emotional

adjective

emo·​tion·​al i-ˈmō-sh(ə-)nəl How to pronounce emotional (audio)
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 adverb

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 At the time, tending to the emotional needs of a dog in a kennel was considered novel. Sam Apple, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Still, being their guide and emotional support wore me out. Sahaj Kaur Kohli, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 As Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith’s score gradually evolves from needling electronica into more emotional, melodic moods, Zoya starts to see things differently, devoting more of her remaining time to her family and reaffirming her gratitude for what each of them has given her. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024 But even if anger–a propulsive feeling central to human nature–is the motivation for whistleblowing, people like John Barnett are doing it to also benefit the public at extreme personal, financial, and emotional costs. Ariella Steinhorn, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024 Artists like Sam Barber, Mae Estes, Dylan Gossett and Wyatt Flores are creating music that is emotional and emotive, and speaks to real-life experiences that fans want to hear and devour right now. Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2024 James Crumbley appeared to become emotional while the video played and looked away. Gina Kaufman, Detroit Free Press, 12 Mar. 2024 The women around me, their work ethic, their independence, their intelligence, their emotional intellect, all of it. Danielle Directo-Meston, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Mar. 2024 The transfer of wealth from one generation to the next is a complex, multi-layered, emotional event. Jack Kelly, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'emotional.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of emotional was in 1834

Dictionary Entries Near emotional

Cite this Entry

“Emotional.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emotional. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

emotional

adjective
emo·​tion·​al i-ˈmō-shnəl How to pronounce emotional (audio)
-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 adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on emotional

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