We all go through many different emotions each day, even those we might not realize (and this includes grown-ups!). Understanding these feelings and the expressions on people’s faces is an important skill called emotional intelligence, which helps us navigate life effectively.
- Anger: A strong feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance.
- Anguish: Extreme mental or emotional suffering.
- Animosity: A feeling of ill will arousing active hostility.
- Annoyance: Slightly angry or irritated.
- Anticipation: An emotion involving pleasure, excitement, or anxiety in considering an expected event (with uncertain outcome).
- Anxiety: A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event with an uncertain outcome.
- Apathy: An absence of emotion or enthusiasm.
- Apprehension: Anxiety or fear about a possible unpleasant future event.
- Astonishment: Extremely surprising or impressive.
- Attachment: Affection, fondness, or sympathy for someone or something.
- Attraction: An interest, desire in, or gravitation to something or someone.
- Aversion: A strong dislike or disinclination.
- Awareness (Japanese): The bittersweetness of a brief, fading moment of transcendent beauty.
- Awe: A feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder.
- Awumbuk (from the Baining people, Papua New Guinea): Sadness, tiredness, or boredom experienced after the departure of visitors, friends, or relatives.
- Bafflement: When too many options, particularly those poorly arranged in a disorderly heap, make it hard to follow, or know which direction we should proceed, leaving us feeling frustrated, or angry, even bilious, but most of all exhausted by a surfeit of information which creates a sense of blockage and precipitates a feeling of existential angst for the random purposelessness of things (colloquial).
- Basorexia: The sudden urge to kiss someone.
- Bedgasm: A feeling of euphoria experienced when climbing into bed at the end of a very long day.
- Befuddlement: A hazy, confused feeling often caused by obscure words or incomplete lists.
- Bemusement: A feeling of mild confusion or gentle amusement.
- Bewilderment: A feeling of complete confusion or disorientation.
- Bitterness: A feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will.
- Bliss: A state of extreme happiness.
- Boredom: An emotional and occasionally psychological state experienced when an individual is left without anything in particular to do, is not interested in his or her surroundings, or feels that a day or period is dull or tedious.
- Brabant (coined by Douglas Adams and John Lloyd): A playful urge to see how far you can push someone or to see what would happen if…
- Calmness: A state of tranquility or peace, free from agitation or strong emotion.
- Carefreeness: The cheerful feeling you have when nothing is troubling you.
- Caring: Feeling and exhibiting concern and empathy for others.
- Cheerfulness: A feeling of spontaneous good spirits and optimism.
- Cheesed off: Greatly annoyed; out of patience (colloquial).
- Collywobbles, the: A feeling of nervous anxiety or unease.
- Comfort: A state of physical or psychological ease and well-being.
- Commuovere (Italian): A story that moves you to tears.
- Compassion: Empathetic concern for the suffering of others.
- Compersion: Feeling joy at the happiness of another person.
- Confidence: A feeling of trust or certainty in someone or something.
- Contempt: The feeling that something is worthless or deserving of scorn.
- Contentment: A state of peaceful satisfaction.
- Courage: The ability to face fear or difficulty.
- Craving: An intense longing or desire.
- Curiosity: A strong desire to learn or know.
- Cyberchondria: Anxiety about health fueled by internet searches.
- Cynicism: Distrustful or pessimistic attitude about human nature or motives.
- Defeat: The feeling of failure or loss.
- Delight: Great pleasure or joy.
- Dépaysement (French): The disorienting feeling of being in a foreign culture.
- Depression: A state of severe sadness and hopelessness.
- Desire: A strong wish for something or someone.
- Despair: The complete loss of hope.
- Devotion: Strong love or dedication.
- Disappointment: Feeling let down when expectations aren’t met.
- Discontentment: Dissatisfaction with one’s current situation.
- Discouragement: A feeling of hopelessness or loss of confidence.
- Disgruntlement: Mild annoyance or dissatisfaction.
- Disgust: A feeling of strong disapproval or revulsion.
- Dislike: A feeling of aversion or disapproval.
- Dismay: Sudden disappointment or distress.
- Displeasure: Mild annoyance or disapproval.
- Distaste: Strong dislike.
