FEELING Synonyms: 386 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'feeling' distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of feeling are affection , emotion , passion , and sentiment . While all these words mean "a subjective response to a person, thing, or situation," feeling denotes any partly mental, partly physical response marked by pleasure, pain, attraction, or repulsion; it may suggest the mere existence of a response but imply nothing about the nature or intensity of it. // the feelings that once moved me are gone

Q: When can 'affection' be used instead of 'feeling'?

The words affection and feeling can be used in similar contexts, but affection applies to feelings that are also inclinations or likings. // a memoir of childhood filled with affection for her family

Q: How do 'emotion' and 'feeling' relate to one another?

Emotion carries a strong implication of excitement or agitation but, like feeling , encompasses both positive and negative responses. // the drama portrays the emotions of adolescence

Q: When could 'passion' be used to replace 'feeling'?

The words passion and feeling are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, passion suggests a very powerful or controlling emotion. // revenge became his ruling passion

Q: When might 'sentiment' be a better fit than 'feeling'?

The meanings of sentiment and feeling largely overlap; however, sentiment often implies an emotion inspired by an idea. // her feminist sentiments are well known

feeling 1 of 3

noun

ˈfē-liŋ

Definition of feeling

as in emotion

a subjective response to a person, thing, or situation an overall feeling of happiness about their new home

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in passions

feelings plural general emotional condition a remark that thoughtlessly hurt her feelings

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as in belief

an idea that is believed to be true or valid without positive knowledge an interesting think piece in which the congresswoman expressed her feelings about our nation's most pressing problems

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

fact
truth

as in feel

an indefinite physical response to a stimulus that odd feeling of forward movement you get when the parked car next to you backs out

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in sympathy

sorrow or the capacity to feel sorrow for another's suffering or misfortune a rich person without much feeling for those who are less fortunate

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in kindness

the capacity for feeling for another's unhappiness or misfortune a woman of great feeling, the princess wanted to use her status and influence to help the needy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

feeling

2 of 3

adjective

as in loving

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

feeling

3 of 3

verb

present participle of feel

as in sensing

to have a vague awareness of I feel trouble brewing in the town

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as in touching

to come into bodily contact with (something) so as to perceive a slight pressure on the skin feel this blanket and perceive how soft it is

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as in experiencing

to come to a knowledge of (something) by living through it with the birth of their first child the couple came to feel true happiness for the first time

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in thinking

to have as an opinion I just feel that we haven't explored all of our options for raising funds

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in fumbling

to search for something blindly or uncertainly the sudden blackout had us feeling around in the dark for a flashlight

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as in seeming

to give the impression of being it felt like a good idea at the time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word feeling distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of feeling are affection, emotion, passion, and sentiment. While all these words mean "a subjective response to a person, thing, or situation," feeling denotes any partly mental, partly physical response marked by pleasure, pain, attraction, or repulsion; it may suggest the mere existence of a response but imply nothing about the nature or intensity of it.

the feelings that once moved me are gone

When can affection be used instead of feeling?

The words affection and feeling can be used in similar contexts, but affection applies to feelings that are also inclinations or likings.

a memoir of childhood filled with affection for her family

How do emotion and feeling relate to one another?

Emotion carries a strong implication of excitement or agitation but, like feeling, encompasses both positive and negative responses.

the drama portrays the emotions of adolescence

When could passion be used to replace feeling?

The words passion and feeling are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, passion suggests a very powerful or controlling emotion.

revenge became his ruling passion

When might sentiment be a better fit than feeling?

The meanings of sentiment and feeling largely overlap; however, sentiment often implies an emotion inspired by an idea.

her feminist sentiments are well known

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of feeling

Noun

The depth in Krish and Vaani’s relationship, the everlasting feeling, the innocence, and the magic wouldn’t be the same without the songs. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 18 July 2026 The noise, the storytelling, the feeling, the multiple angles of everything, by a thousand. — Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026

Verb

For many, waiting means greater financial stability and feeling more ready for parenthood. — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 20 July 2026 The states, though, focused on theatrical and cable markets, arguing that consolidation impacts theater owners and cable distributors, with consumers ultimately feeling the impact. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 20 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for feeling

Recent Examples of Synonyms for feeling

Noun

As someone who fed on emotion and belonging throughout his career, Keegan had always felt the pull of Newcastle United, the club of his father.

— James Pearce, New York Times, 22 July 2026
The testimony elicited visible emotion from Celeste’s family — her mother wiped away tears — who remained in court throughout the testimony.

— Madeline Morrison, NBC news, 22 July 2026

Definition of emotion

Noun

Perkins, 39, has exemplified how a creator can expand their reach while staying true to their heritage and passions.

— Kara Nesvig, Time, 14 July 2026
Sanz appeared on all four seasons of Born This Way, which followed the lives of seven adults with Down syndrome pursuing their various passions and career goals.

— Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 8 July 2026

Definition of passions

Noun

For many Colombians, the attack on Uribe Turbay shattered the belief that the country had largely left behind the era when presidential candidates routinely became targets of political violence.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 21 July 2026
As the league emerges from this summer of soccer, however, there is a strong belief that missing the immediate moment shouldn’t mean missing the bigger picture.

— Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 21 July 2026

Definition of belief

Noun

This style comes in my all-time favorite Alosoft fabric, which is smooth, soft, and stretchy, with a lightweight feel that won’t weigh me down on morning hikes or cobblestone schleps.

— Olivia Cigliano, InStyle, 18 July 2026
The theater has wind, water, fog, scent, snow, lightning, and vibration effects to capture the feel of being inside the movie.

— Zuri Primos July 18, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2026

Definition of feel

Noun

Pannakara’s discourses on mindfulness and kindness in churchyards, town squares and in front of the Lincoln Memorial drew large, diverse crowds.

— Deepa Bharath, Fortune, 17 July 2026
Guitars take the place of shovels, as Henry now repays Carlos’ kindness by helping to save the land that Carlos assumes is ravaged.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026

Definition of kindness

Verb

The systems are intended to support detection and tracking across a range of threats and missions, strengthening the sensing capabilities available to ships at sea.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 July 2026
Researchers have tried to solve this problem by adding separate sensing layers to the grippers, which gives robots a better sense of touch.

— Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 20 July 2026

Definition of sensing

Articles Related to feeling

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Style

“Feeling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/feeling. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of feeling

noun

adjective

verb

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