feeling

/ˈfilɪŋ/

/ˈfilɪŋ/

Other forms: feelings

A physical sensation is a feeling. When you sit on your foot so long that it falls asleep, you'll first have no feeling in it, and then you'll have a terrible "pins and needles" feeling.

An intuitive sense about something can also be called a feeling. Your bad feeling about the field trip is justified when another kid throws up on you while riding the roller coaster. A vague sense or belief can also be referred to as a feeling. In your town, there is a general feeling that the library should stay open on Sundays, but you should make up your own mind.

Definitions of feeling

1. noun

   a physical sensation that you experience
   “he had a queasy feeling”

   “I had a strange feeling in my leg”

   “he lost all feeling in his arm”

   types:

   constriction, tightness

   a tight feeling in some part of the body

   type of:

   somaesthesia, somatesthesia, somatic sensation, somesthesia

   the perception of tactual or proprioceptive or gut sensations
2. noun

   the sensation produced by pressure receptors in the skin
   “the surface had a greasy feeling”

   synonyms: tactile sensation, tactual sensation, touch, touch sensation

   types:

   creepiness

   an uneasy sensation as of insects creeping on your skin

   cutaneous sensation, haptic sensation, skin sensation

   a sensation localized on the skin

   tickle

   a cutaneous sensation often resulting from light stroking

   itch, itchiness, itching

   an irritating cutaneous sensation that produces a desire to scratch

   topognosia, topognosis

   recognition of the location of a stimulus on the skin

   urtication

   a sensation of having been stung by nettles

   type of:

   perception

   the process of perceiving
3. noun

   the experiencing of affective and emotional states
   “she had a feeling of euphoria”

   “he had terrible feelings of guilt”

   “I disliked him and the feeling was mutual”

   types:

   affect

   the conscious subjective aspect of feeling or emotion

   emotion

   any strong feeling

   thing

   a persistent illogical feeling of desire or aversion

   glow

   a feeling of considerable warmth

   faintness

   a feeling of faintness and of being ready to swoon

   soul, soulfulness

   deep feeling or emotion

   passion, passionateness

   a strong feeling or emotion

   sentiment

   tender, romantic, or nostalgic feeling or emotion

   complex

   (psychoanalysis) a combination of emotions and impulses that have been rejected from awareness but still influence a person's behavior

   ambivalence, ambivalency

   mixed feelings or emotions

   apathy

   an absence of emotion or enthusiasm

   desire

   the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state

   sex, sexual urge

   all of the feelings resulting from the urge to gratify sexual impulses

   pleasance, pleasure

   a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience

   pain, painfulness

   emotional distress; a fundamental feeling that people try to avoid

   pang, stab, twinge

   a sudden sharp feeling

   liking

   a feeling of pleasure and enjoyment

   dislike

   a feeling of aversion or antipathy

   gratitude

   a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation

   ingratitude, ungratefulness

   a lack of gratitude

   unconcern

   a feeling of lack of concern

   shame

   a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt

   pride, pridefulness

   a feeling of self-respect and personal worth

   humbleness, humility

   a feeling of modesty about oneself or one's accomplishments

   amazement, astonishment

   the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising

   devastation

   the feeling of being confounded or overwhelmed

   expectation

   the feeling that something is about to happen

   levity

   feeling an inappropriate lack of seriousness

   gravity, solemnity

   a solemn and dignified feeling

   sensitiveness, sensitivity

   sensitivity to emotional feelings (of self and others)

   agitation

   the feeling of being agitated; not calm

   calmness

   a feeling of calm; an absence of agitation or excitement

   bravery, fearlessness

   feeling no fear

   happiness

   emotions experienced when in a state of well-being

   sadness, unhappiness

   emotions experienced when not in a state of well-being

   hope

   the general feeling that some desire will be fulfilled

   despair

   the feeling that everything is wrong and nothing will turn out well

   affection, affectionateness, fondness, heart, philia, tenderness, warmheartedness, warmness

   a positive feeling of liking

   humor, humour, mood, temper

   a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling

   fellow feeling, sympathy

   sharing the feelings of others (especially feelings of sorrow or anguish)

   enthusiasm

   a feeling of excitement

   dignity, self-regard, self-respect, self-worth

   the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect

   CER, conditioned emotion, conditioned emotional response

   an emotional response that has been acquired by conditioning

   infatuation

   a foolish and usually extravagant passion or love or admiration

   abandon, wildness

   a feeling of extreme emotional intensity

   ardor, ardour, fervency, fervidness, fervor, fervour, fire

   feelings of great warmth and intensity

   storminess

   violent passion in speech or action

   sentimentality

   extravagant or affected feeling or emotion

   razbliuto

   the sentimental feeling you have about someone you once loved but no longer do

   Oedipal complex, Oedipus complex

   a complex of males; desire to possess the mother sexually and to exclude the father; said to be a source of personality disorders if unresolved

