Idioms are vibrant, expressive phrases that add flair and depth to our language, often conveying emotions in ways that literal words cannot. They paint vivid pictures, making conversations more engaging and relatable, especially when describing complex feelings like joy, anger, or sadness. For anyone looking to enhance their emotional vocabulary, idioms about feelings offer a creative way to articulate moods and reactions. These phrases are commonly used in everyday conversations, books, movies, and even social media, making them essential for understanding and connecting with others. In this blog post, we’ll explore 60 idioms related to emotions, their meanings, and how to use them in sentences. Plus, we’ve included a practical exercise to help you master these idioms and weave them into your daily life. Let’s dive into the colorful world of feelings through idioms!
Idioms About Feelings
1. Over the moon
Meaning: To be extremely happy or delighted.
In a Sentence: When she found out she got accepted into her dream university, she was absolutely over the moon with joy.
Other Ways to Say: Ecstatic, Thrilled to bits
2. Down in the dumps
Meaning: Feeling sad or depressed.
In a Sentence: After losing the championship game, the entire team was down in the dumps for days.
Other Ways to Say: Feeling blue, In low spirits
3. On cloud nine
Meaning: Experiencing extreme happiness or bliss.
In a Sentence: Winning the talent show put her on cloud nine, and she couldn’t stop smiling all week.
Other Ways to Say: Overjoyed, Walking on air
4. Heart on your sleeve
Meaning: To openly show your emotions.
In a Sentence: She wears her heart on her sleeve, so everyone knows when she’s upset or happy.
Other Ways to Say: Emotionally open, Transparent feelings
5. Butterflies in your stomach
Meaning: Feeling nervous or excited.
In a Sentence: Before her big presentation, she had butterflies in her stomach and couldn’t sit still.
Other Ways to Say: Nervous jitters, Feeling anxious
6. In a blue funk
Meaning: Feeling deeply sad or depressed.
In a Sentence: After his best friend moved away, he was in a blue funk and didn’t feel like talking.
Other Ways to Say: Feeling down, In a slump
7. Blow off steam
Meaning: To release pent-up emotions, usually anger or frustration.
In a Sentence: After a tough day at work, he went for a long run to blow off some steam.
Other Ways to Say: Let out frustration, Vent emotions
8. Walking on eggshells
Meaning: Being cautious to avoid upsetting someone.
In a Sentence: She was walking on eggshells around her friend, who was upset about failing the test.
Other Ways to Say: Treading carefully, Being cautious
9. Fit to be tied
Meaning: Extremely angry or frustrated.
In a Sentence: When he found out someone scratched his new car, he was fit to be tied.
Other Ways to Say: Furious, Livid
10. Get under your skin
Meaning: To irritate or annoy someone deeply.
In a Sentence: His constant teasing really got under her skin, and she finally snapped.
Other Ways to Say: Annoy deeply, Irk
11. Jump for joy
Meaning: To be extremely happy or excited.
In a Sentence: When she heard her favorite band was coming to town, she was jumping for joy.
Other Ways to Say: Over the moon, Thrilled
12. Sick at heart
Meaning: Feeling deeply sad or distressed.
In a Sentence: The news of the tragedy left the whole community sick at heart.
Other Ways to Say: Heartbroken, Devastated
13. On pins and needles
Meaning: Feeling anxious or nervous while waiting.
In a Sentence: She was on pins and needles waiting to hear if she got the lead role in the play.
Other Ways to Say: Anxiously waiting, On edge
14. Fly off the handle
Meaning: To lose your temper suddenly.
In a Sentence: He flew off the handle when someone spilled juice on his new laptop.
Other Ways to Say: Lose it, Snap
15. In seventh heaven
Meaning: Extremely happy or blissful.
In a Sentence: After receiving a promotion at work, she felt like she was in seventh heaven.
Other Ways to Say: Overjoyed, Ecstatic
16. Have a chip on your shoulder
Meaning: To feel resentful or hold a grudge.
In a Sentence: He’s had a chip on his shoulder ever since he didn’t get picked for the team.
