Emotions

Collocations for expressing feelings and emotional states

Introduction

Emotions in English come with their own collocations. We're "bitterly disappointed" not "strongly disappointed", feel "deeply grateful" not "very grateful" (though both work, the collocation is stronger). These combinations add natural emphasis and nuance.

This chapter covers collocations for expressing the full range of human emotions naturally.

Themes

All Collocations in This Chapter (28)

• bitterly disappointed Extremely upset because something did not meet expectations
• deeply grateful Feeling profound and sincere thankfulness
• highly emotional Feeling or showing very strong emotions
• burst into tears To suddenly start crying
• lose your temper To become very angry and lose self-control
• keep your cool To stay calm and composed under pressure
• mixed feelings Experiencing a combination of different and often conflicting emotions
• gut feeling An instinctive feeling or intuition not based on logic
• guilty conscience A feeling of guilt and moral unease about something you have done
• peace of mind A state of mental calm and freedom from worry
• sense of humour The ability to find things funny or to make others laugh
• emotional support Help and comfort given to someone going through a difficult time
• nervous breakdown A period of severe mental or emotional crisis that prevents normal functioning
• blind rage Extreme anger that makes you unable to think clearly or act rationally
• sheer joy Pure, absolute happiness with no other emotion mixed in
• overwhelming sadness Sadness so intense that it feels impossible to cope with
• burning desire An extremely strong and passionate wish for something
• growing concern A worry that is increasing over time
• nagging doubt A persistent feeling of uncertainty that will not go away
• bitter resentment Deep, long-lasting anger and ill will towards someone or something
• heartfelt apology A sincere and genuine expression of regret
• genuine sympathy True, sincere feelings of compassion for someone else's suffering
• suppressed anger Anger that is deliberately held back and not expressed
• lingering regret A feeling of regret that stays with you for a long time
• cautious optimism A carefully hopeful attitude, tempered by awareness of risks
• inner peace A state of deep personal calm and contentment within oneself
• emotional baggage Unresolved feelings and past experiences that negatively affect present behav...
• vicious circle A situation where one problem causes another, which in turn makes the first w...