emotional
Americanadjective
-
subject to or easily affected by emotion.
We are an emotional family, given to demonstrations of affection.
- Synonyms:
- sentimental, demonstrative, effusive, temperamental
- Antonyms:
- inexpressive, unsentimental, undemonstrative
-
appealing to the emotions.
an emotional request for contributions.
-
showing or revealing very strong emotions.
an emotional scene in a play.
-
actuated, effected, or determined by emotion rather than reason.
An emotional decision is often a wrong decision.
-
governed by emotion.
He is in a highly emotional state of mind.
adjective
-
of, characteristic of, or expressive of emotion
-
readily or excessively affected by emotion
-
appealing to or arousing emotion
an emotional piece of music
-
caused, determined, or actuated by emotion rather than reason
an emotional argument
Other Word Forms
- emotionality noun
- emotionally adverb
- hyperemotional adjective
- hyperemotionally adverb
- nonemotional adjective
- nonemotionally adverb
- overemotional adjective
- overemotionally adverb
- preemotional adjective
- preemotionally adverb
- pseudoemotional adjective
- pseudoemotionally adverb
- quasi-emotional adjective
- quasi-emotionally adverb
- semiemotional adjective
- semiemotionally adverb
- unemotional adjective
- unemotionally adverb
Etymology
Origin of emotional
Explanation
If it has anything to do with feelings like happiness or anger, then consider it emotional. A co-worker who cries at the drop of a hat is overly emotional. If someone says "Stop being so emotional!" they're telling you to calm down because your feelings are out of control. When you're emotional, you're feeling lots of feelings, or emotions: happy, sad, afraid, lonely, mad. An emotional speech makes you stand up and cheer. An emotional movie tugs on your heartstrings. The opposite of emotional is logical: logical things have more to do with your head, while emotional things are all about your heart.
Vocabulary lists containing emotional
Words to Describe a Novel or a Story
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Edge: Academic Vocabulary
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 10
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
People are stuck in heightened emotional states that block the slow, calm thought needed to contemplate difficult issues.
From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026
The lawsuit said the plaintiff has suffered “severe emotional distress, including anxiety, humiliation, loss of standing in his community and harm to his professional relationships” as a result of his squabble with Ye.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
This victory wasn’t the emotional release like last year, when McIlroy overcame Rose in a tense playoff and shook off all those years of bad vibes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026
"This does not slip," bellowed an emotional Liverpool skipper after a 3-2 win at Manchester City made it 10 on the spin and put the Reds on the brink of a first title since 1990.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026
It was an emotional dinner for the Howards, as both knew that it would be a long time before they saw each other again.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
