Contents
Understanding feelings and emotions is essential for effective communication. This reference will explain the difference between feelings and emotions, and provide you with various positive and negative feeling words.
You will also find a detailed list of feelings and emotions in English. Being able to talk about how you or someone else is feeling is very important. Recognizing and understanding these emotion names will help you explain your feelings or support others. Explore and learn more about feelings and emotions to enhance your communication skills.
Feeling Words List
Positive Feeling Words
Amused Feeling Words:
- Absorbed
- Beguiled
- Busy
- Charmed
- Cheered-up
- Convulsed
- Delighted
- Diverted
- Engaged
- Entertained
- Glad
- Interested
- Involved
- Pleased
- Preoccupied
- Regaled
- Wowed
Happy Feeling Words:
- Beaming
- Blessed
- Blissful
- Carefree
- Cheerful
- Confident
- Content
- Delighted
- Euphoric
- Exhilarated
- Glad
- Glowing
- Gratified
- Inclined
- Joy
- Pleased
- Powerful
- Radiant
- Secure
- Self-accepting
- Strong
- Thrilled
Peaceful Feeling Words:
- Amicable
- Anxiety-free
- Blissful
- Calm
- Committed
- Composed
- Content
- Cordial
- Flexible
- Harmonious
- Isolated
- Patient
- Pleasant
- Productive
- Quiet
- Relaxed
- Restful
- Secure
- Serene
- Soothed
- Stable
- Tranquil
- Undisturbed
- Untroubled
- Unworried
Pleased Feeling Words:
- Acceptable
- Amused
- Content
- Contented
- Delighted
- Elated
- Engaged
- Entertained
- Glad
- Good
- Grateful
- Gratified
- Happy
- Lovely
- Nice
- Overjoyed
- Pleasant
- Satisfied
- Self-approving
- Superior
- Thankful
- Thrilled
- Well-pleased
Powerful Feeling Words:
- Athletic
- Buff
- Compelling
- Controlling
- Dominant
- Dynamic
- Hard
- Herculean
- High-powered
- Important
- Influential
- Intoxicating
- Irresistible
- Manly
- Mighty
- Persuasive
- Ripped
- Shredded
- Solid
- Spirituous
- Stiff
- Strong
- Sturdy
- Thunderous
- Tough
- Vigorous
- Well-built
Romantic Feeling Words:
- Affectionate
- Amorous
- Beautiful
- Charming
- Dreamy
- Erotic
- Fond
- Generous
- Grateful
- Humble
- Idealistic
- Illicit
- Intimate
- Kind
- Lovable
- Lovely
- Lovesick
- Loving
- Lustful
- Passionate
- Romanticist
- Satisfied
- Tolerant
Negative Feeling Words
Angry Feeling Words:
- Annoyed
- Bad-tempered
- Conceited
- Crabby
- Cross
- Disgusted
- Displeased
- Dissatisfied
- Enraged
- Exasperated
- Fuming
- Furious
- Hot-tempered
- Hot-headed
- Intolerant
- Irritated
- Jealous
- Mad
- Outraged
- Provoked
- Raging
- Resentful
- Stingy
- Waspish
- Wrathful
Bored Feeling Words:
- Bummer
- Disinterested
- Dull
- Fatigued
- Inattentive
- Flat
- Lifeless
- Monotonous
- Spiritless
- Stale
- Stodgy
- Stuffy
- Stupid
- Tamed
- Tedious
- Tired
- Tiresome
- Tiring
Disgusted Feeling Words:
- Annoyed
- Appalled
- Dismayed
- Displeased
- Dissatisfied
- Embarrassed
- Grossed-out
- Horrified
- Nasty
- Nauseated
- Offended
- Outraged
- Repelled
- Repulsed
- Revolted
- Shocked
- Sickened
- Trashed
- Ugly
- Unwanted
- Used
- Violated
Insecure Feeling Words:
- Anxious
- Apprehensive
- Diffident
- Doubtful
- Fearful
- Hesitant
- Inhibited
- Introverted
- Passive
- Self-conscious
- Self-doubting
- Shy
- Timid
- Unassertive
- Uncertain
- Unconfident
- Unsure
- Worried
Sad Feeling Words:
- Awful
- Blue
- Broken-hearted
- Depressed
- Doleful
- Down
- Downhearted
- Gloomy
- Glum
- Guilty
- Heartbroken
- Lonely
- Low-spirited
- Miserable
- Mournful
- Needy
- Pitiful
- Regretful
- Small
- Sorrowful
- Sorry
- Unfortunate
- Unhappy
Scared Feeling Words:
- Afraid
- Agitated
- Alarmed
- Confused
- Fearful
- Frantic
- Frightened
- Horrified
- Hysterical
- Impatient
- Indecisive
- Intimidated
- Jittery
- Jumpy
- Nervous
- Panicky
- Petrified
- Rigid
- Shaky
- Spooked
- Stressed
- Terrified
- Worried
What Are Feeling Words?