   Electra complex

   a complex of females; sexual attraction to the father

   inferiority complex

   a sense of personal inferiority arising from conflict between the desire to be noticed and the fear of being humiliated

   conflict

   opposition between two simultaneous but incompatible feelings

   emotionlessness, impassiveness, impassivity, indifference, phlegm, stolidity, unemotionality

   apathy demonstrated by an absence of emotional reactions

   languor, lassitude, listlessness

   a feeling of lack of interest or energy

   ambition, aspiration, dream

   a cherished desire

   bloodlust

   a desire for bloodshed

   temptation

   the desire to have or do something that you know you should avoid

   craving

   an intense desire for some particular thing

   want, wish, wishing

   a specific feeling of desire

   hungriness, longing, yearning

   prolonged unfulfilled desire or need

   concupiscence, eros, physical attraction, sexual desire

   a desire for sexual intimacy

   itch, urge

   a strong restless desire

   caprice, impulse, whim

   a sudden desire

   delectation, delight

   a feeling of extreme pleasure or satisfaction

   enjoyment

   the pleasure felt when having a good time

   gusto, relish, zest, zestfulness

   vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment

   pleasantness

   the feeling caused by agreeable stimuli; one pole of a continuum of states of feeling

   comfort

   a feeling of freedom from worry or disappointment

   sexual pleasure

   pleasure derived from sexual activities

   growing pains

   emotional distress arising during adolescence

   unpleasantness

   the feeling caused by disagreeable stimuli; one pole of a continuum of states of feeling

   guilt pang

   pangs of feeling guilty

   mental anguish

   sustained dull painful emotion

   hurt, suffering

   feelings of mental or physical pain

   distress, hurt, suffering

   psychological suffering

   fancy, fondness, partiality

   a predisposition to like something

   captivation, enchantment, enthrallment, fascination

   a feeling of great liking for something wonderful and unusual

   penchant, predilection, preference, taste

   a strong liking

   mysophilia

   abnormal attraction to filth

   inclination

   that toward which you are inclined to feel a liking

   friendliness

   a feeling of liking for another person; enjoyment in their company

   approval

   a feeling of liking something or someone good

   admiration, esteem

   a feeling of delighted approval and liking

   disinclination

   that toward which you are inclined to feel dislike

   Anglophobia

   dislike (or fear) of Britain and British customs

   unfriendliness

   dislike experienced as an absence of friendliness

   alienation, disaffection, estrangement

   the feeling of being alienated from other people

   antipathy, aversion, distaste

   a feeling of intense dislike

   disapproval

   a feeling of disliking something or what someone is doing

   contempt, despite, disdain, scorn

   lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike

   disgust

   strong feelings of dislike

   creepy-crawlies

   feelings of dislike and anxiety

   scunner

   a strong dislike

   technophobia

   dislike for new technology

   appreciativeness, gratefulness, thankfulness

   warm friendly feelings of gratitude

   concern

   a feeling of sympathy for someone or something

   indifference

   unbiased impartial unconcern

   coldheartedness, hardheartedness, heartlessness

   an absence of concern for the welfare of others

   conscience

   a feeling of shame when you do something immoral

   self-disgust, self-hatred

   shame resulting from strong dislike of yourself or your actions

   embarrassment

   the shame you feel when your inadequacy or guilt is made public

   self-esteem, self-pride

   a feeling of pride in yourself

   ego, egotism, self-importance

   an inflated feeling of pride in your superiority to others

   amour propre, conceit, self-love, vanity

   feelings of excessive pride

   meekness, submission

   the feeling of patient, submissive humbleness

   self-depreciation

   a feeling of being of little worth

   admiration, wonder, wonderment

   the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising

   surprise

   the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you

   stupefaction

   a feeling of stupefied astonishment

   anticipation, expectancy

   an expectation

   gaiety, playfulness

   a festive merry feeling

   earnestness, seriousness, sincerity

   an earnest and sincere feeling

   oversensitiveness

   sensitivity leading to easy irritation or upset

   sensibility

   refined sensitivity to pleasurable or painful impressions

   feelings

   emotional or moral sensitivity (especially in relation to personal principles or dignity)

