adjectives and feelings
The English language would be very dull without adjectives. They dress up nouns whenever there is a need to punch things up a notch. With an adjective, that heartache someone is feeling is no longer just a heartache, it's a crippling heartache or debilitating heartache that is tearing them apart, or maybe just a small heartache that they'll get over quickly. Whenever you're speaking or writing, use words to describe feelings, emotions or tone to get your point across with a little extra oomph. When it's time to do so, call in the big dogs: the adjectives.
Adjectives accentuate the point
Adjectives help express the tone, feelings and emotions of words by accentuating the point. Consider the example of heartache above, it's not hard to see that it would be difficult to quickly ascertain how severe (or minor) a person's heartache is without the use of adjectives. Of course, context clues would eventually reveal more, but adjectives allow situations to be described succinctly. A person's feelings can sometimes be observed or experienced visibility. For example, the way a person smiles can reveal something about how they are feeling, such as that they're sad, mad, happy, or ecstatic. Feelings tend to house emotions, often amplifying a particular situation.
adjective for negative feelings
The comfortable girl flushed with embarrassment.
adjective for positive feelings
The delighted girl flushed with anticipation.
List of Descriptive Feeling Words
Some feelings are clearly positive or negative, while others depend on the rest of the sentence to make the meaning clear. Sharing a list of feeling words with kids can help youngsters learn how to express how their feelings. Grownups sometimes also need help.
Positive Feeling Words
Negative Feeling Words
Context-Specific Words
amazed
aggravated
anxious
attractive
awful
awestruck
bold
chilly
bashful
braved
ejected
cautious
bubbly
dirty
composed
cheerful
dread
fuleasy
going
comfortable
heavy
horrified
delightful
irritated
intelligent
excited
pessimistic
numbfestivetearful
puzzled
freetense
quizzical
jollyterribler
avenousoptimistic
tedious
reluctant
proud
ugly
settled
wonderful
weak
shy
Adjectives for Emotions
Emotions and feelings are very similar. In fact, the definition of feeling is to have an emotion. The only difference is that emotions tend to refer to that which isn't tangible or easily seen, while feelings are sometimes observable.
adjective for negative emotions
The miserable boy walked home in the rain.
adjective for positive emotions
The jubilant boy walked home in the rain.
List of Descriptive Tone Words
Discover some examples of words that convey positive and negative tones, along with some tone terms that could be positive or negative, depending on the context in which they are used.
Positive Tone Words
Negative Tone Words
Context-Specific Words
agreeable
annoyed
acerbicanimated
bitter
ambivalent
bright
disgruntled
ardent
clever
disgusted
candid
encouraging
evil
cautionary
fresh
guilty
conciliatory
gentle
hostile
knowledgeable
hopeful
hurtful
mysterious
kind
nasty
pragmatic
loving
obnoxious
regretful
open
oppressive
resigned
supportive
serene
satisfied
upbeat
selfish
sentimental
vivacioussours
surprised
List of Adjectives for Tone
A person's tone is often an indicator of their feelings or emotions, but it wouldn't be described with emotion or feeling words. Instead, words that describe tone focus on how the person's disposition or mood is conveyed. For example, describing tone can help clarify whether a statement or story is positive or negative.
adjective for a negative tone
Carla sarcastically stated that she is happy for Sarah.
adjective for a positive tone
Carla excitedly exclaimed that she is happy for Sarah.
List of Descriptive Adjective for Descriptive Writing
Hopefully, these tips will help you not only use words to describe feelings in your own conversations or writing but also teach them to your children or students. Using adjectives appropriately can enhance conversations and writing. While adjectives are on your mind, take the time to discover the many different types of adjectives. Then get to know other types of descriptive words, such as adverbs and gerunds.
