Describing Negative Emotional States: English Vocabulary List

having a nervous or restless energy

"I feel jittery before exams."

"I always feel jittery before a big exam and I have to take deep breaths to calm my nerves."

unable to stay still and calm

"The child is fidgety."

"The fidgety child could not sit still during the long movie and kept kicking the seat in front of him."

feeling abandoned or hopeless

"The lost puppy looked forlorn."

"The forlorn puppy sat alone in the rain waiting for its owner who never came back to get him."

feeling or displaying deep exhaustion

"I am weary after the long trip."

"After working twelve hours straight without a break she felt weary and fell asleep as soon as she got home."

experiencing extreme exhaustion

"The soldier was fatigued."

"The fatigued soldier could barely keep his eyes open after three days of fighting without any sleep at all."

depleted of physical or emotional energy

"After work I feel drained."

"The long meeting drained all of her energy and she needed a strong cup of coffee to feel awake again."

feeling dissatisfied, often due to a sense of unfair treatment or disappointment

"The disgruntled employee complained."

"The disgruntled employee complained about the low wages and poor working conditions to anyone who would listen to him."

feeling intense frustration, especially due to an unsolvable problem

"The teacher was exasperated."

"The exasperated teacher sighed loudly when the students asked her to explain the same concept for the fifth time."

irritated or angered by a particular situation or person

"She was peeved by the delay."

"She was peeved that her friend showed up thirty minutes late to the restaurant without even apologizing for the delay."

deeply troubled or baffled, often as a result of an unexpected or unfavorable event

"I was dismayed by the result."

"I was dismayed to discover that my flight had been canceled and the next one was not until tomorrow morning."

idle, indolent, or showing little effort, often in a dreamy or unmotivated way

"His lackadaisical attitude is annoying."

"His lackadaisical attitude towards his schoolwork caused his grades to drop significantly and his parents became very worried about his future."

inclined to laziness

"The slothful employee did nothing."

"The slothful employee spent most of the day browsing social media instead of completing his assigned tasks and responsibilities at work."

feeling hopeless, discouraged, or in low spirits, often due to a sense of failure or loss

"He became despondent after failing."

"He became despondent after losing his job and spent weeks lying on the couch watching television and feeling sorry for himself."

having lost all one's courage, hope, or enthusiasm

"The team was disheartened by the loss."

"The disheartened team walked off the field with their heads down after losing the championship game by a single point."

feeling downcast, discouraged, or in low spirits

"She felt dejected after the rejection."

"The dejected job applicant left the interview room feeling certain that he had not gotten the position he wanted so badly."

(of a person or their manner) melancholic and full of grief

"He looked downcast."

"She looked downcast after hearing that her application had been rejected by the university she had dreamed of attending for years."