List of Emotions | 275 Useful Words of Feelings & Emotions

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A comprehensive list of emotions! When speaking or writing, one of the best ways to expand your vocabulary and to avoid using the same words repeatedly is to use synonyms. The following lesson will provide list of similar words about emotions & feelings with useful examples and ESL infographic.

Emotions are biological states associated with the nervous system brought on by neurophysiological changes variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavioural responses, and a degree of pleasure or displeasure.

List of Emotions

Basic Emotions

Basic emotions are a set of primary emotions that are considered to be universal and innate, meaning that they are present in all humans regardless of culture or upbringing.

Happiness: a positive emotional state characterized by feelings of pleasure, contentment, and satisfaction.

• Joy
• Delight
• Euphoria
• Gladness
• Contentment
• Pleasure
• Satisfaction

Sadness: a negative emotional state characterized by feelings of loss, grief, and disappointment.

• Grief
• Sorrow
• Melancholy
• Despair
• Loneliness
• Heartache
• Unhappiness

Anger: a negative emotional state characterized by feelings of frustration, irritation, and hostility.

• Rage
• Fury
• Indignation
• Resentment
• Irritation
• Annoyance
• Hostility

Fear: a negative emotional state characterized by feelings of anxiety, apprehension, and panic.

• Anxiety
• Dread
• Terror
• Panic
• Apprehension
• Phobia
• Nervousness

Disgust: a negative emotional state characterized by feelings of revulsion, nausea, and aversion.

• Revulsion
• Loathing
• Aversion
• Repulsion
• Abhorrence
• Distaste
• Nausea

Surprise: a brief emotional state characterized by feelings of astonishment or amazement.

• Amazement
• Astonishment
• Shock
• Bewilderment
• Disbelief
• Startle
• Wonder

Complex Emotions

Emotion	Examples
Envy	I couldn’t help feeling a pang of envy when I saw my neighbor’s lush green lawn.
Jealousy	He couldn’t control his jealousy when he saw her talking to other guys.
Guilt	She was overwhelmed with guilt after lying to her parents.
Shame	He felt a deep sense of shame after failing the exam.
Embarrassment	She blushed with embarrassment when she realized she had food on her face.
Humiliation	He suffered public humiliation after his mistake was broadcast on TV.
Regret	He felt a deep sense of regret after missing his daughter’s school play.
Remorse	He felt deep remorse for his actions and apologized to his friend.
Resentment	She held deep resentment towards her ex-boyfriend for how he treated her.
Bitterness	The bitterness in her voice was apparent as she spoke about her ex-husband.
Disappointment	She couldn’t hide her disappointment when she didn’t get the promotion.
Frustration	He felt frustration building up when he couldn’t figure out the answer.
Irritation	The sound of the dripping faucet was a constant irritation to her.
Annoyance	The constant barking of the neighbor’s dog was an annoyance to him.
Outrage	She was filled with outrage after hearing about the injustice.
Indignation	He felt indignation towards the company for mistreating its employees.
Betrayal	The discovery of his wife’s affair felt like a deep betrayal to him.
Contempt	He looked at his opponent with contempt after their argument.
Disgust	She felt disgust towards the food she was served at the restaurant.
Disapproval	He showed his disapproval of her behavior by shaking his head.
Disillusionment	After the election, there was a sense of disillusionment among the voters.
Insecurity	He struggled with feelings of insecurity about his abilities.
Inferiority	Her constant comparison with others led to a feeling of inferiority.
Loneliness	The old man’s eyes filled with tears as he struggled with the loneliness of living alone.
Abandonment	She felt abandoned by her partner when he left her alone in a difficult situation.
Rejection	The rejection from the job interview was disheartening.
Neglect	The neglect of the building’s maintenance led to several safety issues.
Helplessness	The dog’s whimpering showed its helplessness as it struggled to get out of the trap.
Powerlessness	The patient felt a sense of powerlessness over their illness.
Hopelessness	He felt a sense of hopelessness after his business failed.
Anxiety	Jane’s anxiety prevented her from attending the party.
Fear	He felt fear when he saw the snake slithering towards him.
Panic	The panic in the crowd increased when they heard the sound of gunshots.
Terror	He was filled with terror when he saw the car heading straight towards him.
Despair	She felt despair after losing her job and her home.
Sadness	He felt sadness after the death of his beloved pet.
Grief	She was filled with grief after the loss of her grandmother.
Melancholy	He felt a sense of melancholy listening to the sad music.
Nostalgia	She felt nostalgia looking at the old photos of her childhood.
Longing	He had a longing for his homeland and missed his family.
Homesickness	She suffered from homesickness when she moved to a new city.
Pity	I felt pity for the stray dog.
Sympathy	She expressed her sympathy for my loss.
Empathy	The counselor showed empathy towards the client’s struggles.
Compassion	He showed great compassion towards the refugees.
Kindness	His act of kindness towards the homeless man was noble.
Gratitude	I expressed my gratitude to her for helping me out.
Awe	I stood in awe of the magnificent view from the top.
Admiration	I have always had deep admiration for her talent.
Reverence	The ancient temple was held in great reverence.
Pride	She beamed with pride as she accepted the award.
Contentment	He found contentment in the simple things in life.
Fulfillment	The job gave her a sense of fulfillment.
Self-acceptance	He struggled with self-acceptance for a long time.
Self-esteem	Her self-esteem suffered after the breakup.
Confidence	She had the confidence to speak up in front of the crowd.
Ambition	His ambition was to become a successful entrepreneur.
Motivation	The coach provided motivation to the team.
Curiosity	She couldn’t resist her curiosity about the new product.
Wonder	The beauty of the night sky filled me with wonder.

