Adjectives for Tone, Feelings, and Emotions
To Describe a Positive Tone
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fresh
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open
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animated
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devoted
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loving
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sympathetic
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encouraging
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supportive
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kind
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clever
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warm
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hopeful
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To Describe a Negative Tone
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sarcastic
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narcissistic
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heavy
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bitter
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obnoxious
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foolish
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disgruntled
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hurtful
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disgusted
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irritated
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nasty
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oppressive
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anxious
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horrified
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annoyed
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resentful
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sick
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guilty
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downcast
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overbearing
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To Describe Other Tones
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involved
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sardonic
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intelligent
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religious
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political
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secular
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bashful
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democratic
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republican
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mysterious
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conservative
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bright
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cautious
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liberal
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quizzical
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secretive
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To Describe a Positive Feeling
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happy
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amazed
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free
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wonderful
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clean
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strong
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beautiful
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excited
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great
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bold
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gorgeous
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attractive
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better
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agreeable
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brave
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calm
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delightful
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festive
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gentle
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jolly
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proud
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shy
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optimistic
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cheerful
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To Describe a Negative Feeling
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angry
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sadistic
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moody
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cold
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pessimistic
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sad
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chilly
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thirsty
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nervous
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tired
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weak
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evil
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terrible
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dreadful
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dirty
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ugly
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dreary
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awful
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stupid
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dumb
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To Describe a Positive Emotion
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upbeat
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joyful
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sweet
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serene
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respectful
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appreciative
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contented
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jubilant
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To Describe a Negative Emotion
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aggravated
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miserable
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mad
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grumpy
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tearful
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selfish
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depressed
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sour
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Often, feelings are something we can more visibly see or experience. Whether someone's sad, mad, happy, or ecstatic,feelings tend to house our emotions, amplifying a particular situation. For example: Adjectives for Negative Feelings: The shy girl flushed with embarrassment.
https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/parts-of-speech/adjectives/list-of-adjectives-to-describe-tone-feelings-emotions.htmlThe English language would be very dull without adjectives. They dress up our nouns whenever we need to punch things up a notch. So, that heartache you're feeling is no longer heartache, it's crippling heartache, or debilitating heartache that is tearing you apart, or maybe just a small heartache that you'll get over quickly.Whenever you're speaking or writing, you may want to get your point across with a little extra oomph. When it's time to do so, call in the big dogs, the adjectives.
Without the adjectives in these examples, we wouldn't know if this was going to be a story about sadness or hope:
- Tone-Setting (Negative): With a heavy heart, the girl walked to the mailbox and mailed her letter.
- Tone-Setting (Positive): The excited girl walked to the mailbox and mailed her letter.
- Adjective for Negative Emotions: The miserable boy walked home in the rain.
- Adjectives for Positive Emotions: The jubilant boy walked home in the rain.
Often, feelings are something we can more visibly see or experience. Whether someone's sad, mad, happy, or ecstatic, feelings tend to house our emotions, amplifying a particular situation. For example:
- Adjectives for Negative Feelings: The shy girl flushed with embarrassment.
- Adjectives for Positive Feelings: The delighted girl flushed with anticipation.
Tips for Using Adjectives
It can be difficult to find just the right word to describe a tone or feeling being experienced by someone. You never want to come across sounding trite, or use an adjective that's too weak to express the gravity of a particular situation.
It's a bit like building your vocabulary. The more you read, the more you'll discover new words and meanings, including adjectives, and how they are used to highlight emotions.
That said, like anything else that's good in life, keep it in moderation. Don't douse every noun in sugar. Instead, sprinkle a little sweetness on the situations or words that will truly benefit from a tasty addition.
Here are three things to remember when describing tone, feelings or emotions:
- Clarity: Adjectives should help clarify your writing, not muddy the waters. So, take a quick scan through your work. Do your adjectives illustrate the point or situation? Are they at all unnecessary? For example, do you need to say "the hot, sweaty baseball player" or just "the sweaty baseball player"?
- Overindulgence: Again, don't pick a slew of different adjectives: "The timid, nervous teacher slowly approached the noisy classroom with fearful trepidation." If you start using too many adjectives, your writing quickly becomes flowery. Not only are you going to confuse your readers, but your writing will appear choppy and even phony.
- Time: Don't be afraid to take some time to figure out a situation. For example, you might have to analyze the tone of a short composition. Sit back for a while and let the words really sink in.
Hopefully, these tips will help you not only use adjectives in your own writing but also teach them to your children or students. Much like their cousin, the adverb, they add so much to our writing when used properly.
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