rhapsodize
/'ræpsədaiz/ Cách viết khác : (rhapsodise) /'ræpsədaiz/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To express oneself with extreme enthusiasm, fervor, or emotional intensity, often in speech or writing.
- To speak or write about someone or something in an extravagantly enthusiastic, ecstatic, or idealized manner.
- (Archaic/Literary) To recite or compose a rhapsody (a highly emotional literary work or piece of music).
Usage
- The verb "rhapsodize" is typically used intransitively with the preposition "about" or "over" (e.g., to rhapsodize about/over something).
- It can also be used transitively, though less commonly, meaning to express something in a rhapsodic manner.
- It describes a style of expression that is not just positive but effusively and often poetically laudatory.
Examples
- Intransitive use (most common):
- She would often rhapsodize about the beauty of the Italian countryside.
- The food critic rhapsodized over the chef's innovative dessert.
- Transitive use:
- He rhapsodized his love for her in a long, heartfelt letter. (This means he expressed it in a rhapsodic style.)
Advanced Usage
- "to rhapsodize on/upon": A more formal or literary variant of "rhapsodize about."
- The poet rhapsodized upon the themes of nature and time.
- The act of rhapsodizing often implies a loss of restraint or a surrender to powerful emotion during expression.
Variants and Related Words
- Rhapsodise: (Verb) The British English spelling of "rhapsodize."
- Rhapsody: (Noun) The source word.
- An effusively enthusiastic or ecstatic expression of feeling.
- (Music) A free instrumental composition in one extended movement, typically emotional or exuberant in character.
- (Ancient Greece) A portion of an epic poem adapted for recitation.
- Rhapsodic: (Adjective) Characterized by or exhibiting rhapsody; ecstatically enthusiastic.
- He gave a rhapsodic description of his journey.
Synonyms
- Gush: To express a positive feeling, especially praise, in an unrestrained, effusive manner.
- Rave: To talk or write about someone or something with great enthusiasm or admiration.
- Wax lyrical: To become enthusiastically expressive in speech or writing.
- Extol: To praise enthusiastically and highly. (More formal, less effusive than "rhapsodize.")
Antonyms
- Criticize: To indicate the faults of someone or something in a disapproving way.
- Disparage: To regard or represent as being of little worth.
- Understate: To describe or represent something as being smaller or less important than it actually is.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- To go into rhapsodies: To begin speaking or writing in an extravagantly enthusiastic way. This phrase is very close in meaning to "to rhapsodize."
- Whenever he talks about vintage cars, he goes into rhapsodies.
Verb
- say (something) with great enthusiasm
- recite a rhapsody