Describing Negative Emotional Responses: English Vocabulary List

extremely repulsive and disgusting

"The smell is revolting."

"The smell of the garbage left in the hot sun for a week was revolting and everyone had to cover their noses to avoid gagging."

causing shame or loss of respect due to morally wrong or inappropriate behavior

"His behavior is disgraceful."

"The politician's behavior was disgraceful and many people called for him to resign after the video of his offensive comments was leaked online."

extremely unusual or unconventional in a way that is shocking

"The price is outrageous."

"The price of the designer handbag was outrageous and she could not believe that anyone would pay five thousand dollars for something made of leather."

filled with grief and sorrow

"Her expression is doleful."

"The dog had a doleful expression on its face when its owner left for work and it sat by the door waiting for her to return."

experiencing or expressing a feeling of deep sadness or grief

"The song is sorrowful."

"The sorrowful music played at the funeral made everyone cry as they remembered the happy times they had shared with their beloved friend who had passed away."

causing a loss of hope or enthusiasm and bringing discouragement or disappointment

"The news is dispiriting."

"The constant rejection letters were dispiriting and the young writer began to doubt whether he would ever get his novel published by a real company."

referring to something that involves repeating the same actions or elements multiple times, often leading to boredom or dissatisfaction

"The work is repetitive."

"The factory work was repetitive and boring because he had to perform the same simple task over and over again for eight hours every single day."

causing fatigue or annoyance due to its repetitiveness or lack of interest

"The commute is tiresome."

"The long journey became tiresome after twelve hours on the road and the children started complaining that they wanted to go home and sleep in their beds."

causing feelings of disappointment or annoyance by stopping someone from achieving their desires or goals

"This is frustrating."

"It is frustrating when you know the answer to a question but you cannot remember it at the moment because your mind goes completely blank under pressure."

causing annoyance or displeasure

"The noise is irritating."

"The sound of the dripping faucet was irritating and she could not fall asleep until she finally got up and tightened the valve to stop the noise."

causing one to lose hope or confidence

"The results are discouraging."

"The coach tried not to be discouraging after the team lost the game but the players could see the disappointment in his eyes and on his face."

causing intense fear, shock, or disgust due to being extremely disturbing or frightening

"The accident was horrifying."

"The survivors described the horrifying scene of the earthquake with buildings collapsing and people screaming as the ground shook violently beneath their feet."

causing feelings of unease, discomfort, or anxiety

"The news is unsettling."

"The strange phone call was unsettling because the caller knew her name and address but she had no idea who the person on the other end was."

causing a lot of difficulty, pain, distress, or discomfort

"The pain is agonizing."

"The wait for the test results was agonizing and she could not concentrate on anything else because her mind kept imagining the worst possible outcome."

causing a strong feeling of worry or discomfort

"The film is disturbing."

"The documentary showed disturbing images of pollution destroying the ocean and many viewers had to leave the theater because they could not bear to watch."

offensive and unpleasant, often causing a feeling of dislike or disgust

"The joke was distasteful."

"His comment about her weight was distasteful and everyone at the table fell silent because they could not believe that he would say something so rude."

so shocking or unexpected that it causes strong emotional reactions like disbelief or horror

"The behavior is appalling."

"The lack of safety measures at the factory was appalling and the workers were afraid to complain because they might lose their jobs if they spoke up."

causing extreme discomfort or distress that is difficult to endure

"The heat is unbearable."

"The heat in the apartment was unbearable because the air conditioner had broken and the landlord refused to send anyone to repair it for days."

incapable of being sustained, endured, or tolerated over time due to its extreme nature or intensity

"The pain is unendurable."

"The pain in his back became unendurable after he lifted the heavy box and he had to go to the emergency room to get strong medication."

causing a loss of sensation, emotion, or responsiveness

"The cold is numbing."

"The cold wind was numbing and his fingers turned blue within minutes so he quickly put on his gloves and ran inside the warm house."

not causing interest or enthusiasm

"The movie is unexciting."

"The movie was unexciting and predictable so the audience sat in silence without any gasps or laughter for the entire two hours of the film."

not capable of evoking interest, excitement, or mental engagement

"The class is unstimulating."

"The textbook was unstimulating and full of dry facts so the students struggled to stay awake while reading the assigned chapters for their homework."

causing intense anger, frustration, or irritation

"Her attitude is infuriating."

"The customer service representative's rude attitude was infuriating and she had to take a deep breath to stop herself from yelling at the woman on the phone."

causing a feeling of distress, fear, or unease

"The news is alarming."

"The sudden increase in crime rates is alarming and the mayor has promised to hire more police officers to patrol the streets and keep citizens safe."

causing feelings of fear, unease, or worry in others

"He is intimidating."

"The tall muscular man looked intimidating but he was actually very gentle and kind once you got to know him and his friendly personality."

causing or showing a potential for harm or danger, often in a way that makes someone feel scared

"His tone is threatening."

"The angry customer used threatening language with the cashier and the store manager had to call security to escort the man out of the building."