Ecstatic

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɛkˈstætɪk/

Definitions

1. Experiencing or expressing overwhelming joy, delight, or rapture
2. Feeling or exhibiting intense happiness, enthusiasm, or bliss
3. Characterized by an overpowering sense of joy, elation, or excitement

Etymology: Ancient Greek ancestors of "ecstatic" meant something far more alarming than delight. The Greek verb "existanai" meant "to put out of place" or "to drive out of one's senses," and from it came "ekstatikos," describing a state of being displaced from normal consciousness. The word could describe madness, trance, or the bewildered shock of being beside oneself. Delight was a later and milder direction the meaning took. English took the word from Greek through the noun "ecstasy," which passed into English via Old French and Medieval Latin and originally referred to a mental state of being out of one's mind, sometimes from religious rapture or fear. The adjective "ecstatic" followed the same path, borrowed from Greek and keeping that sense of being transported beyond oneself. The joyful sense only grew dominant in modern English, so "ecstatic" now describes elation far more often than trance or dismay. The "-tic" ending is the familiar Greek adjective suffix, attached to the noun "ecstasy" to form the adjective.

Synonyms: elated, overjoyed, exuberant, euphoric, delighted

Antonyms: miserable, dejected, unhappy