- Distraughtness: Extreme worry or emotional upset.
- Distress: Great suffering or anguish.
- Dolce far niente (Italian): The pleasure of relaxing and doing nothing.
- Doubt: A feeling of uncertainty or lack of belief.
- Dread: Intense fear or anxiety about something in the future.
- Duende (Spanish): The mysterious power of art to deeply move a person.
- Eagerness: Keen enthusiasm for something.
- Ecstasy: Overwhelming joy or excitement.
- Elation: Great happiness and exhilaration.
- Embarrassment: Feeling awkward or self-conscious.
- Empathy: The ability to understand and share another person’s feelings.
- Enthrallment: A feeling of fascination and wonder.
- Enthusiasm: Strong excitement and interest.
- Entrancement: Captivated by something beautiful or wondrous.
- Envy: Resentful longing for someone else’s possessions or qualities.
- Eudaimonia (Greek): A sense of fulfillment and happiness.
- Euphoria: Intense joy and excitement.
- Evighed (Danish): The eternity felt within a single moment.
- Exasperation: Intense irritation or annoyance.
- Excitement: A feeling of great enthusiasm and eagerness.
- Fago (Ifaluk): A mix of compassion, sadness, and love, often felt for someone vulnerable.
- Fear: Unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger.
- Feierabend (German): The festive feeling at the end of a workday.
- Fernweh (German): Homesickness for a place you’ve never been.
- Ferocity: Savage intensity or violence.
- Fiero (Italian): Pride in overcoming a difficult challenge.
- Forelsket (Norwegian): The euphoria of falling in love.
- Formal feeling, a (coined by Emily Dickinson): The fragile calmness after trauma or grief.
- Fraught: Worried or anxious (Note: this definition doesn’t align with its usual meaning)
- Fright: Sudden intense fear.
- Frustration: Feeling upset or annoyed by being unable to achieve something.
- Fury: Extreme or violent anger.
- Gaiety: A state of cheerful joy.
- Geborgenheit (German): Feeling completely safe and protected.
- Gezelligheid (Dutch): A feeling of coziness, warmth, and belonging.
- Gigil (Tagalog): The overwhelming urge to squeeze something cute.
- Gladness: Feeling joyful and pleased.
- Gleefulness: Full of exuberant joy.
- Gloom: A feeling of sadness and darkness.
- Grief: Deep sorrow, especially caused by loss.
- Gratitude: Being thankful and appreciative.
- Gratification: Satisfaction or pleasure.
- Gravitas (Latin): Seriousness, dignity, or authority.
- Greed: Intense desire for excess, especially wealth.
- Grief (Japanese – Mono no aware): Gentle sadness at the transience of things.
- Grumpiness: Being irritable or bad-tempered.
- Guilt: Feeling remorse for a wrongdoing.
- Hamingja (Old Norse): A mix of luck, destiny, and protective spirit.
- Happiness: The state of being happy.
- Hate: Intense dislike or hostility.
- Heartache: Emotional pain or sadness, usually due to loss of a loved one.
