HOW TO PRONOUNCE
rhapsody
/ˈɹæpsədi/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:33
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RAP-suh-dee: the h does not add a sound.
Keep the p before the s: the middle joins as “p-suh.” The final y sounds like ee, while the main stress stays on RAP.
TRY SAYING
“The pianist ended the recital with a rhapsody.”
APG practice sentence · CC BY-SA 4.0
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗What does rhapsody mean?
noun
- An exaggeratedly enthusiastic or exalted expression of feeling in speech or writing.
- An instrumental composition of irregular form, often incorporating improvisation.
verb
- To say (something) with exaggerated or rapturous enthusiasm.
More meanings (5)
verb
- Followed by about, on, over, or upon: to speak with exaggerated or rapturous enthusiasm.
- (obsolete, rare) To perform (a rhapsody (“an epic poem, or part of one, suitable for uninterrupted recitation”))
noun
- (historical) An epic poem, or part of one, suitable for uninterrupted recitation.
- (archaic) A random collection or medley; a miscellany; also, a confused string of stories, words, etc.
- (obsolete) A literary composition consisting of miscellaneous works.
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/ˈɹæpsədi/
Pronunciation used in the listening tip.
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
It has been regarded as a wild, unmeaning rhapsody of words, or as a premonition of some future earth catastrophe.
The rhapsody welled up within me, like blood from an inward wound, and gushed out.
More book examples (3)
O such a deed As from the body of contraction plucks The very soul, and sweet religion makes A rhapsody of words.
It is enough to say, without applying this poetical rhapsody to Aouda, that she was a charming woman, in all the European acceptation of the phrase.
His fellow labourers in the field did not know what to make of this rhapsody; but the next day cleared up the mystery.