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Describe feelings accurately
Language for moods and reactions you can sense but can't name. Emotional precision — the difference between uneasy and apprehensive.
Words worth knowing
- melancholy
noun · C1 · Advanced
a feeling of thoughtful sadness
- angry
adjective · B1 · Intermediate
feeling or showing anger
- despise
verb · C1 · Advanced
look down on with disdain
- afraid
adjective · B1 · Intermediate
filled with fear or apprehension
- surprised
adjective · B1 · Intermediate
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
- grateful
adjective · B2 · Upper Intermediate
feeling or showing gratitude
- weary
verb · C1 · Advanced
exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
- curious
adjective · B2 · Upper Intermediate
eager to investigate and learn or learn more (sometimes about others' concerns)
- vulnerable
adjective · B2 · Upper Intermediate
susceptible to attack
- bold
adjective · B1 · Intermediate
fearless and daring
- uneasy
adjective · C1 · Advanced
lacking a sense of security or affording no ease or reassurance
- longing
noun · C1 · Advanced
prolonged unfulfilled desire or need
- happy
adjective · A2 · Elementary
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
- sad
adjective · B1 · Intermediate
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
- tender
adjective · B1 · Intermediate
given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
- resent
verb · C1 · Advanced
feel bitter or indignant about
Packs for this goal
- Words for Feelings You Can't Explain
Find the words for emotions, experiences, relationships, and states of mind that are difficult to put into words.
Lessons for this goal
- 50 Better Words for “Good” (Grouped by What You Actually Mean)
Replace the overused word “good” with sharper alternatives, grouped by meaning and register, with example sentences.
- 40 Better Words for “Beautiful” (and When to Use Each)
Find the right alternative to “beautiful” for people, places, art, or ideas, grouped by tone and context.
- Building a Richer Emotional Vocabulary
Move beyond “happy,” “sad,” and “angry” with a grouped set of precise emotional vocabulary and usage notes.
- 35 Better Words for “Bad” (Grouped by What You Mean)
“Bad” covers everything from a rainy day to a moral catastrophe. Here are 35 sharper alternatives, grouped by the kind of bad you actually mean.