Positive Emotions

Emotion	Examples
Love	John and Sarah’s love for each other grew stronger every day.
Joy	She felt pure joy when she saw her newborn baby.
Happiness	The sunny day filled her with happiness.
Excitement	The anticipation of the vacation filled her with excitement.
Gratitude	I feel gratitude towards my parents for their support.
Contentment	He found contentment in his work.
Serenity	The sound of waves brought her serenity.
Hope	She held onto hope for a better tomorrow.
Amusement	The comedian’s jokes filled the room with amusement.
Delight	The sight of a rainbow filled her with delight.
Euphoria	She felt a sense of euphoria after completing the marathon.
Bliss	The newlyweds were in a state of bliss on their honeymoon.
Enthusiasm	The team’s enthusiasm for the project was contagious.
Inspiration	The artist found inspiration in nature.
Pride	He felt pride in his daughter’s academic achievement.
Confidence	She exuded confidence during the job interview.
Humility	He showed humility when he apologized for his mistake.
Empathy	I could feel empathy towards her struggles.
Sympathy	She expressed sympathy towards the grieving family.
Compassion	The nurse showed great compassion towards her patients.
Trust	The couple had built a strong trust between them.
Faith	Her faith helped her get through the tough times.
Courage	He showed courage in the face of danger.
Curiosity	Her curiosity about the world led her to travel.
Wonder	The beauty of the natural world filled him with wonder.
Awe	The grandeur of the cathedral left her in awe.
Fascination	The child’s fascination with the stars led them to study astronomy.
Creativity	The artist’s creativity shone through in her paintings.
Playfulness	The children’s playfulness was contagious.
Appreciation	She expressed her appreciation for the thoughtful gift.
Thankfulness	He felt thankfulness for the support of his friends.
Optimism	She maintained her optimism in the face of adversity.
Peacefulness	The yoga class brought her a sense of peacefulness.
Relaxation	The soothing music brought relaxation to her mind.
Anticipation	The anticipation of the upcoming vacation was exciting.
Fulfillment	The completion of the project gave him a sense of fulfillment.
Satisfaction	The delicious meal left her with a sense of satisfaction.
Self-love	She learned to practice self-love and acceptance.
Self-esteem	His self-esteem improved after the success of his project.
Self-confidence	She gained self-confidence after overcoming her fear.

