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ecstatic was our Word of the Day on 09/04/2012. Hear the podcast!
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Examples of ecstatic in a Sentence
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
Did You Know?
Ecstatic has been used in our language since at least 1590, and the noun "ecstasy" is even older, dating from the 1300s. Both derive from the Greek verb existanai ("to put out of place"), which was used in a Greek phrase meaning "to drive someone out of his or her mind." That seems an appropriate history for words that can describe someone who is nearly out of his or her mind with intense emotion. In early use, "ecstatic" was sometimes linked to mystic trances, out-of-body experiences, and temporary madness. Today, however, it most typically implies a state of enthusiastic excitement or intense happiness.
Origin and Etymology of ecstatic
Medieval Latin ecstaticus, from Greek ekstatikos, from existanai —see ecstasy
First Known Use: 1590
Origin and Etymology of ecstatic
see 1ecstatic
First Known Use: 1659
ECSTATIC Defined for English Language Learners
ecstatic
playDefinition of ecstatic for English Language Learners
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: very happy or excited : feeling or showing ecstasy
ECSTATIC Defined for Kids
ecstatic
playDefinition of ecstatic for Students
: very happy or excited
Learn More about ecstatic
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See words that rhyme with ecstatic Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for ecstatic Spanish Central: Translation of ecstatic Nglish: Translation of ecstatic for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of ecstatic for Arabic speakers
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