On Earth, there are currently over seven billion people and yet no two are the exact same. However, if there is one thing that we can find we all have in common with each other; it’s feelings. We all feel and we all go experience some difficulty at some point in our lives putting those feelings into words, as we still don’t completely understand what feelings really are.
What Are Feelings?
Feelings have been around for a very, very long time. However, we only officially succeeded to discover them around the 1830’s, thanks to Thomas Brown. That was also when the word was officially added to the dictionary with the meaning we still use today. As before that, the meaning of feelings meant something a little different. The word ‘feelings’ has two separate meanings; physical and emotional.
The physical side of the word ‘feelings’ was the first to be discovered and added to the dictionary, as a verb as it’s a physical thing. A physical feeling is what you feel physically, for example, the warmth you feel while you lay under the Summer sun or under a blanket during the harsh Winter. Another example would be, when you get too close to a flame or break a bone.
The emotional side of the word ‘feelings’ is an adjective and the one we will be focusing on in this article. An emotional feeling, is something you feel on the inside. This could be: happy or sad, angry or disgusted.
Now, when you feel something physically it can be a lot easier to find the words to describe it, as it’s physical. However, when it comes to describing emotional feelings, you’ll find that it can be a lot harder to do so. This is because we all feel differently and can sometimes confuse a feeling for another, this is completely normal and you may just find out why in the next section!
Emotions vs. Feelings
Despite it has been over two-hundred years since feelings were discovered, there is still a lot we don’t know about them. But it can be said that we have made tremendous progress in expanding our knowledge and we’re still not done. One thing people often get wrong, however, is the belief that emotions and feelings are the exact same thing. Now, they may be similar, but they are not the same thing, whatsoever.
The concept of emotions was discovered thirty years before feelings, around the 1800’s by Thomas Brown. Years later during the 1970’s, psychologist Paul Eckman, concluded that humans had six different emotions: happiness, sadness, disgust, fear, surprise and anger. However, as studies continued, it was quickly discovered that, that number is a lot higher than first believed. Raising the number six to a shocking twenty-seven and debates that claim the total number of emotions are even higher that twenty-seven, are still taking place to this day.
Now that we know the story behind emotions, what exactly are they and how do they differ from feelings?
There is a reason as to why we say ’emotional feelings’ and that is because emotions are what cause feelings. Emotions are a physical response to our environment; this means emotions are aroused before feelings. And due to emotions being physical, it can be easy to identify them, with observation. Feelings, however, are mental associations and reactions to our emotions and because they take place in our mind, rather than our body like emotions, it’s a lot harder to identify a feeling.
For example, imagine you are scared of the dark and all the lights in your home go out due to a storm. Now your body will represent fear, your eyes are open wide and you’re moving slowly. But on the inside, you’re feeling cautious and worried, perhaps even nervous. Those are the feelings that come with that specific emotion. In conclusion, emotions take place on your body while feelings take place in the mind.
