Showing results for "feeling"

• present participle of feel.

feeling

American  

[fee-ling] / ˈfi lɪŋ /

noun

• feelings
  plural

1. the function or the power of perceiving by touch.

2. physical sensation not connected with sight, hearing, taste, or smell.

   Deep tissue massage can involve both painful and pleasant feelings.

3. a particular physical sensation not connected with sight, hearing, taste, or smell.

   a feeling of warmth;

   a feeling of pain.

4. the general state of consciousness considered independently of particular sensations, thoughts, etc.

5. a consciousness or vague awareness.

   a feeling of inferiority.

6. an emotion or emotional perception or attitude.

   a feeling of joy;

   a feeling of sorrow.

   Synonyms:

   sentiment, sensitivity, tenderness, empathy, sympathy

   Antonyms:

   apathy

7. capacity for emotion, especially compassion.

   The charity staff have great feeling for the sufferings of others.

8. a sentiment; attitude; opinion.

   The general feeling was in favor of the proposal.

9. feelings, sensibilities; susceptibilities.

   A harsh reply could hurt her feelings.

10. fine emotional endowment.

11. (in music, art, etc.)

    1. emotion or sympathetic perception revealed by an artist in their work.

       Though elegant, it was a poem without feeling.

    2. the general impression conveyed by a work.

       Landscape paintings with a spacious feeling are very popular in small homes.

    3. sympathetic appreciation, as of music.

       The pianist was known for his ability to play with feeling.

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adjective

1. sensitive; sentient.

   Synonyms:

   tender, emotional

   Antonyms:

   cold

2. readily affected by emotion; sympathetic.

   A feeling heart could not be unaffected by this tragic story.

   Synonyms:

   passionate, impassioned

3. indicating or characterized by emotion.

   The defendant's speech gave a feeling reply to the charge.

feeling British  

/ ˈfiːlɪŋ /

noun

1. the sense of touch

2. 1. the ability to experience physical sensations, such as heat, pain, etc

   2. the sensation so experienced

3. a state of mind

4. a physical or mental impression

   a feeling of warmth

5. fondness; sympathy

   to have a great deal of feeling for someone

6. an ability to feel deeply

   a person of feeling

7. a sentiment

   a feeling that the project is feasible

8. an impression or mood; atmosphere

   the feeling of a foreign city

9. an emotional disturbance, esp anger or dislike

   a lot of bad feeling about the increase in taxes

10. intuitive appreciation and understanding

    a feeling for words

11. sensibility in the performance of something

12. (plural) emotional or moral sensitivity, as in relation to principles or personal dignity (esp in the phrase hurt or injure the feelings of )

13. to be emotionally or sexually attracted to

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adjective

1. sentient; sensitive

2. expressing or containing emotion

3. warm-hearted; sympathetic

Usage

What are other ways to say feeling?

A feeling is a particular sensation or an emotional perception or attitude. What’s the difference between feeling, emotion, passion, and sentiment? Find out on Thesaurus.com.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• feelingness
  noun
• underfeeling
  noun
• nonfeeling
  adjective
• feelingly
  adverb
• nonfeelingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• feelings
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of feeling

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English; see origin at feel ( def. ), -ing ¹ ( def. ), -ing ² ( def. )

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Explanation

A physical sensation is a feeling. When you sit on your foot so long that it falls asleep, you'll first have no feeling in it, and then you'll have a terrible "pins and needles" feeling. An intuitive sense about something can also be called a feeling. Your bad feeling about the field trip is justified when another kid throws up on you while riding the roller coaster. A vague sense or belief can also be referred to as a feeling. In your town, there is a general feeling that the library should stay open on Sundays, but you should make up your own mind.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

feeling feelings

I wiped my hands on my napkin, feeling a sense of clarity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

"News like this always leaves you feeling empty. It's very sad for all the families involved."

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Financial-technology stocks may be feeling the pain as well from fears of an imminent rate hike, as higher rates mean higher default risk for lenders, Mizuho anlayst Dan Dolev told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

As time went on, she noticed soreness in the glands of her neck and armpits and a general sense of not quite feeling herself.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Even today, we don't talk about a lover who's been dumped as feeling "broken-brained."

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

Embassy in Havana began reporting strange sounds and feelings of nausea and brain fog, a cluster of symptoms that became known as Havana syndrome.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

"I'm excited long-time problems are now solved, but on the other hand, I have mixed feelings, because AI seems to have solved these difficult problems so easily," he said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

“But I’m not doing well. I’m not OK, but I believe that’s OK because I’m trying my best. My brain is very loud. My feelings are very big.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

For now, people's feelings toward them are strong.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

I had so wanted to get all the feelings out of me for good.

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott

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Related Words

• affection
• appreciation
• behavior
• compassion
• concern
• culture
• emotion
• impression
• intensity
• passion
• reaction
• sensitivity
• sentiment
• spirit
• sympathy
• taste
• understanding
• warmth

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