Synonyms of rapture

rapture 1 of 2

noun

ˈrap-chər 

as in ecstasy

a state of overwhelming usually pleasurable emotion

in The Nutcracker Clara gazes in rapture as the Christmas tree grows before her very eyes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ecstasy
• heaven
• joy
• happiness
• delight
• euphoria
• elation
• trance
• paradise
• pleasure
• frenzy
• high
• rhapsody
• joyfulness
• transport
• exhilaration
• intoxication
• bliss
• swoon
• glee
• blissfulness
• cloud nine
• exaltation
• seventh heaven
• elatedness
• joyousness
• reverie
• cheerfulness
• blessedness
• madness
• gladness
• felicity
• fervor
• enchantment
• cheer
• inspiration
• jubilation
• exuberance
• passion
• gaiety
• jubilance
• gleefulness
• lightheartedness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• depression
• sadness
• misery
• unhappiness
• woe
• wretchedness
• despair
• melancholy
• gloom
• desolation
• blues
• dejection
• despondency
• dumps
• dreariness
• doldrums
• gloominess
• heartsickness
• forlornness
• disheartenment
• disconsolateness
• downheartedness
• dispiritedness
• mopes

rapture

2 of 2

verb

as in to delight

to fill with overwhelming emotion (as wonder or delight)

nature lovers will be raptured by the documentary's breathtaking cinematography

Synonyms & Similar Words

• delight
• entrance
• transport
• please
• carry away
• satisfy
• enrapture
• ravish
• rap
• enchant
• fascinate
• enthrall
• knock dead
• charm
• knock one's socks off
• gladden
• gratify
• excite
• stir
• captivate
• elate
• bewitch
• exhilarate

Synonym Chooser

How is the word rapture distinct from other similar nouns?

The words ecstasy and transport are common synonyms of rapture. While all three words mean "intense exaltation of mind and feelings," rapture usually implies intense bliss or beatitude.

in speechless rapture

How do ecstasy and rapture relate to one another?

Ecstasy and rapture both suggest a state of trance or near immobility produced by an overpowering emotion; ecstasy may apply to any strong emotion (such as joy, fear, rage, adoration).

religious ecstasy

When might transport be a better fit than rapture?

In some situations, the words transport and rapture are roughly equivalent. However, transport applies to any powerful emotion that lifts one out of oneself and usually provokes vehement expression or frenzied action.

in a transport of rage

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of rapture

Noun

Her ghost of a smile should be parsed as beatific rapture. —Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026

And from this subtle motion that contained stillness at its core – somewhere inside this dense organism, this single entity – an intense flame burst forth and the women were ignited by rapture. —Literary Hub, 7 Apr. 2026

Verb

For a movie about an apocalyptic clash of vampires and gangsters, Sinners has moments of unexpected jubilance, even rapture. —A.a. Dowd, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2025

Dispensationalism has an offensive reputation among many Jews because the End Times prophecy outlines an event in which Jews suffer mass slaughter while Christian believers are spared because God raptured them. —Liam Adams, The Tennessean, 22 Nov. 2024