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

They are then adopted out to be a pet or are placed in police, fire and EMS stations to provide emotional support. —Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025

The vote dashed the hopes of those with the 156-year-old Art Academy, who gave emotional pleas in recent weeks to city leaders for help. —Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 30 July 2025

Though the moment can be emotional, Bader expressed excitement for Paddack. —Dan Hayes, New York Times, 29 July 2025

The former reality star, 37, took to social media on Tuesday, July 29 to share a lengthy, emotional message about her father, whose real name was Terry Bollea. —Julie Mazziotta, People.com, 29 July 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