Feeling Words & Emotion Words
Complete List of Feelings
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Afraid
- Confused
- Anxious
- Nervous
- Excited
- Depressed
- Lonely
- Hopeful
- Content
- Grateful
- Joyful
- Empowered
- Inspired
- Frustrated
- Overwhelmed
- Guilty
- Jealous
- Envious
- Insecure
- Ashamed
- Embarrassed
- Betrayed
- Disgusted
- Irritated
- Disappointed
- Resentful
- Regretful
- Indifferent
- Proud
- Surprised
- Curious
- Ambivalent
- Amused
- Bored
- Brave
- Calm
- Charmed
- Concerned
- Contented
- Creative
- Daring
- Determined
- Disappointed
- Discontent
- Displeased
- Ecstatic
- Energetic
- Enthralled
- Enthusiastic
- Excited
- Exhilarated
- Fascinated
- Fatigued
- Fearful
- Flattered
- Focused
- Grateful
- Great
- Grief
- Happy
- Helpless
- Hopeful
- Humble
- Humiliated
- Impatient
- Impressed
- Indignant
- Inferior
- Inquisitive
- Inspired
- Intense
- Interested
- Intrigued
- Irritated
- Isolated
- Jealous
- Joyful
- Jubilant
- Kind
- Lazy
- Lethargic
- Liberated
- Lonely
- Lost
- Loving
- Mad
- Miserable
- Misunderstood
- Mixed up
- Moody
- Motivated
- Nauseated
- Nervous
- Nostalgic
- Obligated
- Obsessed
- Optimistic
- Overwhelmed
- Panicked
- Peaceful
- Pessimistic
- Playful
- Pleased
- Powerful
- Proud
- Rebellious
- Rejuvenated
- Relaxed
- Relieved
- Resentful
- Resigned
- Restless
- Revitalized
- Sad
- Satisfied
- Scared
- Self-assured
- Self-conscious
- Selfish
- Sensual
- Sensuous
- Serene
- Shaken
- Shy
- Sincere
- Skeptical
- Soothed
- Sorry
- Spiritual
- Strong
- Stubborn
- Stupid
- Submissive
- Successful
- Suffering
- Surprised
- Suspicious
- Sympathetic
- Tense
- Terrified
- Thankful
- Thoughtful
- Thrilled
Common Words to Describe Feelings and Emotions
Following is a list of adjectives to help you narrow down exactly what word best describes your current feelings and emotions.
- Happy
- Afraid
- Sad
- Hot
- Amused
- Bored
- Anxious
- Confident
- Cold
- Suspicious
- Surprised
- Loving
- Curious
- Envious
- Jealous
- Miserable
- Confused
- Stupid
- Angry
- Sick
- Ashamed
- Withdrawn
- Indifferent
- Sorry
- Determined
- Crazy
- Bashful
- Depressed
- Enraged
- Frightened
- Interested
- Shy
- Hopeful
- Regretful
- Scared
- Stubborn
- Thirsty
- Guilty
- Nervous
- Embarrassed
- Disgusted
- Proud
- Ecstatic
- Lonely
- Frustrated
- Hurt
- Hungry
- Tired
- Smug
- Thoughtful
- Pained
- Optimistic
- Relieved
- Puzzled
- Shocked
- Joyful
- Sleepy
- Excited
- Skeptical
- Bad
- Worried
Emotion and Feeling Words with Pictures
List of emotions with useful example sentences illustrated with images.
Happy
- I’m so happy to see you today!
Afraid
- She was afraid of the dark and always slept with a nightlight on.
Sad
- The news of her friend’s passing made her feel incredibly sad.
Hot
- As she watched her ex-boyfriend walk hand in hand with another woman, she felt a hot anger rise within her.
Amused
- The comedian’s jokes were so funny that the entire audience was left feeling amused.
Bored
- She was feeling extremely bored during the lecture and couldn’t wait for it to end.
Anxious
- She was feeling anxious about the upcoming exam and couldn’t seem to shake off the feeling of unease.
Confident
After months of practice, she finally felt confident enough to perform in front of a live audience.
Cold
- As he walked into the room, he was met with a cold reception from his coworkers who had heard about his recent mistake.
Suspicious
- The way he avoided eye contact and gave evasive answers made her feel suspicious about his involvement in the crime.
Surprised
- I was completely surprised when I found out that my best friend had planned a surprise party for my birthday.
Loving
- She felt a loving warmth in her heart as she watched her children play together.
Curious
- The strange noise coming from the attic made her feel curious and she decided to investigate.
Envious
- She couldn’t help but feel envious of her friend’s new car, even though she knew it wasn’t healthy to compare herself to others.
Jealous
- He felt jealous when he saw his girlfriend talking to her ex-boyfriend at the party.
Miserable
- After the breakup, she felt miserable and couldn’t stop crying for days.
