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 But a tidal wave of emotions pushed the words buried deep in his chest to the shores of his lips. Jonathan Horwitz, Oc Register, 20 June 2025 Prime already has a new AI tool that analyzes all radio communications from all teams for the entire race and surfaces interesting radio chatter based on certain categories (car performance, emotion, etc.). Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 19 June 2025 The narrative twist: the story is driven not by the characters themselves but by eight distinct emotions in their minds — comedic, romantic, bizarre, and rational. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 19 June 2025 The emerging British singer brought a lot of heart and emotion to the performance. Rosa Escandon, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for emotion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for emotion
Noun
  • Experts say this unpleasant feeling can be caused by irritation from synthetic extensions, a dehydrated scalp, and product buildup.
    Annie Blay-Tettey, Allure, 24 June 2025
  • Don't push aside important feelings just to keep things light and easy.
    Danijela Pilic, Glamour, 24 June 2025
Noun
  • Known for his breakout role in Snowfall, Idris brings intensity, precision, and charisma to a performance that demanded serious physical training, emotional depth, and even some real-life time on the track.
    Okla Jones, Essence, 27 June 2025
  • Rainfall of this intensity would only be expected around once in 100 years, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data.
    Brandon Miller, CNN Money, 26 June 2025
Noun
  • In the end, his story struck a chord with many navigating the complexities of blended families.
    Ashley Vega, People.com, 28 June 2025
  • Another collection that has struck a chord with consumers is the Love Knot collection.
    Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 28 June 2025
Noun
  • Late last week, some influential Democrats were saying that Lamont’s enthusiasm for his chief regulator may have cooled after PURA conceded destruction of the text messages.
    Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 29 June 2025
  • Throughout, the cast of 17 exudes an unmistakable enthusiasm for the material, the onstage electricity radiating up the alpine slopes of the Guthrie’s expansive Wurtele Thrust.
    Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 28 June 2025
Noun
  • There is not an American President—Bill Clinton, George H. W. or George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, or Donald Trump—who has dealt with Netanyahu and not, sooner or later, come away with a lingering sense of resentment.
    David Remnick, New Yorker, 21 June 2025
  • The writers and creators tried to play down that side and ramp up Lucy’s sense of agency.
    Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • Closing my eyes, I was flooded with the familiar warmth and the accompanying tug of distraction.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 June 2025
  • The warmth of the natural teak decks also complements the gleaming geometric forms of the hull and superstructure.
    Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • Imagine telling any of the women in that hairdressers shop that art should be untouched by national and political passion, particularly in time of war.
    Kamila Shamsie June 20, Literary Hub, 20 June 2025
  • In the four years my husband and I have been married, his distaste for the LGBTQ community has grown into a passion.
    Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 19 June 2025
Noun
  • The mayor has also called for peaceful protests and condemned any violence in reaction to immigration initiatives set in motion by the White House.
    Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 June 2025
  • The inclusion of Haiti in the U.N.’s report came after lobbying that what was occurring inside the country was more than just mere gang violence.
    Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 20 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Emotion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/emotion. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

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