80+ List of Emotion Words for Writers

Emotions can be challenging to express, mainly when you write them on paper. Here is a list of emotion words for writers who want to improve their craft.

What Are Emotion Words?

Emotion words are words writers use to convey complex and more specific feelings and expressions. They describe or refer to one’s responses to their environment, which in turn cause a person to sense perception and state of mind. 

Below is a list of emotion words you can use to broaden and develop your writing further:

AbsoluteGladOutraged
AlarmedGuiltyOverwhelmed
AmusedHealthyPanicked
AnnoyedHeartwarmingPleased
AnxiousHelplessPowerless
AshamedHopefulProud
AuthenticHostileProvoked
AuthoritativeHurtPurposeful
BitterInferiorRejected
CherishedInfluentialReliable
CommandingInsecureRemorseful
CrabbyInsignificantResentful
DearInspiredRespected
DelightedIntimateScared
DepressedIntolerantSentimental
DespairInvolvedStingy
DeterminedIroncladStrategic
DissatisfiedIsolatedStrong
EmptyJealousTerrified
EncouragingJoyfulThankful
EnragedKindThreatened
ExasperatedLonelyTrusting
ExcitingLovingVictimized
ExpertMadVulnerable
ExposedNostalgicWeak
FragileOfficialWithdrawn
FreeOptimisticWrathful

Happy Emotion Words

Most happy emotion words convey a positive sentiment. Writers use these words to describe a happy emotion, scenario, character, setting, and other favorable affinities.

1. Optimistic

Sarah’s optimistic personality keeps her from negativity.

2. Joyful

Notice that the children are joyful when bonding with their parents.

3. Thankful

One of the best things you can do for mindfulness is be thankful for your possessions.

4. Inspired

Brandon looked inspired after seeing his idol’s masterpiece firsthand.

5. Free

Little Trixie’s free personality and open mind make it easy for her to adapt to any situation.

6. Proud

My grandmother is very proud of my achievements, no matter how big or small.

7. Exciting

The children went straight to bed after spending an exciting day at the beach.

8. Heartwarming

Toddlers can have very heartwarming and pure reactions to everyday items, scenarios, and people.

9. Healthy

Most people complimented Anastasia for her skin’s smoothness and healthy glow.

10. Encouraging

Wilson’s father has always been encouraging, especially regarding his basketball pursuits.

11. Hopeful

There was a hopeful gleam in my dog’s gaze when it saw me step into the kitchen.

12. Amused

The audience’s amused laughter and enthusiastic applause said it all.

13. Glad

My grandparents are always glad to see my family and me for dinner.

14. Delighted

My brother shared a delighted smile whenever we sailed past this lighthouse.

15. Pleased

Aphrodite’s lingering touch and sultry gaze were enough to earn pleased reactions from her clients. Check out this list of th words.

Powerful Emotion Words

Powerful emotion words give off a sense of control or power when used in writing. Many marketers use these words to gain their target customers’ attention and trust. Writers can use powerful emotion words to describe people, political concepts, real-life scenarios, and more.   

1. Commanding

You can’t gain respect in the organization if you don’t adopt a commanding voice or confident posture.

2. Authoritative

Our professor’s authoritative teaching methods pushed the children away.

3. Absolute

My grandmother prepared our Christmas dinner with absolute care and attention.

4. Official

The government’s official announcement gave the public no clue about the truth behind the attack.

5. Ironclad

Despite his ironclad alibi, the police officers heavily suspected Bruno’s connection to the crime.

6. Reliable

My friend’s consistency and punctuality make him a reliable trustee.

7. Strategic

Many people’s modern business approaches are inspired by Sun Tzu’s strategic military schemes.

8. Expert

We want your expert opinion to support our claims in court.

9. Authentic

That is an authentic Philippine banknote from the 1910s.  

10. Influential

Martin Luther King Jr. delivered an iconic and influential speech that stirred many hearts.

11. Strong

The woman’s grit and patience revealed a strong will underneath a fragile appearance.

12. Purposeful

The debater’s witty and purposeful arguments paved his team’s path to winning the regional meet.

13. Determined

He endured blistering winds and scorching deserts with a resolve that outmatched even the most determined men.

Sad Emotion Words

Sad emotion words have a negative impact that often has undertones of miserableness or gloom. Writers use sad emotion words to describe tragic, unfortunate, or heartbreaking scenarios.

1. Depressed

Many young people today are depressed and discouraged because of the economy.

2. Inferior

Although he had a more difficult job, many people treated him like he was in an inferior position.

3. Empty

It’s worse to have an empty heart than an empty stomach.

4. Remorseful

Truly remorseful people take responsibility for their actions and do not make excuses.

5. Guilty

When she died, Kalista became a spirit that hunted and haunted those guilty of betrayal.

6. Hurt

His head hung, and then his shoulders slumped, showing immense hurt that physical wounds or pain couldn’t measure.

7. Powerless

I often felt powerless when playing against my teammates during training, but it was only proof that I was growing stronger and more aware of my skill level.

8. Fragile

He didn’t realize that his heart had grown fragile after spending many years in her arms.

