Synonyms of ecstasy

ecstasy

noun

ˈek-stə-sē 

as in joy

a state of overwhelming usually pleasurable emotion

actors are typically in ecstasy upon winning an Oscar

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonym Chooser

How is the word ecstasy distinct from other similar nouns?

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

Where would rapture be a reasonable alternative to ecstasy?

While the synonyms rapture and ecstasy are close in meaning, rapture usually implies intense bliss or beatitude.

in speechless rapture

When would transport be a good substitute for ecstasy?

The words transport and ecstasy can be used in similar contexts, but 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 ecstasy

Drums burst over pirouetting synth chords, while Stel’s wispy harmonies evoke the feeling of coming up on ecstasy. — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2026

The frozen velocity of paint whipped across a canvas suggested a new visual metaphor for intensity, aggression, violence, virility, force, energy, music, and ecstasy, a more efficient representation than any previous word or picture had managed. — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026

Her eyes were cast upward, as the saint’s had been, in her own private ecstasy. — Ellen O’Connell Whittet, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026

St Rita de Cascia in ecstasy in front of the figure of Christ on the cross, 19th century. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026