feeling

1 of 2

noun

feel·​ing ˈfē-liŋ How to pronounce feeling (audio)
1
a(1)
: the one of the basic physical senses of which the skin contains the chief end organs and of which the sensations of touch and temperature are characteristic : touch
(2)
: a sensation experienced through this sense
b
: generalized bodily consciousness or sensation
c
: appreciative or responsive awareness or recognition
experience a feeling of safety
2
a
: an emotional state or reaction
a kindly feeling toward the boy
b
feelings plural : susceptibility to impression : sensitivity
the remark hurt her feelings
3
a
: the undifferentiated background of one's awareness considered apart from any identifiable sensation, perception, or thought
b
: the overall quality of one's awareness
c
: conscious recognition : sense
4
a
: often unreasoned opinion or belief : sentiment
What are your feelings about this subject?
b
: presentiment
I have a feeling she's not going to like this.
5
: capacity to respond emotionally especially with the higher emotions
found out how much feeling his mother really had
6
: the character ascribed to something : atmosphere
The place had the feeling of a haunted house.
7
a
: the quality of a work of art that conveys the emotion of the artist
the feeling of the outdoors has been realized with sky-blue ceiling and natural colorsPlaythings
b
: sympathetic aesthetic response
a person of fine feeling
8

feeling

2 of 2

adjective

1
b
: easily moved emotionally
2
obsolete : deeply felt
3
: expressing emotion or sensitivity
feelingly adverb
feelingness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for feeling

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 feeling in a Sentence

Noun I noticed tingling feelings in my fingers. She had a queasy feeling in her stomach. I had the feeling of something crawling across my foot. We enjoyed the feeling of walking barefoot in the sand. He had no feeling in his right leg. He's been troubled by feelings of guilt. There's no point in trying to hide your feelings. He spoke with feeling about the injustice he had seen. Have you no feeling for the plight of the homeless? I can see that you have strong feelings about this subject.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
According to color psychology, peach promotes feelings of joy and warmth. Grace Haynes, Southern Living, 20 Mar. 2024 That’s especially damaging in a musical, which requires characters to sing from facts and feelings, not agendas. Jesse Green, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024 But the feeling of the collections remained the same. Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024 Honesty regarding your feelings and intentions will keep you out of trouble and heading in the right direction. Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024 Seizing on what polling shows is broader feeling of economic discontent around the country, despite low unemployment and a strong stock market, among other factors, Trump has also cast himself as the candidate who can bring more prosperity back to everyday voters. Libby Cathey, ABC News, 18 Mar. 2024 Robin, realizing her feelings for Ted are real, calls him to come over one night. Ew Staff Updated, EW.com, 18 Mar. 2024 The film will follow the five original emotions who are forced to work with new feelings such as Anxiety (voiced by Maya Hawke). Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2024 Though the scholarship recipients are eager to begin paving a new path for themselves, the constant othering, feelings of isolation and fetishism begin coloring what should be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'feeling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of feeling was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near feeling

Cite this Entry

“Feeling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feeling. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

feeling

1 of 2 noun
feel·​ing ˈfē-liŋ How to pronounce feeling (audio)
1
a
: a sense by which the hardness or softness, hotness or coldness, or heaviness or lightness of things is found out
especially : touch entry 2 sense 3
b
: a sensation experienced through this sense
2
a
: a state of mind
a feeling of loneliness
b
plural : general emotional condition : sensibilities
hurt their feelings
3
: an opinion or belief often when not based on evidence
a feeling that it will rain
4
5

feeling

2 of 2 adjective
feelingly adverb
feelingness noun

Medical Definition

feeling

noun
feel·​ing ˈfē-liŋ How to pronounce feeling (audio)
1
a
: the capacity or ability to experience physical sensations (such as pain, touch, or temperature) that is mediated chiefly by end organs and sensory receptors in the skin
b
: a sensation experienced through this capacity
2
: an emotional state or reaction
guilt feelings
3
: the overall quality of one's awareness especially as measured along a pleasantness-unpleasantness continuum

More from Merriam-Webster on feeling

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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