal feeling).

Synonyms

Adjective

• elated
• elevated
• enrapt
• enraptured
• entranced
• euphoric
• exhilarated
• giddy
• heady
• intoxicated
• rapt
• rapturous
• rhapsodic
• rhapsodical

Examples of ecstatic in a Sentence

Adjective

A few religious denominations—Pentecostalism, for example—still offer a collective ecstatic experience, as did rock culture at its height. But the ecstatic religions tend to be marginal, and rock has been tamed for commercial consumption … —Barbara Ehrenreich, Civilization, June/July 2000

… in dietary terms we are veritable troglodytes (which, speaking personally, is all right by me). I think this explains a lot, not least my expanding sense of dismay as the waiter bombarded us with ecstatic descriptions of roulades, ratatouilles, empanadas, langostinos … and goodness knows what else. —Bill Bryson, I'm a Stranger Here Myself, 1999

He was ecstatic when he heard that he was going to be a father.

a football player who was ecstatic upon receiving a full athletic scholarship to the college of his choice

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

That much was clear when the 2023 Grammys turned into a Bey pseudo-meet-and-greet, and the room’s ecstatic reaction to her victory last night was another reminder. —Kyle Denis, Billboard, 3 Feb. 2025

McFadden, a physician specializing in brain injury, will also have an executive producer credit — and couldn't be more ecstatic to see her best-selling book on the big screen. —Emily Blackwood, People.com, 29 Jan. 2025

And when Oliver was born in the fall, about a year after she got married, Sara was ecstatic. —Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 26 Jan. 2025

When the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect on Sunday, Zakariya was ecstatic. —Zeena Saifi, CNN, 24 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

borrowed from Medieval Latin ecstaticus, extaticus, borrowed from Greek ekstatikós "inclined to depart from, out of one's senses, causing mental disorder," from eksta-, stem of existánai "to displace, confound," exístasthai "to be astonished, lose consciousness" + -t-, verbal adjective suffix (after statós "standing") + -ikos -ic entry 1 — more at ecstasy

Noun

derivative of ecstatic entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1590, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1659, in the meaning defined above

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