ecstatic

adjective ec·stat·ic \ ek-ˈsta-tik , ik-ˈsta- \

|Updated on: 3 Aug 2018

Examples: ecstatic in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of ecstatic

: of, relating to, or marked by ecstasy

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ecstatically

play \ek-ˈsta-ti-k(ə-)lē, ik-ˈsta-\ adverb

See ecstatic defined for English-language learners

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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

Recent Examples of ecstatic from the Web

Jose Abreu doesn’t show a lot of emotion on the field, but the White Sox slugger was ecstatic Sunday after learning he was selected by fans as the American League’s starting first baseman in the 2018 All-Star Game in Washington.

— paul sullivan, chicagotribune.com, "Jose Abreu voted AL All-Star starting first baseman, White Sox's first position player to start since 1996," 8 July 2018
Nevertheless, the Huntington Beach High School surf coach had reason to be ecstatic.

— joe haakenson, latimes.com, "Huntington Beach High surf team wins NSSA national title," 19 June 2018
At first, Della is ecstatic about the prospect of baking the cake for Jen’s upcoming wedding.

— jesse green, New York Times, "Onstage, the New Gay Agenda Involves Cake and Not Getting Fired," 8 July 2018
Bretman Rock was ecstatic with the news from Ulta Beauty about his limited-edition Babe in Paradise collaboration with Morphe.

— faye brookman | wwd, latimes.com, "Bretman Rock rolls into Ulta Beauty," 6 June 2018
Moore and Miller have performed well in Hill's absence, but the team was ecstatic to finally have its defensive stopper back in the lineup.

— william guillory, NOLA.com, "Solomon Hill on his season debut: 'I felt way better than I thought I would'," 19 Mar. 2018
As a solo artist, Uli Jon Roth’s playing is epic and heroic, unafraid of bombast and ecstatic shredding.

— john adamian, courant.com, "Tedeschi Trucks And Jay Critch Are Just Two Of This Week's Must-See Shows," 2 July 2018
Much to the delight of Howenstine and the other festival organizers, the response among fans to Pitbull has been nothing short of ecstatic.

— dan hyman, chicagotribune.com, "Pitbull is at Naperville Ribfest in a bold move that also makes a lot of sense," 28 June 2018
Late on a Thursday night in a faraway corner of Old Kabul, a community of musicians and worshippers gathers for an evening of solemn prayer, ecstatic singing, and melodies from days long forgotten.

— maija liuhto, Longreads, "A Music So Beautiful the Birds Fell from the Trees," 28 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ecstatic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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.