Learning new vocabulary to describe emotions can be a tricky task in a second language. Use this guide to increase your vocabulary and to let others know exactly how you feel.
Happiness/Excitement
| blissful (blɪs fǝl) | full of, marked by, or causing complete happiness |
| bubbly (bᴧ bli) | full of or showing good spirits |
| delirious (dǝ liɚ i ǝs) | of, relating to, or characteristic of a frenzied excitement or an acute mental disturbance characterized by confused thinking and disrupted attention |
| ebullient (ɪ bʊl jǝnt) | lively and enthusiastic |
| effervescent (e fɚ vɛ sǝnt) | excited or lively |
| elated (ɪ leɪ tɪd) | very happy and excited |
| enthusiastic (en θu zi æ stɪk) | filled with or marked by a strong excitement of feeling or something inspiring zeal or fervor |
| euphoric (ju foɚ ɪk) | marked by a feeling of great happiness or excitement |
| excited (ek saɪ tɪd) | having, showing, or characterized by a heightened state of energy, enthusiasm, eagerness, etc. |
| exhilarated (ek zɪl ɚ eɪ dɪd) | cheerful and excited, refreshed and stimulated |
| exultant (ek zǝl tǝnt) | filled with or expressing great joy or triumph |
| happy (hæ pi) | feeling of pleasure and enjoyment |
| jubilant (ʤu bǝ lɪnt) | feeling or expressing great joy |
| pleased (plizd) | with pleasure or satisfaction |
| satisfied (sæ tǝs faɪd) | having a happy or pleased feeling because of something that you did or something that happened to you |
Sad/Negative Feelings
| depressed (dǝ prɛst) | low in spirits |
| despair (dǝ speɚ) | utter loss of hope, a cause of hopelessness |
| disappointed (dɪs ǝ poɪn tɪd) | defeated in expectation or hope |
| dismal (dɪz mǝl) | showing or causing gloom or depression |
| dissatisfied (dɪ sæ tɪs feɪd) | expressing or showing lack of satisfaction |
| distressed (dɪs trɛst) | feeling or showing extreme unhappiness or pain |
| glum (glᴧm) | sad |
| grief (grif) | deep sadness caused especially by someone’s death; a cause of deep sadness; trouble or annoyance |
| humiliated (hju mɪl i eɪ tɪd) | feelings of shame and embarrassment due to being reduced to a lower position in one’s own eyes or others’ eyes |
| hurt (hɝt) | feeling of physical or emotional pain or anguish |
| lugubrious (lǝ gu bri ᴧs) | mournful; exaggeratedly or affectedly mournful; dismal |
| morose (mǝ ros) | having a sullen and gloomy disposition; marked by or expressive of gloom |
| mournful (moɚn fᴧl) | expressing, causing, or full of sorrow |
| regretful (ri grɛt fᴧl) | feeling or showing regret; sad or disappointed |
| sad (sæd) | affected with or expressive of grief or unhappiness; depressing |
| somber (sam bɚ) | very sad and serious |
| sullen (sᴧ lɪn) | gloomily or resentfully silent or repressed, suggesting a sullen state |
| wounded (wun dɪd) | feeling emotional pain |
Anxiety/Worry
| anxious (æŋk ʃǝs) | worried, characterized by extreme uneasiness of mind or brooding fear about some contingency, characterized by/resulting from/causing anxiety, ardently or earnestly wishing |
| concerned (kᴧn sɝnd) | anxious, worried |
| desperate (dɛs prɪt) | having lost hope, moved by despair, suffering extreme need or anxiety |
| nervous (nɝ vǝs) | timid, apprehensive, uneasy, agitated |
| uneasy (ᴧn i zi) | apprehensive, worried, physical or mental discomfort |
Surprise/Wonder
| amazed (ǝ meɪzd) | feeling or showing great surprise or wonder |
| amused (ǝ mjuzt) | pleasantly entertained |
| astonished (ǝ sta nɪʃt) | feeling or showing great surprise or wonder |
| astounded (ǝ staʊn dɪd) | feeling or showing great surprise or wonder |
| blown away (blon ǝ weɪ) | impressed very strongly and usually favorably |
| dazzled (dæ zǝld) | impressed, overpowered, or confounded with brilliance |
| flabbergasted (flæ bɚ gæ stɪd) | overwhelmed with shock, surprise, or wonder |
| impressed (ɪm prɛst) | characterized by a feeling of admiration or interest |
| in awe (ɪn ɔ) | a strong feeling of fear or respect and also wonder |
| shocked (ʃɔkt) | very confused, upset, or exhausted because of something that has happened |
| surprised (sɚ praɪzd) | having or showing the feeling that people get when something unexpected or unusual happens |
Anger/Frustration
| aggravated (æ grǝ veɪ dɪd) | annoyed or bothered |
| aggrieved (ǝ grivd) | troubled or distressed in spirit |
