Synonym Chooser

How is the word emotion distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of emotion are affection, feeling, passion, and sentiment. While all these words mean "a subjective response to a person, thing, or situation," 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 might affection be a better fit than emotion?

While in some cases nearly identical to emotion, affection applies to feelings that are also inclinations or likings.

a memoir of childhood filled with affection for her family

Where would feeling be a reasonable alternative to emotion?

The meanings of feeling and emotion largely overlap; however, 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 is it sensible to use passion instead of emotion?

While the synonyms passion and emotion are close in meaning, passion suggests a very powerful or controlling emotion.

revenge became his ruling passion

When is sentiment a more appropriate choice than emotion?

In some situations, the words sentiment and emotion are roughly equivalent. 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 emotion Mournful fatalism is the requisite emotion, even when mad fury would be more apt. Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025 Let vulnerability mirror the pace of the relationship, not just your emotions. Dominique Fluker, Essence, 21 Apr. 2025 Even in something as simple a 100 meter race, the entire kaleidoscope of human emotion comes into play. Carolyn Giardina, Variety, 21 Apr. 2025 More than fifty years ago, any semi-sentient being could recognize the dangers of forcing minors to work gruelling hours performing emotions for the delectation of large and unseen audiences, long before their brains had finished developing. Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for emotion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for emotion
Noun
  • Mummy Pig talks pregnancy, big feelings Kelce, also pregnant with her fourth daughter at the time, extended her congratulations and asked how Mummy Pig's other children, Peppa and George, were handling the news.
    Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
  • The changes leave many feeling vulnerable, as the Trump administration is stripping other services, including access to lawyers, for migrant children amid a broader immigration crackdown.
    Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The challenge isn't new, but the intensity is unprecedented.
    Tomás O’Leary, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
  • When the emotions get into it, and the intensity creeps up?
    Josh Yohe, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Nash’s honesty struck a chord, shedding light on how urban culture provided a foundation for his creativity on the court.
    Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 17 Apr. 2025
  • That included Parler, which aimed to strike a chord with conservative viewpoints, but then-former-President Donald Trump launched Truth Social.
    Peter Suciu, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The enthusiasm has spawned an industry that turns offal—a catchall term for an animal’s nonmuscular parts—into pill or powdered form.
    Valerie Trapp, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2025
  • With 10 other governors in the room, the bipartisan enthusiasm was clear: States are committed to expanding opportunities that give students real-world learning experiences and clear pathways to economic mobility.
    Sara Schapiro, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • In this sense, Biden’s brand of post-neoliberalism fed the body but not the soul.
    Jennifer M. Harris, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
  • In a sense, this ichor functioned like a power source or electricity, circulating through the robot’s bronze limbs and fueling his movements and actions.
    Sofia Giannuzzi, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The conversation revealed Francis' characteristic warmth and accessibility, moving many participants to tears.
    Doc Louallen, ABC News, 21 Apr. 2025
  • From red hair and circular blush at Coachella to the resurrection of minimal manicures for Easter, this week’s celebrity beauty moments were all about warmth and length for spring.
    India Espy-Jones, Essence, 21 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • His unique passions and experiences lead him to create works that truly resonate with his audience.
    Matt Emma, USA Today, 21 Apr. 2025
  • At age 14, Tom Schröder had no idea that his passion for sailing would lead him to an ocean odyssey spanning the globe.
    Katia Damborsky, Robb Report, 20 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Abby’s friends are nervous, even disgusted at this point, horrified at her capacity for violence.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
  • More than 1,700 people have been killed this year— 1,086 in February and March, according to the U.N. — in violence fueled by criminal groups trying to expand their territorial control and overthrow the government.
    Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Emotion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/emotion. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

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