- present participle of feel.
feeling
Americannoun
-
feelings
plural
-
the function or the power of perceiving by touch.
-
physical sensation not connected with sight, hearing, taste, or smell.
Deep tissue massage can involve both painful and pleasant feelings.
-
a particular physical sensation not connected with sight, hearing, taste, or smell.
a feeling of warmth;
a feeling of pain.
-
the general state of consciousness considered independently of particular sensations, thoughts, etc.
-
a consciousness or vague awareness.
a feeling of inferiority.
-
an emotion or emotional perception or attitude.
a feeling of joy;
a feeling of sorrow.
- Synonyms:
- sentiment, sensitivity, tenderness, empathy, sympathy
- Antonyms:
- apathy
-
capacity for emotion, especially compassion.
The charity staff have great feeling for the sufferings of others.
-
a sentiment; attitude; opinion.
The general feeling was in favor of the proposal.
-
feelings, sensibilities; susceptibilities.
A harsh reply could hurt her feelings.
-
fine emotional endowment.
-
(in music, art, etc.)
-
emotion or sympathetic perception revealed by an artist in their work.
Though elegant, it was a poem without feeling.
-
the general impression conveyed by a work.
Landscape paintings with a spacious feeling are very popular in small homes.
-
sympathetic appreciation, as of music.
The pianist was known for his ability to play with feeling.
-
adjective
-
- Antonyms:
- cold
-
readily affected by emotion; sympathetic.
A feeling heart could not be unaffected by this tragic story.
- Synonyms:
- passionate, impassioned
-
indicating or characterized by emotion.
The defendant's speech gave a feeling reply to the charge.
noun
-
the sense of touch
-
-
the ability to experience physical sensations, such as heat, pain, etc
-
the sensation so experienced
-
-
a state of mind
-
a physical or mental impression
a feeling of warmth
-
fondness; sympathy
to have a great deal of feeling for someone
-
an ability to feel deeply
a person of feeling
-
a sentiment
a feeling that the project is feasible
-
an impression or mood; atmosphere
the feeling of a foreign city
-
an emotional disturbance, esp anger or dislike
a lot of bad feeling about the increase in taxes
-
intuitive appreciation and understanding
a feeling for words
-
sensibility in the performance of something
-
(plural) emotional or moral sensitivity, as in relation to principles or personal dignity (esp in the phrase hurt or injure the feelings of )
-
to be emotionally or sexually attracted to
adjective
-
sentient; sensitive
-
expressing or containing emotion
-
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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of feeling
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English; see origin at feel ( def. ), -ing 1 ( def. ), -ing 2 ( def. )
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.
Vocabulary lists containing feeling
Part 1 Vocabulary (Unit 2)
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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.
See Examples For:
Chef Isabel Coss described herself as someone who loves feeling “out of place.”
From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2026
Shein previously told the BBC that the impact of legislation targeting ultra-fast fashion would "worsen the purchasing power of French consumers, at a time when they are already feeling the impact of the cost-of-living crisis".
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
But when other people are taking care of business, that can, as you suggest, give beneficiaries a feeling of entitlement.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
Ms. Cline inhabits his thoughts in close third-person and though she writes in the past tense, her narration evokes an intimate, sometimes smothering feeling of presentness—of being confined within David’s immediate consciousness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
I climb under, feeling the warmth of the material, and of him, as he wraps both his arm and the woven cotton around me.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
The finale, “Vote 4 Paul Baker,” builds toward a big rom-com sequence: Anton races home with Issa to confess his feelings to Paul Baker.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
But because this is within your budget, I’d say that if this friendship is important to you, put your feelings of annoyance aside and attend.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
He was having "weird feelings" in his hand for a while but wrestled through the pain - until May last year when it got worse.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
This was measured by survey questions about students’ feelings of happiness, excitement, sadness and frustration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
I spat the words, wanting to lash out at someone, to feed the anger and cover up my hurt feelings.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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.
