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

Through back-and-forth-through-time storytelling, the film centers on Ryota’s emotional journey of honoring his late brother Sota’s legacy and overcoming his own pain to help elevate the team. —Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025

To mark the milestone, after performance No. 3,535, producer Jeffrey Seller invited all of them to the stage for a once-in-a-lifetime curtain call, drawing roaring applause and emotional ovations. —Dave Quinn, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025

Sometimes there’s been a long gap since the last session, and the actor must recall the emotional tone from the previous performance. —Nick Newman, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2025

This unexpected cohabitation brings emotional turmoil but also a new view on love and life for the retiree who had become stuck in his ways. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 7 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