Negative Emotions

Emotion	Examples
Anger	I am so angry at what he said.
Annoyance	The constant buzzing of the fly became an annoyance to Tom.
Anxiety	The upcoming job interview was causing him great anxiety.
Bitterness	He couldn’t hide his bitterness after losing the competition.
Contempt	She looked at me with contempt and walked away.
Defeatism	The team’s defeatism attitude led to their loss in the game.
Depression	I’ve been struggling with depression for months.
Despair	I felt a deep sense of despair after the breakup.
Disappointment	The movie was a big disappointment.
Discontentment	He couldn’t hide his discontentment with his current job.
Disgust	The sight of the dead animal made me feel disgust.
Distrust	His history of lying created distrust among his friends.
Embarrassment	I turned red with embarrassment when I tripped and fell.
Envy	She couldn’t help but feel envy towards her more successful friend.
Frustration	I was filled with frustration after trying to fix the broken machine.
Guilt	She felt overwhelming guilt after breaking her mother’s favorite vase.
Hostility	His hostility towards me was palpable.
Humiliation	I felt a deep sense of humiliation after getting fired.
Impatience	She couldn’t hide her impatience during the long wait.
Insecurity	He struggled with feelings of insecurity his whole life.
Insult	His insult cut deep and I couldn’t help but feel hurt.
Jealousy	His jealousy towards his girlfriend’s male friends was a problem.
Loneliness	She felt a deep sense of loneliness after moving to a new city.
Melancholy	The melancholy music made her feel nostalgic.
Misery	He couldn’t help but feel misery after losing his job.
Nervousness	The nervousness in her voice was apparent during the public speaking event.
Overwhelm	The sudden influx of customers at the store caused an overwhelm of the staff.
Pain	The pain in her back was unbearable.
Regret	He felt a deep sense of regret after missing his best friend’s wedding.
Rejection	His constant rejection was getting to him.
Resentment	She couldn’t help but feel resentment towards her ex.
Sadness	She felt a deep sense of sadness after her dog passed away.
Shame	I felt shame for my actions and couldn’t face my friends.
Skepticism	He had a healthy dose of skepticism towards the new product.
Stress	The stress of the job was starting to take a toll on him.
Suspicion	I had a suspicion that he was lying.
Tension	There was a tense atmosphere in the room after the argument.
Unhappiness	He couldn’t hide his unhappiness with his current situation.
Worry	She couldn’t help but worry about her children’s safety.
Wrath	His wrath was unleashed after the betrayal.

How to Talk About Emotions

Enjoyment

• Pleasure
• Joy
• Happiness
• Amusement
• Pride
• Awe
• Excitement
• Ecstasy
• Love
• Relief
• Contentment
• Peace
• Satisfaction

Anger

• Annoyed
• Raging
• Livid
• Fed up
• Irritated
• Mad
• Critical
• Agitated
• Resentful
• Disgusted
• Outraged
• Furious
• Bitter

Sadness

• Upset
• Sorrowful
• Crushed
• Dejected
• Heavy
• Depressed
• Disgusted
• Hateful
• Mournful
• Weepy
• Desperate
• Frustrated

Confusion

• Doubtful
• Hesitant
• Uncertain
• Shy
• Unsure
• Pessimistic
• Indecisive
• Perplexed
• Embarrassed
• Lost
• Tense

Happy

• Glad
• Content
• Joyful
• Grateful
• Pleased
• Optimistic
• Amused
• Delighted
• Charmed
• Loving
• Marvelous

Strong

• Powerful
• Confident
• Empowered
• Unique
• Sure
• Certain
• Dynamic
• Bold
• Determined
• Hardy
• Tenacious
• Secure
• Ambitious

Energized

• Healthy
• Motivated
• Refreshed
• Strengthened
• Inspired
• Determined
• Creative
• Renewed
• Vibrant
• Focused
• Invigorated

Emotions List with Examples

Anger

Annoyed

• Tom really annoyed me in the meeting this morning.

Raging

• I was in a raging temper.

Livid

• He was livid when he found out.

Fed up

• He had become fed up with city life.

Irritated

• She was deeply irritated at being thwarted.