Other Ways to Say: Hold a grudge, Be resentful
17. Cry your eyes out
Meaning: To cry intensely for a long time.
In a Sentence: She cried her eyes out after watching the sad ending of the movie.
Other Ways to Say: Sob uncontrollably, Weep heavily
18. Cold shoulder
Meaning: To deliberately ignore or be unfriendly to someone.
In a Sentence: After their argument, she gave him the cold shoulder for the rest of the day.
Other Ways to Say: Ignore, Snub
19. Heart in your mouth
Meaning: Feeling extremely nervous or scared.
In a Sentence: When the car skidded on the icy road, her heart was in her mouth.
Other Ways to Say: Terrified, Panic-stricken
20. Bursting with pride
Meaning: Feeling extremely proud.
In a Sentence: Watching her daughter graduate, she was bursting with pride.
Other Ways to Say: Swelling with pride, Overwhelmed with joy
21. Green with envy
Meaning: Extremely jealous of someone else’s success.
In a Sentence: He was green with envy when his friend won the scholarship.
Other Ways to Say: Jealous, Envious
22. Down in the mouth
Meaning: Looking or feeling sad.
In a Sentence: After failing his driving test, he was down in the mouth all evening.
Other Ways to Say: Gloomy, Depressed
23. Tongue-tied
Meaning: Unable to speak due to nervousness or shyness.
In a Sentence: When she met her favorite celebrity, she was completely tongue-tied.
Other Ways to Say: Speechless, At a loss for words
24. Have a heart of stone
Meaning: To be unfeeling or unsympathetic.
In a Sentence: Despite their pleas, the landlord had a heart of stone and raised the rent.
Other Ways to Say: Cold-hearted, Unsympathetic
25. On edge
Meaning: Feeling nervous or tense.
In a Sentence: Waiting for the exam results had everyone on edge for days.
Other Ways to Say: Tense, Anxious
26. Eat your heart out
Meaning: To feel intense jealousy or longing.
In a Sentence: Look at my new phone—eat your heart out!
Other Ways to Say: Be jealous, Wish you had it
27. Heavy heart
Meaning: Feeling deep sadness or sorrow.
In a Sentence: She left the meeting with a heavy heart after hearing the bad news.
Other Ways to Say: Sorrowful, Heartbroken
28. Let your hair down
Meaning: To relax and be yourself.
In a Sentence: At the party, she finally let her hair down and danced all night.
Other Ways to Say: Unwind, Be carefree
29. Hot under the collar
Meaning: Feeling angry or embarrassed.
In a Sentence: He got hot under the collar when someone criticized his work.
Other Ways to Say: Irritated, Flustered
30. In a huff
Meaning: Being annoyed or in a bad mood.
In a Sentence: She stormed out of the room in a huff after losing the argument.
Other Ways to Say: Upset, Sulky
31. Wear your heart out
Meaning: To exhaust yourself emotionally.
In a Sentence: Worrying about her family’s safety was wearing her heart out.
Other Ways to Say: Emotionally drained, Exhausted from stress
32. All ears
Meaning: Listening eagerly and attentively.
In a Sentence: Tell me about your new crush—I’m all ears!
Other Ways to Say: Listening closely, Eager to hear
33. Like a cat on a hot tin roof
Meaning: Extremely nervous or restless.
In a Sentence: Before the audition, she was like a cat on a hot tin roof, pacing back and forth.
Other Ways to Say: Jumpy, Anxious
34. Feel blue
Meaning: To feel sad or depressed.
In a Sentence: After her pet passed away, she was feeling blue for weeks.
Other Ways to Say: Down, Melancholy
35. In high spirits
Meaning: Feeling cheerful or happy.
In a Sentence: The team was in high spirits after winning the championship.
Other Ways to Say: Upbeat, Jolly
36. Have a short fuse
Meaning: To get angry quickly.
In a Sentence: He has a short fuse, so don’t provoke him during the meeting.
Other Ways to Say: Quick-tempered, Easily angered
37. Heart skips a beat
Meaning: To feel sudden excitement or nervousness.
In a Sentence: Every time he smiled at her, her heart skipped a beat.