- Heartbreak: Grief, loss, sorrow
- Homesickness: Yearning, displacement, sense of belonging
- Hope: Anticipation, optimism, belief
- Hopelessness: Despair, resignation, futility
- Horror: Fear, shock, disgust
- Hostility: Aggression, resentment, opposition
- Humiliation: Shame, embarrassment, degradation
- Hysteria: Uncontrollable emotion, frenzy, panic
- Idealism: Unwavering belief (often impractical), aspiration
- Impatience: Restlessness, desire for immediacy
- Indifference: Apathy, lack of concern
- Insecurity: Self-doubt, vulnerability
- Insouciance: Carefree, unconcerned, nonchalant
- Insult: Disrespect, offense, slight
- Interest: Curiosity, engagement, focus
- Intimidation: Fear, threat, powerlessness
- Intrigue: Fascination, mystery, allure
- Irritation: Annoyance, exasperation
- Isolation: Loneliness, separation, detachment
- Itch (Spanish): Uncontrollable impulse, often negative connotation
- Jealousy: Envy, possessiveness, insecurity
- Jitters: Nervousness, unease, apprehension
- Jocundity: Playfulness, high spirits, lightheartedness
- Jollity: Festivity, cheerfulness
- Joy: Happiness, delight, elation
- Jubilation: Triumph, overwhelming joy
- Judgment: Discernment, critical thinking, evaluation
- Kindness: Benevolence, compassion, warmth
- Languor: Lethargy, dreaminess, relaxed tiredness
- Loneliness: Isolation, emptiness, longing for connection
- Longing: Yearning, desire, missing
- Love: Deep affection, care, profound connection
- Lust: Intense sexual desire, craving
- Malaise: Unease, discomfort, lack of well-being
- Melancholy: Sadness, pensiveness, introspection
- Mirth: Amusement, joyfulness, laughter
- Misery: Suffering, despair, anguish
- Mortification: Extreme embarrassment, shame
- Mourning: Grief (particularly after death), sorrow, ritual
- Naches (Yiddish): Parental pride, deep joy from a child
- Nervousness: Anxiety, worry, unease
- Nostalgia: Longing for the past, sentimental remembrance
- Oblivion: Unconsciousness, unawareness
- Obsession: Fixation, intrusive thoughts, compulsion
- Optimism: Hope, confidence, positive outlook
- Outrage: Extreme anger, indignation, shock
- Overwhelm: Overpowering sensation, feeling buried or submerged
- Pain: Physical/emotional suffering, discomfort
- Panic: Sudden intense fear, leading to chaotic behavior
- Paranoia: Unfounded suspicion, mistrust, fear
- Passion: Intense emotion, sometimes uncontrollable
- Patience: Tolerance for delay, ability to endure without upset
- Peace: Tranquility, freedom from disturbance
- Pity: Compassion for suffering
- Pleasure: Happiness, satisfaction, enjoyment
- Pride: Satisfaction in accomplishments (self or others)
- Rage: Intense, uncontrolled anger
- Rapture: Overwhelming joy, ecstasy
- Regret: Sadness, disappointment over past actions/events
- Relief: Relaxing release of tension or anxiety
- Remorse: Deep guilt over wrongdoing
- Resentment: Bitterness over perceived unfairness
- Resignation: Reluctant acceptance of the inevitable
- Restlessness: Inability to relax, often due to anxiety or boredom
- Reverence: Profound respect, awe
- Revulsion: Disgust, intense dislike
- Satisfaction: Contentment, fulfillment, gratification
- Schadenfreude (German): Malicious joy in another’s misfortune
- Self-loathing: Deep self-hatred, self-disgust
- Sentimentality: Proneness to nostalgia, tenderness, sometimes in excess
- Serenity: Calmness, peacefulness, tranquility
- Shame: Humiliation, embarrassment due to perceived wrongdoing
- Shock: Sudden disruption, amazement, often negative
- Sorrow: Deep sadness, grief, especially over loss
- Spite: Malice, desire to inflict harm or annoyance
- Stress: Mental/emotional strain from difficult circumstances
- Submission: Yielding to authority, surrendering control
- Surprise: Astonishment at the unexpected
- Suspicion: Doubt, mistrust, belief without strong evidence
- Sympathy: Understanding and sharing another’s suffering
- Tenderness: Gentleness, affection, warmth
- Terror: Intense, overwhelming fear
- Thankfulness: Gratitude, appreciation
- Trepidation: Nervousness, fear of potential future events
- Triumph: Victory, success, sense of great achievement
- Trust: Reliance, faith in someone/something
- Uncertainty: Doubt, lack of sureness
- Unhappiness: Sadness, lack of joy
- Unworthiness: Lack of self-respect, feeling undeserving
- Urgency: Immediate need, demanding action
- Vengefulness: Desire for retribution, getting even
- Vexation: Irritation, frustration, annoyance
- Vindication: Clearing of blame, justification
- Vulnerability: Openness to harm (physical or emotional)
- Warmth: Comfort, affection, friendliness
- Wistfulness: Regretful longing, often for past experiences
- Wonder: Amazement, awe, curiosity at the unexpected
- Worry: Anxiety, concern over potential problems
- Wrath: Intense fury, extreme anger
- Yearning: Deep longing, intense desire
- Zeal: Passionate enthusiasm, intense devotion