Mad

• He was mad with me for losing his watch.

Critical

• The inquiry was critical of her work.

Agitated

• He sounded very agitated on the phone.

Resentful

• He was very resentful of their success.

Disgusted

• I am completely disgusted with her.

Outraged

• He is truly outraged about what’s happened to him.

Sad

Upset

• My baby gets upset when I leave the room.

Sorrowful

• She looked sorrowful and dejected.

Crushed

• They crushed down stone for making cement.

Dejected

• The old man seemed dejected and spiritless.

Depressed

• She felt lonely and depressed .

Disgusted

• I am completely disgusted with her.

Hateful

• She could hardly spit out the hateful words.

Mournful

• She sighed and looked mournful.

Weepy

• Her eyes were red and weepy.

Desperate

• I had no money left and was desperate.

Frustrated

• He was frustrated by his poverty.

Confusion

Doubtful

• He was doubtful about accepting extra work.

Hesitant

• Tom gave me a hesitant little smile.

Uncertain

• He was uncertain about his brother’s intentions.

Shy

• She’s very shy with adults.

Unsure

• I was unsure of the reaction I would get.

Pessimistic

• He remains deeply pessimistic about the peace process.

Indecisive

• He’s too indecisive to make a good leader.

Perplexed

• I am perplexed to know what to do.

Embarrassed

• She felt embarrassed under his steady gaze.

Tense

• She sounded tense and angry.

Happy

Glad

• I’m glad to meet you.

Content

• She is content with very little.

Joyful

• A wedding is a joyful celebration of love.

Grateful

• I’m so grateful for all that you’ve done.

Pleased

• I am pleased that you have a new job.

Optimistic

• He is optimistic about the future.

Amused

• His jokes amused the whole table.

Delighted

• I was delighted to be invited to her party.

Charmed

• I was charmed with her beauty.

Loving

• She chose the present with loving care.

Marvelous

• She whispers in my ear and hints at marvelous discoveries.

Strong

Powerful

• His speech was a powerful spur to action.

Confident

• He was confident of success.

Empowered

• Congress is empowered to levy taxes.

Unique

• He draws a unique full sound from the instrument.

Sure

• I’m sure he’ll come with a bit of persuading.

Certain

• She arrogated to herself a certain importance.

Dynamic

• He seemed a dynamic and energetic leader.

Determined

• He was determined to retrieve his honor.

Hardy

• He is a hardy person.

Tenacious

• We should be tenacious of our rights.

Ambitious

• She is an ambitious career woman.

Energized

Healthy

• He looked handsome and healthy.

Motivated

• He is motivated by good intentions.

Refreshed

• She felt refreshed after her sleep.

Strengthened

• Our friendship has steadily strengthened over the years.

Inspired

• I was inspired to work harder than ever before.

Determined

• He was determined to retrieve his honor.

Creative

• She’s very creative and always coming up with new ideas.

Renewed

•  We wish you a renewed hope in life.

Vibrant

• She was vibrant with health and enthusiasm.

Focused

• He focused his mind on his lessons.

Invigorated

• I feel invigorated by all this fresh air!

