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 But people who cherish the vivid color waves, offered in spring, summer and fall, and the way in which the world has embraced the flower into its deepest rites-of-passage, swaddle marigolds in emotion. — oregonlive, 23 Oct. 2022 In fact, academics have even used the term Facebook envy to capture the uniquely fertile circumstances that social media creates for this destructive emotion. — Arthur C. Brooks, The Atlantic, 20 Oct. 2022 Creating a coping tool kit is relatively straightforward, and the skills themselves work incredibly well in getting the brain’s emotion centers calm down. — Dr. Neha Chaudhary, CNN, 10 Oct. 2022 Song and film alike ask you to lose yourself in such raw emotion — to excuse, even, the intentionally playful grammar faux-pas in its title and to revel instead, in its ultimately winking moral of a tale. — Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 16 Sep. 2022 The emotion grab is understandable but handled like last-second seasoning. — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2022 Microsoft plans to stop using its facial recognition technology this year, including the emotion recognition tools. — Maya Lora, Baltimore Sun, 13 Sep. 2022 Mitchell noted how the arc bends toward expressing human emotion that impacts the stories coming after it. — Domenica Bongiovanni, The Indianapolis Star, 30 Aug. 2022 These impacts on human emotion are so significant that researchers at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland have spent the past five years conducting the ambitious International Color-Emotion Association Survey. — Austa Somvichian-clausen, Robb Report, 24 July 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 5 Nov. 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