| agitated (æ ʤǝ teɪ dɪd) | troubled in mind; disturbed and upset |
| angry (æŋ gri) | feeling or showing anger |
| anguished (æŋ gwɪʃt) | tormented; feeling of extreme pain, distress, or anxiety |
| annoyed (ǝ noɪd) | feeling or showing angry irritation |
| cross (kras) | annoyed or angry |
| exasperated (ek zæ spɚ eɪ tɪd) | very angry or annoyed |
| frustrated (frᴧ streɪ tɪd) | very angry, discouraged, or upset because of being unable to do or complete something |
| furious (fju ri ǝs) | very angry; very active or fast |
| grumpy (grᴧm pi) | moodily cross, surly |
| ill (ɪl) | angry (Southern) |
| livid (lɪ vɪd) | very angry |
| outraged (aʊt reɪʤd) | characterized by anger and resentment aroused by injury or insult |
Annoyed/A bee in your bonnet
| bilious (bɪ li ǝs) | of or indicative of a peevish ill-natured disposition |
| bothered (ba ðɚd) | feeling troubled, woried or concerned; annoyed; concerned with or about something |
| irked (ɝkt) | weary, irritated |
| irritable (iɚ ɪt ǝ bᴧl) | easily exasperated or excited, responsive to stimuli |
| irritated (iɚ ɪ teɪ tɪd) | subjected to irritation |
| miffed (mɪft) | in a bad mood, offended |
| peeved (pivd) | resentful |
Confusion
| baffled (bæ fǝld) | confused, frustrated |
| confounded (kᴧn faʊn dɪd) | confused, perplexed |
| confused (kᴧn fjuzd) | being perplexed or disconcerted; disoriented with regard to one’s sense of time, place, or identity; being disordered or mixed up |
| discombobulated (dɪs kǝm ba bju leɪ tɪd) | upset, confused |
| disconcerted (dɪs kǝn sɝ tɪd) | thrown into confusion |
| flummoxed (flᴧ mǝkst) | completely unable to understand |
| perplexed (pɚ plɛkst) | filled with uncertainty |
| stumped (stᴧmpt) | perplexed, baffled |
| stymied (staɪ mid) | presented with an obstacle or something standing in the way of |
| vexed (vɛkst) | annoyed or worried |
Fear
| afraid (ǝ freɪd) | filled with fear or apprehension |
| apprehensive (æp ri hɛn sɪv) | afraid that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen; feeling or showing fear or nervousness about the future |
| fearful (fiɚ fᴧl) | full of or inclined to fear |
| horrified (hoɚ ɪ faɪd) | shocked; full of a painful and intense fear, dread, or dismay |
| scared (skeɚd) | afraid of something; nervous or frightened |
| terrified (tɝ ɪ feɪd) | extremely afraid |
Interest (or Lack Thereof)
| bored (boɚd) | filled with or characterized by boredom |
| curious (kjɝ i ǝs) | marked by desire to investigate and learn |
| fascinated (fæ sɪ neɪ tɪd) | transfixed and held spellbound by an irresistible power, interested in |
| interested (ɪn trɪ stɪd) | wanting to learn more about something or to become involved in something; having the desire to do or have something |
The Gravity of the Situation
| flippant (flɪp ǝnt) | lacking proper respect or seriousness |
| grave (greɪv) | very serious, requiring or causing serious thought or concern |
| serious (sir i jǝs) | not joking or funny; giving a lot of attention or energy to something |
| sober (soʊ bɚ) | having or showing a very serious attitude or quality; not drunk |
Making Decisions and Getting Things Done
| ambivalent (æm bɪ vǝ lɪnt) | having or showing simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings toward something or someone |
| confident (kan fɪ dɛnt) | full of conviction, certain, having or showing assurance and self-reliance |
| determined (dɪ tɚ mɪnd) | characterized by a firm or fixed intention to achieve a desired end |
| discouraged (dɪs kɝ ɪʤd) | feeling less determined, hopeful, or confident |
| steadfast (stɛd fæst) | firm in belief, determination, or adherence |
| timid (tɪ mɪd) | lacking in courage or self-confidence; lacking in boldness or determination |
Energy
| effusive (ɪ fju sɪv) | expressing a lot of emotion |
| ennui (an wi) | a lack of spirit, enthusiasm, or interest |
| exhausted (ek zɔ stɪd) | completely or almost completely depleted or energy, extremely tired |
| fervid (fɝ vɪd) | marked by extreme intensity of feeling or expression |
| invigorated (ɪn vɪ goɚ eɪ tɪd) | given life and energy |
| lethargic (lǝ θar ʤɪk) | feeling a lack of energy or a lack of interest in doing things |
| overexerted (oʊ vɚ ek zɝ dɪd) | tired out due to great or sustained effort |
| overwhelmed (oʊ vɚ wɛlmd) | affected very strongly, a feeling of having too many things to deal with |
