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 of emotional

• 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

Venus enters Libra and your 8th House of Intimacy and Shared Resources, bringing more grace to vulnerability, emotional exchange, and private bonds. — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026

The teens were debating what to do if a student in crisis tries to use a school chatbot for emotional support. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 5 Aug. 2026

The show acknowledges the two histories aren’t equivalent yet invokes the comparison anyway, congratulating itself for recognizing the distinction while still harvesting the emotional weight of the analogy. — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2026

The poem seems to chart the character’s emotional journey, but does so in a very enigmatic, elliptical way — kind of like how poetry works. — Daniel D'addario, Variety, 5 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing emotional

• emotional blackmail
• emotional intelligence
• emotional quotient
• emotional support animal
• 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