Adjectives to describe emotions

1. Emotional Adjectives
Describing feelings about art

2. Happiness
 joyful
 ecstatic
 exuberant
 excited
 thrilled
 The bright colors convey joy and enthusiasm.
 My friends are ecstatic about their new baby.
 She has an exuberant personality.
 Clara is excited to have gotten an A on her test.
 The colors in this work are exciting.
 I am thrilled you came all the way from New York to visit me.

3. Sadness
 melancholy
 somber
 blue
 depressed
 Picasso’s use of blue creates a melancholy atmosphere.
 The dark colors convey a somber mood.
 Her boyfriend broke up with her, so she is feeling blue.
 I feel depressed today.
 San Francisco is always so gray. It is depressing.

4. Discomfort
 unsettled
 disturbing
 Children feel unsettled when their parents divorce.
 This color contrast is unsettling.
 I’m disturbed by the vibrating blue color.
 These vibrating colors are disturbing.

5. Calmness
 serene
 relaxed
 I love your photograph of the serene mountain lake.
 I love vacations because I feel so relaxed.
 The greens and blues create a relaxing atmosphere.

6. Anger
 upset
 offended
 annoyed
 Your nasty comment upset me.
 Your behavior last night was upsetting.
 It offended me when you didn’t introduce me to your mom.
 The teacher gets annoyed when you use your cell phone in class.

7. Confusion
 awkward
 puzzled
 Your sentence has awkward structure, so it’s not clear.
 I am puzzled by the strange background you used.
 The background you used is puzzling.

8. Fear
 terrified
 scared
 scary
 Your ghost story terrified me. I couldn’t sleep all night.
 The man scared the little girl.
 I think the horror movie you made is very scary.

9. Interest
 curious
 captivating
 fascinated
 intriguing
 riveting
 Your curious color choices intrigue me.
 Your book design is captivating. I just had to look at it.
 Your book content is intriguing. I can’t put it down.
 I’m riveted by her story. It captures and holds my attention.
 Her story is riveting.

10. Surprise
 startled
 stunned
 suprising
 Your ghost story terrified me. I couldn’t sleep all night.
 The man scared the little girl.
 I think the horror movie you made is very scary.