emotional

adjective

i-ˈmō-sh(ə-)nəl How to pronounce emotional (audio)
Definition of emotionalnext
1
as in passionate
having or expressing great depth of feeling worship at revival meetings often takes a markedly emotional form

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in impressive
having the power to affect the feelings or sympathies in one emotional scene in the movie the boy must say goodbye to his extraterrestrial friend

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in affectionate
showing feeling freely the fact that he is not a very emotional person does not mean that he is not a loving, caring father

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of emotional Looking up patients on Facebook or Instagram, seeing what their lives were like before sickness and death, can create emotional attachments that make a difficult job even harder. — Michael Collins, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 One juror is also wiping her eyes and appears to be crying, and two other female jurors appear to look emotional, as well. — Sumiko Corley, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026 Other emotional stumbling blocks include a lack of bandwidth for any more bad news. — Elissa Strauss, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026 Both Walter and Lefever have pleaded not guilty to three counts of chronic neglect of a child causing great bodily harm and two counts of chronic neglect of a child causing emotional damage, his online records show. — Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for emotional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for emotional
  1. passionate
  2. impressive
  3. affectionate
  4. passional
  5. excitable
  6. loving
  7. warm
  8. exciting
Adjective
  • Over the last six months of development, Carla has certainly proved to be a passionate writer and producer.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Three decades removed, Westwood is still a cinematic ghost town that passionate film lovers are trying to revive.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of passionate
Adjective
  • The most impressive trick Paranormal Activity pulls off is making an entire theater — devotees and newcomers alike — afraid to look away, and giving them one hell of a good time while doing it.
    — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The ingredients are impressive, but the shopper reviews are even better.
    — Reece Andavolgyi, InStyle, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of impressive
Adjective
  • Nina is an affectionate cat who loves to be around people, according to Our Companions Animal Rescue.
    — Our Companions, Hartford Courant, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The affectionate couple was spotted holding hands and at one point sharing a steamy kiss on their outing.
    — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of affectionate
Adjective
  • At Fox, Collier became known for his passional embrace of blockchain, NFTs and the whole Web3 space.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 10 Nov. 2022
Definition of passional
Adjective
  • Ross doesn’t tend towards punch-the-air climaxes—just warm, excitable builds.
    — Shaad D’Souza, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Shaffelburg’s boundless enthusiasm and high work rate led one LAFC staffer to liken him to an excitable golden retriever, a comparison the player did not challenge.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of excitable
Adjective
  • But the role of the group chat is, just as often, to subject one another to a loving humbling.
    — Hanif Abdurraqib, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The Italian mother who is a loving mother, a mother hen who cooks well.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of loving
Adjective
  • Thanks to warm, dry and windy conditions, the fire — named Smokehouse Creek fire — rapidly spread, becoming the largest fire in Texas history.
    — Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
  • At a little under two feet, the can’t-miss fixture spreads a warm light that creates a welcoming atmosphere for reading, relaxing, or sharing drinks without harsh overhead lighting or a spindly, corner-lurking, fluorescent presence.
    — Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of warm
Adjective
  • That performance and a handful of others leads the way as the UFC wrapped up an exciting event from Shanghai.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • While a lot of the shorts are fully animated, the parts where this cartoon interacts with the real world were the most exciting then and are still a delight now.
    — James Grebey, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of exciting

Browse Nearby Words

emotion
emotional
emotionalism
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Emotional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/emotional. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All