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

All three began to cry, setting off an emotional chain reaction on the judging panel. —Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Nov. 2025

Osbourne’s wife, Sharon, and two children, Jack and Kelly, offered an emotional recap of the final months of the musician’s life, sharing new details about his myriad medical issues and determination to play one last gig. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 12 Nov. 2025

WeRise elevates the inner and outer worlds [with] physical fitness via workouts, shifting identity, healing, confidence, emotional resilience and stepping into power. —Emily Burns, Footwear News, 12 Nov. 2025

Discussing the pain of that loss is the only time Murphy’s face grows emotional in the new film. —Janine Rubenstein, PEOPLE, 12 Nov. 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