Language tip of the week: to feel something

In this weekly post, we bring more useful content from the Macmillan Dictionary to English language learners. In this series of language tips to accompany the Real Vocabulary theme we look at how you can expand your vocabulary in English by using different words and expressions instead of core vocabulary items.

This set of language tips will explore the words and phrases we use to talk about feelings. This week’s tip looks at some verbs and phrases that mean to feel something:

feel to be in a particular state as a result of an emotion:
I was feeling quite cheerful when we set out. ♦ Sam felt utterly miserable.
experience to feel an emotion:
It was the most wonderful feeling she had ever experienced. ♦ I experienced a whole range of emotions in the space of about five minutes.
be affected by if you are affected by something, it has an emotional effect on you:
She was deeply affected by her parent’s divorce.
be overcome by/with if you are overcome by an emotion, it has a very strong effect on you:
The whole family was overcome with grief. ♦ I was overcome by feelings of gratitude.
suffer to feel bad as a result of an emotion:
He suffered agonies of jealousy.