Confused
- The instructions were so unclear that everyone in the room felt confused and didn’t know what to do next.
Stupid
- He felt stupid for not being able to solve the simple math problem, even though he knew he was usually good at math.
Angry
- He was so angry when he found out that his boss had taken credit for his work.
Sick
- She felt sick to her stomach after eating the spoiled food.
Ashamed
- She felt ashamed of her behavior at the party last night and wished she had acted differently.
Withdrawn
- After the loss of her loved one, she became withdrawn and didn’t want to socialize with anyone.
Indifferent
- He was completely indifferent to the news of his ex-girlfriend’s engagement and didn’t feel anything about it.
Sorry
- She felt sorry for her mistake and apologized to her friend for her behavior.
Determined
- She was so determined to finish the marathon that she didn’t let the pain in her legs stop her.
Crazy
- It was a crazy idea to quit his job and travel the world, but he decided to take the risk anyway.
Bashful
- She felt bashful when her crush caught her staring at him and quickly looked away.
Depressed
- After losing her job and going through a breakup, she fell into a depressed state and didn’t want to do anything.
Enraged
- He was absolutely enraged when he found out that someone had vandalized his car.
Frightened
- The sound of thunder and lightning made her feel frightened and she curled up in bed, hoping the storm would pass.
Interested
- She was so interested in the new book series that she stayed up all night reading the first book.
Shy
- He was too shy to ask his crush out on a date, even though he had liked her for a long time.
Hopeful
- Even though she had failed the test twice before, she felt hopeful that she would pass it this time with enough preparation.
Regretful
- He felt regretful for not spending more time with his aging parents before they passed away.
Scared
- She was so scared of heights that she couldn’t even look out of the window of the tall building.
Stubborn
- He was so stubborn that he refused to listen to anyone else’s opinions and always did things his own way.
Thirsty
- After running for miles, he felt extremely thirsty and couldn’t wait to drink some water.
Guilty
- She felt guilty for lying to her friend and decided to come clean and tell the truth.
Nervous
- He felt nervous about giving his first public speech and couldn’t stop practicing his lines.
Embarrassed
- She felt embarrassed when she tripped and fell in front of everyone at the party.
Disgusted
- The sight of the moldy bread made her feel disgusted and she immediately threw it away.
Proud
- She felt so proud of her daughter for graduating with honors and getting a job at a prestigious company.
Ecstatic
- He was absolutely ecstatic when he found out that he had won the lottery and couldn’t believe his luck.
Lonely
- After moving to a new city, she felt lonely and missed her old friends and family.
Frustrated
- He was so frustrated with the slow internet speed that he couldn’t get any work done.
Hurt
- She felt hurt when her best friend didn’t invite her to the party and wondered what she had done wrong.
Hungry
- After skipping breakfast, she felt extremely hungry and couldn’t wait to eat lunch.
Tired
- She was so tired after working a double shift that she fell asleep as soon as she got home.
Smug
- He felt smug after winning the argument and proving his point.
Thoughtful
- She was so thoughtful that she always remembered her friends’ birthdays and got them the perfect gifts.
Pained
- She felt pained when she twisted her ankle while playing soccer and couldn’t walk properly for days.
Optimistic
- Even though she had failed the job interview, she felt optimistic about the future and believed that a better opportunity was waiting for her.
Relieved
- She felt relieved when she found her lost wallet and realized that all her money and cards were still inside.
Puzzled
- The strange behavior of her neighbor left her feeling puzzled and she couldn’t figure out what was going on.
Shocked
- She was completely shocked when she saw her ex-boyfriend with another woman and couldn’t believe her eyes.
Joyful
- She felt so joyful when she heard the news of her sister’s engagement and couldn’t wait to celebrate with her.
Sleepy
- After staying up late to finish her work, she felt extremely sleepy and could barely keep her eyes open.
Excited
- She was so excited about the upcoming trip to Europe that she couldn’t stop talking about it to her friends.
Skeptical
- He was so skeptical about the new diet plan that he decided to do his own research before trying it out.
Bad
-
He felt bad about forgetting his friend’s birthday and promised to make it up to him.
Worried
- She felt worried about her son’s health and decided to take him to the doctor for a checkup.
Feeling Words | Video
Learn a huge list of feelings with American English pronunciation.
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