rhapsody

noun rhap·so·dy \ˈrap-sə-dē\

: a piece of music that is meant to express a lot of emotion and does not have a regular form

: a written or spoken expression of great enthusiasm, praise, etc.

plural rhap·so·dies

Full Definition of RHAPSODY

: a portion of an epic poem adapted for recitation

archaic : a miscellaneous collection

a (1) : a highly emotional utterance (2) : a highly emotional literary work (3) : effusively rapturous or extravagant discourse

b : rapture, ecstasy

: a musical composition of irregular form having an improvisatory character

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Origin of RHAPSODY

Latin rhapsodia, from Greek rhapsōidia recitation of selections from epic poetry, rhapsody, from rhapsōidos rhapsodist, from rhaptein to sew, stitch together + aidein to sing — more at ode

First Known Use: 1542

Related to RHAPSODY

Synonyms: cloud nine, elatedness, elation, euphoria, exhilaration, heaven, high, intoxication, paradise, rapture, ecstasy, seventh heaven, swoon, transport

Antonyms: depression

Other Literature Terms

apophasis, bathos, bildungsroman, bowdlerize, caesura, coda, doggerel, euphemism, poesy, prosody

Learn More About RHAPSODY

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for "rhapsody"

Spanish Central: Spanish translation of "rhapsody"

Nglish: Translation of "rhapsody" for Spanish speakers

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