Words for Difficult Feelings
Careful words for grief, worry, anger and everything heavy.
Hard feelings are easier to talk about when you have the right word for them. These are honest, non-clinical words for the states people usually describe as 'fine'.
20 words
grief
noun
Intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death).
dread
verb
Be afraid or scared of; be frightened of.
“I fear the winters in Moscow”
resentment
noun
A feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will.
loneliness
noun
The state of being alone in solitary isolation.
shame
noun
A painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt.
frustration
noun
The feeling that accompanies an experience of being thwarted in attaining your goals.
despair
noun
A state in which all hope is lost or absent.
“in the depths of despair”
melancholy
noun
A feeling of thoughtful sadness.
regret
verb
Feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about.
anguish
noun
Extreme mental distress.
exhausted
adjective
Depleted of energy, force, or strength.
“impossible to grow tobacco on the exhausted soil”
bitter
noun
English term for a dry sharp-tasting ale with strong flavor of hops (usually on draft).
inadequate
adjective
Lacking the requisite qualities or resources to meet a task.
“inadequate training”
brooding
noun
Sitting on eggs so as to hatch them by the warmth of the body.
sorrow
noun
An emotion of great sadness associated with loss or bereavement.
“he tried to express his sorrow at her loss”
numb
verb
Make numb or insensitive.
“The shock numbed her senses”
remorse
noun
A feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed).
trepidation
noun
A feeling of alarm or dread.
turmoil
noun
A violent disturbance.
“the convulsions of the stock market”
desolate
verb
Leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch.
“The mother deserted her children”