emo·tion | \ i-ˈmō-shən
Definition of emotion
1a : a conscious mental reaction (such as anger or fear) subjectively experienced as strong feeling usually directed toward a specific object and typically accompanied by physiological and behavioral changes in the body
b : a state of feeling
c : the affective aspect of consciousness : feeling
Choose the Right Synonym for emotion
feeling, emotion, affection, sentiment, passion mean a subjective response to a person, thing, or situation. 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 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 affection applies to feelings that are also inclinations or likings. a memoir of childhood filled with affection for her family sentiment often implies an emotion inspired by an idea. her feminist sentiments are well known passion suggests a very powerful or controlling emotion. revenge became his ruling passion
Examples of emotion in a Sentence
a display of raw emotion The defendant showed no emotion when the verdict was read. She was overcome with emotion at the news of her friend's death.
Recent Examples on the Web Parenthood is, to me, a dyad that creates the most complex and fascinating spectrum of emotion in a person’s life. — John Hopewell, Variety, 15 Oct. 2022 Voices capable of conveying such depth of emotion rarely are. — Adam Bradley Adam Bradley Photographs By D’angelo Lovell Williams Styled By Ian Bradley Nick Haramis Photographs By Lise Sarfati Styled By Suzanne Koller Sasha Weiss Photographs By Justin French Susan Dominus Photographs By Luis Alberto Rodriguez Styled By Charlotte Collet, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2022 Wendy Chun suggests, mutual indifference might produce social networks that are organized less around intensities of emotion and other types of content designed to trigger strong reactions than ones that are de-intensified. — Tung-hui Hu, WIRED, 12 Oct. 2022 This emotion has caused a lot of people to make irrational decisions. — Confidence Staveley, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2022 But a ceremony on Saturday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the history-making wildlife refuge and bird sanctuary unleashed plenty of emotion among attendees. — Danielle Echeverria, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Oct. 2022 In the moments after his team produced a 94-yard game-winning touchdown drive in the fourth quarter against Fresno State, UConn offensive coordinator Nick Charlton was full of emotion. — Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 7 Oct. 2022 There’s a range of emotion from that couple of years. — Ana Monroy Yglesias, Billboard, 6 Oct. 2022 There were a lot of layers in Cadillac to give this beautiful emotion of the brand. — Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 26 Sep. 2022 See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'emotion.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of emotion
1579, in the meaning defined at sense 2b
History and Etymology for emotion
Middle French, from emouvoir to stir up, from Old French esmovoir, from Latin emovēre to remove, displace, from e- + movēre to move
Learn More About emotion
Statistics for emotion
Cite this Entry
“Emotion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, //www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emotion. Accessed 29 Oct. 2022.
More Definitions for emotion
emo·tion | \ i-ˈmō-shən \
Kids Definition of emotion
2 : a mental reaction (as anger or fear) marked by strong feeling and usually causing physical effects
emo·tion | \ i-ˈmō-shən \
Medical Definition of emotion
1 : the affective aspect of consciousness
2 : a state of feeling
3 : a conscious mental reaction (as anger or fear) subjectively experienced as strong feeling usually directed toward a specific object and typically accompanied by physiological and behavioral changes in the body — compare affect
Other Words from emotion
emotional \ -shnəl, -shən-ᵊl \ adjective
emotionality \ -ˌmō-shə-ˈnal-ət-ē \ noun, plural emotionalities
emotionally \ -ˈmō-shnə-lē, -shən-ᵊl-ē \ adverb