Word
ecstatic
Phoneticsec·stat·ic, stress on the second syllable
US/ɛkˈstætɪk/
UK/ɛkstˈætɪk/
Definitions
01extremely happy
B2 · Upper Intermediate
adj. feeling or showing great happiness or excitement.
adj. feeling or expressing overwhelming happiness or joyful excitement.
“The fans were ecstatic when their team scored the winning goal in the final minute.”
“The researchers were ecstatic after the clinical trial results confirmed their hypothesis, potentially paving the way for a new treatment.”
Usage
Often followed by the preposition 'about' or 'at', or by a 'that' clause.
Teaching tip
While 'happy' is a general emotion, 'ecstatic' implies a peak experience that is difficult to maintain for long periods.
02trance-like joy
C1 · Advanced Literary
adj. relating to a state of very strong emotion that makes you lose control of yourself.
adj. relating to, or characterized by, a state of mystical or psychological rapture.
“The poet described an ecstatic vision of nature that changed his life.”
“The ceremony reached its climax with an ecstatic dance, where participants appeared to lose all sense of their surroundings.”
Teaching tip
This sense is more common in literature, philosophy, or religious contexts than in everyday conversation.
Synonyms
03a person in rapture
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Religion Formal · Technical
n. a person who is in a state of extreme joy or a religious trance.
n. a person experiencing a state of ecstasy, often in a spiritual or mystical context.
“The painting shows a group of ecstatics looking up at the sky.”
“The historian studied the lives of medieval ecstatics who claimed to have direct communications with the divine.”
Usage
Usually functions as a countable noun.
Teaching tip
This noun use is rare; learners will almost always encounter the word as an adjective.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Shouldn’t DJ Thomas, rather, be encouraged to trot towards his lovely end like an ecstatic marathon runner on the home straight?” Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἐκστατικός (ekstatikós). By surface analysis, ecstasy + -tic.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/ecstatic