Complete List of Emotions

• Acceptance
• Admiration
• Adoration
• Affection
• Afraid
• Aggressive
• Agitation
• Agony
• Alarm
• Alarmed
• Alienation
• Amazement
• Ambivalence
• Amusement
• Anger
• Anguish
• Annoyed
• Anticipating
• Anxious
• Apathy
• Apprehension
• Arrogant
• Assertive
• Astonished
• Attentiveness
• Attraction
• Aversion
• Awe
• Baffled
• Bewildered
• Bitter
• Bitter Sweetness
• Bliss
• Bored
• Brazen
• Brooding
• Calm
• Carefree
• Careless
• Caring
• Charity
• Cheeky
• Cheerfulness
• Claustrophobic
• Coercive
• Comfortable
• Confident
• Confusion
• Contempt
• Content
• Contentment
• Courage
• Cowardly
• Cruelty
• Curiosity
• Cynicism
• Dazed
• Dejection
• Delighted
• Demoralized
• Depressed
• Desire
• Despair
• Determined
• Disappointment
• Disbelief
• Discombobulated
• Discomfort
• Discontentment
• Disgruntled
• Disgust
• Disheartened
• Dislike
• Dismay
• Disoriented
• Dispirited
• Displeasure
• Distraction
• Distress
• Disturbed
• Dominant
• Doubt
• Dread
• Driven
• Dumbstruck
• Eagerness
• Ecstasy
• Elation
• Embarrassment
• Empathy
• Enchanted
• Enjoyment
• Enlightened
• Ennui
• Enthusiasm
• Envy
• Epiphany
• Euphoria
• Exasperated
• Excitement
• Expectancy
• Fascination
• Fear
• Flakey
• Focused
• Fondness
• Friendliness
• Fright
• Frustrated
• Fury
• Glee
• Gloomy
• Glumness
• Gratitude
• Greed
• Grief
• Grouchiness
• Grumpiness
• Guilt
• Happiness
• Hate
• Hatred
• Helpless
• Homesickness
• Hope
• Hopeless
• Horrified
• Hospitable
• Humiliation
• Humility
• Hurt
• Hysteria
• Idleness
• Impatient
• Indifference
• Indignant
• Infatuation
• Infuriated
• Insecurity
• Insightful
• Insulted
• Interest
• Intrigued
• Irritated
• Isolated
• Jealousy
• Joviality
• Joy
• Jubilation
• Kind
• Lazy
• Liking
• Loathing
• Lonely
• Longing
• Loopy
• Love
• Lust
• Mad
• Melancholy
• Miserable
• Miserliness
• Mixed Up
• Modesty
• Moody
• Mortified
• Mystified
• Nasty
• Nauseated
• Negative
• Neglect
• Nervous
• Nostalgic
• Numb
• Obstinate
• Offended
• Optimistic
• Outrage
• Overwhelmed
• Panicked
• Paranoid
• Passion
• Patience
• Peace
• Pensiveness
• Perplexed
• Persevering
• Pessimism
• Pity
• Pleased
• Pleasure
• Politeness
• Positive
• Possessive
• Powerless
• Pride
• Puzzled
• Rage​
• Rash
• Rattled
• Regret
• Rejected
• Relaxed
• Relief
• Relieved
• Reluctant
• Remorse
• Resentment
• Resignation
• Restlessness
• Revulsion
• Ruthless
• Sadness
• Satisfaction
• Scared
• Schadenfreude
• Scorn
• Self-caring
• Self-compassionate
• Self-confident
• Self-conscious
• Self-critical
• Self-loathing
• Self-motivated
• Self-pity
• Self-respecting
• Self-understanding
• Sentimentality
• Serenity
• Shame
• Shameless
• Shocked
• Smug
• Spite
• Stressed
• Strong
• Stubborn
• Stuck
• Submissive
• Suffering
• Sullenness
• Surprise
• Suspense
• Suspicious
• Sympathy
• Tenderness
• Tension
• Terror
• Thankfulness
• Thrilled
• Tired
• Tolerance
• Triumphant
• Troubled
• Trust
• Uncertainty
• Undermined
• Uneasiness
• Unhappy
• Unnerved
• Unsettled
• Unsure
• Upset
• Vengeful
• Vicious
• Vulnerable
• Weak
• Woe
• Worried
• Worthy
• Wrath
• ​Love
• ​Sorrow
• ​Torment
• ​Vigilance

To summarize, emotions are a multifaceted and heterogeneous dimension of the human condition. This list of emotions offers a glimpse into the vast spectrum of sensations that we may encounter. Effectively comprehending and regulating our emotions is paramount for our psychological and physical health, as well as our interpersonal connections. It is crucial to acknowledge and communicate our emotions in constructive ways, and to seek assistance when required. By cultivating emotional intelligence, we can navigate the ebbs and flows of life with greater adaptability and fortitude.

Related Links

• List of Feelings
• Common Feeling Adjectives
• Descriptive Words
• Love Quotes
• Idioms about Heart
• Love Idioms