| pooped (pupt) | tired out, exhausted (slang) |
| refreshed (rǝ frɛʃt) | with restored strength and animation |
| tired (taɪ jɚd) | feeling a need to rest or sleep; bored or annoyed by something because you have heard it, seen it, done it, etc. for a long time |
Attitude
| grateful (greɪt fᴧl) | feeling or showing thanks |
| hopeful (hop fᴧl) | full of hope |
| impatient (ɪm peɪ ʃǝnt) | not willing to wait for something or someone; wanting or eager to do something without waiting |
| optimistic (ap tǝ mɪs tɪk) | feeling or showing hope for the future |
| patient (peɪ ʃǝnt) | not hasty or impetuous; steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity; bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint |
| pessimistic (pɛ sǝ mɪs tɪk) | of, relating to, or characterized by an inclination to emphasize adverse aspects, conditions, and possibilities or to expect the worse possible outcome |
| proud (praʊd) | having or displaying excessive self-esteem, pleased, or having proper self-respect |
| staid (steɪd) | marked by settled sedateness and often prim self-restraint |
| stubborn (stᴧ bɚn) | unreasonably or perfersely unyielding |
| thankful (θænk fᴧl) | glad that something has happened or not happened, that something or someone exists, etc. |
Attitudes Towards Others
| arrogant (er ǝ gɪnt) | exaggerating or disposed to exaggerate one’s own worth or importance often by an overbearing manner, showing an offensive attitude of superiority |
| betrayed (bǝ treɪd) | treacherously abandoned, deserted, or mistreated |
| churlish (ʧɝ lɪʃ) | marked by a lack of civility or graciousness, difficult to work with or deal with |
| condescend (kan dǝ sɛnd) | to assume an air of superiority, to descent to a less formal or dignified level |
| contemptuous (kᴧn tɛm ʧu ǝs) | manifesting, feeling, or expressing deep hatred or disapproval |
| disdainful (dɪs deɪn fᴧl) | full of or expressing contempt for someone or something regarded as unworthy or inferior |
| embarrassed (ɪm ber ǝst) | feelings of confusion and foolishness in front of other people |
| empathy (em pǝ θt) | a feeling that you understand and share another person’s experiences and emotions |
| envious (en vi ǝs) | feeling or showing painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another with a desire to possess the same advantage |
| gracious (greɪ ʃǝs) | very polite in a way that shows respect |
| haughty (hɔ ti) | blatantly and disdainfully proud, having or showing an attitude of superiority and contempt for people or things perceived to be inferior |
| jealous (ʤɛl ǝs) | hostile toward a rival or one believed to enjoy an advantage; intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness; vigilant in guarding a possession |
| offended (ǝ fɛn dɪd) | feeling hurt, angry, or upset by something said or done |
| resentful (re zɛnt fᴧl) | full of a feeling of indignant displeasure or persistent ill will at something regarded as a wrong, insult, or injury |
| scorn (skoɚn) | open dislike and disrespect or derision often mixed with indignation; an object of extreme disdain, contempt, or derision |
| scornful (skoɚn fǝl) | full of scorn; contemptuous |
| smug (smǝg) | highly self-satisfied |
| supercilious (su pɚ sɪ li ǝs) | coolly and patronizingly haughty |
| surly (sɝ li) | irritably sullen and churlish in mood or manner |
| sympathetic (sɪm pǝ θɛ tɪk) | feeling or showing concern about someone who is in a bad situation |
When People Do Bad Things
| ashamed (ǝ ʃeɪmd) | feeling shame, guilt, or disgrace; reluctant or unwilling to do something because of shame or embarrassment |
| culpable (kᴧl pǝ bǝl) | guilty, meriting condemnation or blame especially as wrong or harmful |
| guilty (gɪl ti) | feeling bad because you have done something bad or wrong or because you believe you have done something bad or wrong |
| suspicious (sǝ spɪ ʃǝs) | having or showing a feeling that something is wrong or that someone is behaving wrongly |
Sexual
| horny (hoɚ ni) | excited sexually |
| lecherous (lɛ ʧɚ ǝs) | having or showing an excessive or disgusting interest in sex |
| salacious (sǝ leɪ ʃᴧs) | arousing or appealing to sexual desire or imagination; lecherous |
| titillated (tɪ tǝ leɪ dɪd) | interested or excited in an enjoyable and often sexual way |
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