The A-Z of English words that describe emotions.
A
angry: "She was angry with her boss for criticising her work."
annoyed: "I'm very annoyed with him. He hasn't returned any of my calls."
"She was annoyed by his comments."
appalled = very shocked: "They were appalled to hear that they would lose their jobs."
apprehensive = slightly worried: "I felt a little apprehensive before my interview."
ashamed: "How could you say such a thing? You should be ashamed of yourself!"
at the end of your tether = completely fed up: "The children have been misbehaving all day - I'm at the end of my tether."
B
bewildered = very confused: "He was bewildered by the choice of computers in the shop."
betrayed = when someone breaks the trust you have in them: "He betrayed my trust when he repeated my secret to everyone."
C
confused: "I'm sorry I forgot your birthday - I was confused about the dates."
confident = sure of your abilities: "I'm confident that we can find a solution to this problem."
cheated = when you don't get something that you think you deserve: "Of course I feel cheated - I should have won that competition."
cross = quite angry: "I was cross with him for not helping me, as he said he would."
D
depressed = very sad: "After he failed his English exam, he was depressed for a week."
delighted = very happy: "I'm delighted that I got the job. It's just what I always wanted."
down in the dumps = sad and fed up: "What's the matter with him? He's so down in the dumps these days."
disappointed: "She was disappointed by her son's poor results at school."
E
ecstatic = extremely happy: "When he asked her to marry him she was ecstatic."
excited: "I'm excited by the new opportunities that the internet brings."
emotional = you have strong feelings (happy or sad) and you cry: "When he heard the news, he became quite emotional."
envious = when you want something that someone else has: "I'm very envious of her happiness - I wish I was happy too."
embarrassed = slightly ashamed: "I felt so embarrassed that I went bright red."
F
furious =very angry: "I was furious with him for breaking my favourite vase."
frightened: "As a child she was frightened of the dark."
G
great = very good: "I feel great today!"
H
happy: "She was happy to hear the good news."
horrified = very shocked: "I'm horrified by the amount of violence on television today."
I
irritated = annoyed: "I get so irritated when he changes TV channels without asking me first."
intrigued = being so interested in something you have to find out more: "I'm intrigued to hear about your safari in Kenya."
J
jealous = envious: "She was jealous of her sister's new toy."
jaded = tired and having no interest: "After 10 years at this company, I just feel jaded."
K
keen: "I'm keen to see your new house - I've heard lots about it."
"I'm keen on keeping fit."
L
lazy: "I can't be bothered to do anything today - I feel really lazy!"
lucky: "I'm going to play the lottery - I feel lucky today!"
let down = disappointed: "When you didn't turn up to the meeting, I felt really let down."
M
maternal = feeling like a mother: "Looking at my sister's new baby made me feel really maternal."
N
nonplussed = so surprised that you don't know what to do next: "I was so nonplussed by his announcement that I couldn't say anything."
negative = when you can only see the disadvantages: "I feel very negative about my job -the pay is awful."
O
overwhelmed = so much emotion that you don't know what to say or do: "I was overwhelmed by the offer of promotion at work."
over the moon = delighted: "She was over the moon with her new bicycle and rode it every day for a whole year."
P
positive = opposite of negative - seeing the good side of something: "She's a very positive person and never lets anything get her down."
positive = very sure: "Are you sure that's what you want? Yes - I'm positive."
R
relaxed: "I was completely relaxed after I came back from holiday."
reluctant = when you don't want to do something: "I'm reluctant to buy a new car - the one we have is fine."
S
seething = extremely angry, but hiding it: "She was seething after her boss criticised her."
sad: "It makes me sad to see all those animals in cages at the zoo."
scared = frightened: "Are you scared of heights?"
stressed = being worried or anxious about something so you can't relax: "I feel really stressed at work - I need a break."
"He was stressed out by all the travelling in his job."
T
terrific = fantastic: "I feel terrific today!"
terrible = ill or tired: "I've got a blinding headache and I feel terrible."
terrified = very scared: "She's terrified of spiders and screams whenever she sees one."
tense = not relaxed: "You look a bit tense. Did you have a bad day at work?"
U
upset = angry or unhappy: "I'm sorry you're upset - I didn't mean to be rude."
unhappy = sad: "I was unhappy to hear that I hadn't got the job."
V
victimised = to feel you are the victim of someone or something: "My boss kept criticising me and not the others, so I felt quite victimised."
W
wonderful = great: "I felt wonderful after such a relaxing weekend."
Entertainment
What do you like doing in your spare time? Do you go somewhere with your friends or your family? Here is some useful vocabulary for talking about entertainment.
The cinema
Many people regularly go to the cinema (or the pictures). Most towns have a multiplex (= multi-screen) cinema which show a wide range of films, from feature films to family films. Films are classified in Britain, with U suitable for all ages, PG (parental guidance) suitable for everyone over the age of 8, 12 (where no children can watch unless they are with an adult), 15 (where no one under the age of 15 can watch) and 18 (only suitable for adults).
The theatre
Large towns as well as the major cities have theatres, where you can see plays, musicals or pantomimes (a comedy play performed over Christmas). You can choose to go in the afternoon, for the matinee (pronounced "mat - in - ay") performance, or in the evening.
Generally, the more you pay, the better seat you get. The stalls are the seats at ground level in front of the stage, and these have the best views. Then there are the seats in the Dress Circle (or Royal Circle), which are in the first balcony. They also have good views of the stage. Then there are the seats in the Upper Circle, which are in the second balcony. Above this are cheaper seats in the Balcony or the Gallery, which are so high up that it's often difficult to see the actors. There are also seats in the Boxes, which are private rooms built into the side walls of the theatre.
Live music
Large cities can offer you a huge range of musical performances, from opera to classical concerts to jazz, folk, rock and pop gigs (= concerts). In summer there are often music festivals, with Glastonbury Festival being one of the most popular.
Family entertainment
Bank holidays and weekends are favourite times to go out with your family. Some things, such as circuses, zoos and water parks can be quite expensive. But other events, such as fun-days, parades and carnivals are much cheaper. Children often like to go by
themselves to funfairs, where they can go on the rides and eat candyfloss.
A cheap night out
There are also plenty of cheap activities available in towns and cities. Bingo is popular, and in London, people still go to the dogs, to see and bet on dog racing. You can often find a leisure centre in towns, which offer sport facilities. In Britain, many people go to their local (= pub) where they can play darts or pool (= a type of snooker), as well as have a drink with friends.
At the weekend, younger people often go clubbing (= night clubs) or to a disco with their friends.