Emotions Vocabulary in English: List with Examples

Introduction to Emotions Vocabulary in English

Talking about feelings clearly helps learners build better conversations, presentations, and exam answers.

This classroom-ready guide develops emotions vocabulary English learners need, combining a practical feelings words list with example sentences, collocations, and easy visual ideas.

It’s designed for quick lesson planning and self-study, and it ends with a short exercise set for ESL vocabulary emotions practice.

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How to Use This Guide

• Learn in families. Words are grouped by positive, negative, and nuanced emotions.
• Notice intensity. Many feelings have weaker and stronger forms (e.g., annoyed → angry → furious).
• Add collocations. Pair feelings with common verbs and prepositions (e.g., feel proud of, worried about).
• Use the Dictionary. If you're unsure, try our free dictionary for quick understanding.

Positive Emotions (Confident Speaking)

Core words and examples

• happy — She felt happy after the good news.
• joyful — The team were joyful when the results came in.
• pleased — I’m pleased with your progress this term.
• content — He seemed content after moving house.
• relieved — We were relieved to catch the last train.
• proud (of) — She’s proud of her final project.
• grateful (for) — I’m grateful for your help today.
• confident (about) — He’s confident about the interview.
• optimistic — They’re optimistic about the future.
• amused — The class were amused by the story.

Teacher tip: Practise short “because” clauses to justify feelings: I’m relieved because the exam is finished.

Green header “Positive”, 10 cards with emoji-style faces and a one-line example.

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Negative Emotions (Clear but Polite Language)

Everyday classroom words

• sad / upset — She looked sad after the phone call.
• disappointed (in/with/about) — We were disappointed with the result.
• frustrated (by/with) — He felt frustrated by the delay.
• annoyed (with/at) — I’m annoyed at the noise next door.
• angry — They were angry about the decision.
• furious — Fans were furious after the match.
• worried (about) — Parents are worried about safety.
• anxious (about) — I’m anxious about public speaking.
• afraid / scared (of) — She’s scared of flying.
• terrified (of) — He is terrified of heights.

Intensity ladder:
annoyed → angry → furious | worried → anxious → terrified | sad → upset → heartbroken

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Nuanced & Complex Emotions (Natural English)

Subtle feelings for richer expression

• surprised / shocked — I was surprised by the result; they were shocked by the news.
• curious (about) — I’m curious about your research topic.
• sceptical (about) — He’s sceptical about the plan.
• conflicted (about) — She feels conflicted about moving abroad.
• ambivalent — He’s ambivalent about the offer.
• overwhelmed (by/with) — I’m overwhelmed with work this week.
• nostalgic (for/about) — The music made us nostalgic for school days.
• bittersweet — Graduation felt bittersweet.
• embarrassed (about) — I was embarrassed about my mistake.
• ashamed (of) — He felt ashamed of his behaviour.
• guilty (about) — She felt guilty about forgetting the meeting.
• lonely — He felt lonely after moving city.
• bored / indifferent — They looked bored and indifferent in class.
• empathetic / compassionate — She was empathetic towards the new student.

Collocations to model: feel + adjective, be + adjective about, make + object + adjective:
The news made her anxious; He felt relieved; They were proud of the result.

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Talking About Emotions in Context

Sentence frames

• I feel [emotion] when… I feel confident when I’ve practised.
• I’m [emotion] about… I’m anxious about the exam.
• It makes me [emotion] when… It makes me proud when students succeed.
• I was [emotion] to + verb… I was delighted to meet you.
• [Situation], so I felt [emotion]. It rained all day, so I felt miserable.

Useful adverbs (degree and tone)

• slightly, a bit, rather, quite, very, extremely, absolutely
  I’m a bit worried. | She’s absolutely furious.
  Note: use absolutely with strong non-gradable adjectives: absolutely delighted / furious.

Polite classroom language

• I’m afraid I don’t agree.
• I’m not comfortable with that idea.
• I appreciate your feedback — I feel a little unsure about…

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Positive → Stronger

Negative → Stronger

Conclusion & Next Steps

A wider emotions vocabulary English helps learners express opinions, manage discussions, and write stronger exam answers.

Build your personal feelings words list, practise with sentence frames, and notice intensity so you can choose the right level. Keep revising little and often, and emotions language will become natural.

Explore more in our Vocabulary pages by clicking last/next article below👇

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Glossary Section

• emotion (n.) — a strong feeling such as happiness, anger, or fear.
• feeling (n.) — your emotional state at a particular time.
• mood (n.) — a general emotional state that can last for hours or days.
• intensity (n.) — how strong a feeling is.
• trigger (n.) — something that causes a feeling or reaction.
• regulate (v.) — to manage or control your emotions.
• empathy (n.) — understanding another person’s feelings.
• sympathy (n.) — caring and concern for someone’s problems.
• collocation (n.) — words that often go together (e.g., proud of).
• reassure (v.) — to make someone feel less worried or afraid.

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Practice What You Learned

Questions

1. Multiple choice: Which set shows increasing intensity?
   A) happy → content → joyful
   B) worried → anxious → terrified
   C) annoyed → embarrassed → furious
   D) surprised → amused → proud
2. True/False: Ambivalent means very sure about something.
3. Short answer: Write one sentence using proud of and another using worried about.
4. Multiple choice: Which sentence is best for a strong emotion?
   A) I’m slightly angry.
   B) I’m extremely annoyed.
   C) I’m absolutely furious.
   D) I’m quite happy.
5. Gap fill: Complete with an adverb:
   “I’m ______ relieved that the results arrived on time.” (slightly / very / absolutely)

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Answers

1. B — worried → anxious → terrified
2. False — it means having mixed or unclear feelings.
3. Sample: I’m proud of my team. / She’s worried about the exam.
4. C — absolutely furious suits a non-gradable strong adjective.
5. very (natural with relieved; absolutely tends to pair with non-gradable adjectives such as delighted)