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

The former couple, who share son Sasha and daughter Kai, revealed that Sasha left home for college in emotional tributes shared on Instagram. —Edward Segarra, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025

This all comes a few days after another emotional moment from the Queen during a VJD service. —Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 22 Aug. 2025

Waldron, a former Everton season ticket holder, has played a key role since the project’s inception and the Roma fixture was an emotional moment for her and the many others who helped getting the Merseyside club to this point. —Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2025

Humor and lightness not only sustain attraction but also reinforce emotional safety. —Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 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