9. Vulnerable

The lost, vulnerable young girl cried.

10. Lonely

A life focused on chasing the most fortune or fame is a lonely one.

11. Victimized

The woman would always recall the story of her victimized mother and abusive father.

12. Ashamed

We all know that he shouldn’t have a reason to be ashamed of his father’s janitorial position.

13. Isolated

The artwork portrayed an isolated building, empty streets, and dimly lit windows.

14. Despair

Anybody who listened to her could hear the singer’s despair in her voice.

15. Withdrawn

Many friends have grown distant and withdrawn in face-to-face gatherings due to distance learning.

16. Bitter

You could tell he was bitter by his cutting remarks and sarcastic demeanor.

Fearful Emotion Words

List of Emotion Words: Fearful Emotion Words
There are different fear emotion words you can integrate into your writing

Do you want your writing to deliver a concept of fear? Fear comes in many forms and flavors, like the other emotion words we’ve already discussed. Below are the different fear emotion words you can integrate into your writing.

1. Threatened

Many threatened animals will try to look bigger by raising their hackles or feathers.

2. Scared

It’s human nature to feel uneasy and scared by the unknown.

3. Helpless

His helpless cries reached the ears of the authorities too late.

4. Overwhelmed

The rapid flashing and noise of the club made her feel overwhelmed like never before.

5. Exposed

They exposed their hearts to one another but grew distant as time passed

6. Rejected

Their rejected papers quickly saw the inside of the garbage can.

7. Weak

A strong mind can overcome a weak heart, but not the other way around.

8. Insecure

Her insecure husband often checked on her messages and kept her from going out with her friends.

9. Anxious

The anxious kitten quickly backed away when the bullfrog croaked.

10. Insignificant

Nobody wants to be seen as an insignificant person, especially by their loved ones.

11. Terrified

Was he terrified when he saw the alligator crawling into the riverbank?

12. Alarmed

Their mother’s alarmed cry summoned everyone into the kitchen faster than anything could.

13. Panicked

His terror showed in his shaky hands, short sentences, and panicked voice.

Angry Emotion Words

Writers use angry emotion words to portray the negative reactions related to wrath, frustration, and ire. These words can be warning signs of a person disliking a situation or others. Consider using these angry emotion words to convey different parts of the anger spectrum, whether slight antagonism or intense fury.

1. Annoyed

Anybody could tell you were annoyed by their tardiness when you kept checking your watch and tapping the table with the pen.

2. Hostile

The cat’s hostile demeanor made it difficult for us to give her medicine.

3. Crabby

Most people become crabby when they miss a meal, but he gets crabby when he lacks sleep.

4. Mad

We called her “Mad Martha” in childhood because she always kept getting angry at minor things.

5. Outraged

If the king hadn’t been so outraged by the prince’s insinuations, he would have seen the way his court reacted to his outburst.

6. Provoked

Most wild animals will fight in self-defense when provoked.

7. Resentful

The criminal’s statements were so resentful that the judge decided to lengthen his sentence.

8. Dissatisfied

After being dissatisfied many times, Alejandro’s wife began looking for other men who could meet her needs.

9. Intolerant

The human resources department received many complaints about the intolerant assistant manager.

10. Jealous

The middle child felt jealous of his parents’ attention to his older and younger siblings.

11. Stingy

My stingy neighbor would avoid giving tips to service workers entirely if he could get away with it.

12. Wrathful

In the old days, a woman’s wrathful statements could make her sound like a witch and face death.

13. Enraged

The enraged crowd blocked the area so none of the fake celebrities could escape.  

14. Exasperated

The elementary students didn’t pick up on their teacher’s exasperated tone.

Love Emotion Words

Love, and relationship-related emotion words describe feelings associated with romance, kinship, friendship, and everything in between. Below are examples you should consider integrating into your written works.

1. Intimate

The warm lighting, candles, and cozy space made the room feel more intimate.

2. Trusting

Your father’s trusting nature doesn’t mix well in a dog-eat-dog city like this.

3. Loving

Nothing is more loving than a dog’s enthusiasm to see you arrive home every day.

4. Kind

The farmer’s kind actions helped the fierce general see past his pride.

5. Sentimental

Whenever we held family gatherings, our great-uncle Stan always pulled out a box of trinkets and knickknacks with deep sentimental values.

6. Nostalgic

The restaurant plays songs from the 90s and early 2000s, creating a nostalgic atmosphere suited for many of its adult customers.

7. Respected

After ten years of hard training and combat experiences, Katherine surpassed her highly respected grandfather’s rank.

8. Involved

She told him they weren’t technically involved until they did anything considered romantic or erotic.

9. Cherished

The entire department threw a farewell party for their cherished boss of ten years for his retirement.

10. Dear

My dear daughter could never figure out how I, a child who grew up in the 90s, beat her in Mario Kart. 


If you are looking for more, check out our list of pronouns for writers!

Author

  • Maria Caballero is a freelance writer who has been writing since high school. She believes that to be a writer doesn't only refer to excellent syntax and semantics but also knowing how to weave words together to communicate to any reader effectively.

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