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 The films form a trio of emotional studies of adolescence shaped by grief. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2026 Health & Wellness Improving physical, mental, and emotional well-being. — Time, 15 Oct. 2026 Schacter explains that positive friendships are associated with better emotional well-being, while negative peer experiences are linked with greater risks for mental health difficulties. — Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026 Officers held an emotional sendoff for the employees, women who worked in the records department in non-sworn positions. — Veronica MacIas, CBS News, 15 Oct. 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
  • Fans were insanely passionate and regionally focused, and the game reflected that.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Seeing what resonates with consumers and how that translates into numbers is something Fields has long been passionate about.
    — Colleen McKown, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of passionate
Adjective
  • That Langley’s song has resonated to this extent without hardly any remixes or chart-boosting gimmicks makes the classic-meets-contemporary song all the more impressive.
    — Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Flaco the owl became a celebrity Central Park resident, with breathless news coverage of Flaco’s impressive self-preservation skills and, eventually, mournful obituaries when Flaco died after flying into a building.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of impressive
Adjective
  • Harjo and his team — including directors Scott Teems and Rafael Casal, who also plays Francis’ stepdad — have an affectionate eye for Oklahoma and its people.
    — Alison Herman, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The first five conditions describe any lasting affectionate bond, such as a close friendship.
    — Pascal Vrticka, Scientific American, 4 Oct. 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
  • Kalind, the younger brother of a bonobo named Kevin, was the more excitable and playful of the two.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Hailing from San Antonio, Texas, Deanna is a proud mother of three and an excitable introvert.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of excitable
Adjective
  • Motherhood may not have been her calling, but Sabrina Popo was a loving and affectionate grandmother.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
  • God is the one divine Mind, and what God knows is what’s real – including each of us as His creation, spiritual, loving, whole, and helpful.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of loving
Adjective
  • The song is a dreamy barn-raiser, hoisting this premise on warm guitar tones and a plaintive tone that proves a through-line throughout the record.
    — Linnie Greene, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2026
  • After another warm weekend, with widespread high temperatures in the 80s, California is set for a real cooldown this week.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of warm
Adjective
  • An unopened box may look exciting when it is surrounded by balloons, friends and the smell of cake.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
  • They're packaged quite perfectly for gift-giving in a gift set of four mini bars that are just as exciting to unwrap as an (edible) holiday treat.
    — Kate Kassin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 17 Oct. 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 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

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

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All