emotional

adjective

emo·​tion·​al i-ˈmō-sh(ə-)nəl 

1

: of or relating to emotion

an emotional disorder

2

: dominated by or prone to emotion

an emotional person

3

: appealing to or arousing emotion

an emotional sermon

4

: markedly aroused or agitated in feeling or sensibilities

gets emotional at weddings

emotionally

i-ˈmō-sh(ə-)nə-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• passionate
• passional
• warm
• intense
• religious
• fervent
• demonstrative

Examples of emotional in a Sentence

He's a very emotional person.

worship at revival meetings often takes a markedly emotional form

Recent Examples on the Web

McQueen countersued him on several claims as well, including libel, intentional infliction of emotional distress and intentional interference with contractual or business relationships. —Evan Mealins, The Tennessean, 10 Sep. 2025

While Towanda plans the wedding of her dreams, the family is rocked by medical emergencies, explosive emotional confrontations, and the fallout from a public scandal that threatens to divide them for good. —Charna Flam, People.com, 10 Sep. 2025

That had Vogt slightly emotional after the win on Tuesday. —Zack Meisel, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025

But most service impressions are shaped by System 1—the fast, intuitive, emotional response. —Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing emotional

• emotional blackmail
• emotional intelligence
• emotional quotient
• hyper-emotional

Rhymes for emotional

• devotional
• promotional
• motional
• notional
• unemotional

Kids Definition

emotional

adjective

emo·​tion·​al i-ˈmō-shnəl 

-shən-ᵊl

1

: of or relating to the emotions

an emotional upset

2

: likely to show or express emotion : easily moved

an emotional person

3

: causing one to feel emotion

an emotional speech

emotionally

-ē 

adverb