   unrest

   a feeling of restless agitation

   fidget, fidgetiness, restlessness

   a feeling of agitation expressed in continual motion

   stewing

   an extreme state of worry and agitation

   stir

   emotional agitation and excitement

   tumult, turmoil

   violent agitation

   placidity, placidness

   a feeling of calmness; a quiet and undisturbed feeling

   coolness, imperturbability, imperturbableness

   calm and unruffled self-assurance

   quietness, quietude, tranquility, tranquillity

   a state of peace and quiet

   anger, bile, choler, ire

   anger; irritability

   fear, fearfulness, fright

   an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)

   awe, fear, reverence, veneration

   a feeling of profound respect for someone or something

   anxiety

   a vague unpleasant emotion that is experienced in anticipation of some (usually ill-defined) misfortune

   security

   freedom from anxiety or fear

   bonheur

   (French) happiness and good humor

   gladfulness, gladness, gladsomeness

   experiencing joy and pleasure

   joy, joyfulness, joyousness

   the emotion of great happiness

   gaiety, merriment

   a joyful feeling

   rejoicing

   a feeling of great happiness

   belonging

   happiness felt in a secure relationship

   blitheness, cheerfulness

   a feeling of spontaneous good spirits

   contentment

   happiness with one's situation in life

   dolefulness

   sadness caused by grief or affliction

   heaviness

   persisting sadness

   melancholy

   a feeling of thoughtful sadness

   misery

   a feeling of intense unhappiness

   desolation, forlornness, loneliness

   sadness resulting from being forsaken or abandoned

   tearfulness, weepiness

   sadness expressed by weeping

   sorrow

   an emotion of great sadness associated with loss or bereavement

   regret, rue, ruefulness, sorrow

   sadness associated with some wrong done or some disappointment

   cheerlessness, uncheerfulness

   a feeling of dreary or pessimistic sadness

   depression

   sad feelings of gloom and inadequacy

   dejectedness, dispiritedness, downheartedness, low-spiritedness, lowness

   a feeling of low spirits

   hopefulness

   the feeling you have when you have hope

   encouragement

   the feeling of being encouraged

   optimism

   the optimistic feeling that all is going to turn out well

   hopelessness

   the despair you feel when you have abandoned hope of comfort or success

   resignation, surrender

   acceptance of despair

   discouragement, disheartenment, dismay

   the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles

   pessimism

   the feeling that things will turn out badly

   love

   a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

   attachment, fond regard

   a feeling of affection for a person or an institution

   protectiveness

   a feeling of protective affection

   regard, respect

   a feeling of friendship and esteem

   soft spot

   a sentimental affection

   hate, hatred

   the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action

   antagonism

   an actively expressed feeling of dislike and hostility

   peeve

   an annoyed or irritated mood

   sulk, sulkiness

   a mood or display of sullen aloofness or withdrawal

   amiability, good humor, good humour, good temper

   a cheerful and agreeable mood

   distemper, ill humor, ill humour

   an angry and disagreeable mood

   kind-heartedness, kindheartedness

   sympathy arising from a kind heart

   compassion, compassionateness

   a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering

   commiseration, pathos, pity, ruth

   a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others

   compatibility

   a feeling of sympathetic understanding

   empathy

   understanding and entering into another's feelings

   avidity, avidness, eagerness, keenness

   a positive feeling of wanting to push ahead with something

   exuberance

   joyful enthusiasm

   technophilia

   enthusiasm for new technology

   emotional state, spirit

   the state of a person's emotions (especially with regard to pleasure or dejection)

   type of:

   state

   the way something is with respect to its main attributes
4. noun

   a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
   “what are your feelings about the crisis?”

   “I had a feeling that she was lying”

   synonyms: belief, impression, notion, opinion

   types:

   presence

   the impression that something is present

   effect

   an impression (especially one that is artificial or contrived)

   first blush

   at the first glimpse or impression

   hunch, intuition, suspicion

   an impression that something might be the case

   sound effect

   an effect that imitates a sound called for in the script of a play

   special effect

   an effect used to produce scenes that cannot be achieved by normal techniques (especially on film)

   bosom, heart

   the locus of feelings and intuitions

   type of:

   idea, thought

   the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
5. noun

   an intuitive understanding of something
   “he had a great feeling for music”

   synonyms: intuitive feeling

   types:

   sprachgefuhl

   an intuitive feeling for the natural idiom of a language

   type of:

   intuition

   instinctive knowing (without the use of rational processes)
6. noun

   the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people
   synonyms: feel, flavor, flavour, look, smell, spirit, tone

   types:

   Hollywood

   a flashy vulgar tone or atmosphere believed to be characteristic of the American film industry

   Zeitgeist

   the spirit of the time; the spirit characteristic of an age or generation

   type of:

   ambiance, ambience, atmosphere

   a particular environment or surrounding influence