Other Ways to Say: Get excited, Feel a thrill
38. At your wit’s end
Meaning: Extremely frustrated or desperate.
In a Sentence: After hours of dealing with technical issues, she was at her wit’s end.
Other Ways to Say: Fed up, Out of patience
39. Overcome with emotion
Meaning: To be overwhelmed by strong feelings.
In a Sentence: Seeing her son perform on stage, she was overcome with emotion and started crying.
Other Ways to Say: Emotionally overwhelmed, Moved to tears
40. Hit rock bottom
Meaning: To reach the lowest point emotionally or mentally.
In a Sentence: After losing his job and home, he felt like he had hit rock bottom.
Other Ways to Say: At an all-time low, In despair
41. In a cold sweat
Meaning: Feeling extremely nervous or scared.
In a Sentence: Waiting for the doctor’s diagnosis had her in a cold sweat.
Other Ways to Say: Panicked, Terrified
42. Head over heels
Meaning: Deeply in love or very excited.
In a Sentence: She fell head over heels for her new classmate after their first date.
Other Ways to Say: Madly in love, Completely smitten
43. Keep a stiff upper lip
Meaning: To stay strong and not show emotions in tough times.
In a Sentence: Despite the bad news, he kept a stiff upper lip and stayed calm.
Other Ways to Say: Stay composed, Hide feelings
44. Bent out of shape
Meaning: To be very upset or angry.
In a Sentence: He got bent out of shape when his plans were canceled last minute.
Other Ways to Say: Upset, Irritated
45. Get a grip
Meaning: To control your emotions or calm down.
In a Sentence: You need to get a grip and stop panicking about the small stuff.
Other Ways to Say: Calm down, Pull yourself together
46. Out of sorts
Meaning: Feeling slightly unwell or not yourself.
In a Sentence: She’s been out of sorts all day and isn’t sure why.
Other Ways to Say: Off, Not feeling right
47. Lose your cool
Meaning: To lose control of your emotions.
In a Sentence: He lost his cool when the waiter spilled soup on his shirt.
Other Ways to Say: Lose your temper, Snap
48. In the doldrums
Meaning: Feeling sad or unmotivated.
In a Sentence: After the rainy week canceled all her plans, she was in the doldrums.
Other Ways to Say: Feeling low, Depressed
49. Burst into tears
Meaning: To suddenly start crying.
In a Sentence: When she heard the news, she burst into tears in the middle of the room.
Other Ways to Say: Start crying, Break down
50. On top of the world
Meaning: Feeling extremely happy or successful.
In a Sentence: After acing her final exams, she felt on top of the world.
Other Ways to Say: Elated, Overjoyed
51. Have your heart set on
Meaning: To strongly desire something.
In a Sentence: She had her heart set on getting that new guitar for her birthday.
Other Ways to Say: Really want, Determined to have
52. Sick to your stomach
Meaning: Feeling deeply upset or disgusted.
In a Sentence: The unfair decision made her feel sick to her stomach.
Other Ways to Say: Disgusted, Nauseated emotionally
53. In a tizzy
Meaning: Being in a nervous or excited state.
In a Sentence: She was in a tizzy trying to get everything ready for the party.
Other Ways to Say: Flustered, Worked up
54. With bated breath
Meaning: Waiting anxiously or excitedly.
In a Sentence: The audience watched with bated breath as the winner was announced.
Other Ways to Say: Anxiously waiting, Holding your breath
55. Beside yourself
Meaning: Overwhelmed with emotion, usually worry or anger.
In a Sentence: She was beside herself with worry when her dog went missing.
Other Ways to Say: Overwrought, Distraught
56. Have a lump in your throat
Meaning: Feeling emotional and close to crying.
In a Sentence: Watching the heartfelt speech, she had a lump in her throat.
Other Ways to Say: Choked up, Emotional
57. Mad as a hatter
Meaning: Extremely angry or crazy.
In a Sentence: He was mad as a hatter when someone scratched his new bike.
Other Ways to Say: Furious, Out of control
58. In good spirits
Meaning: Feeling happy or cheerful.
In a Sentence: Despite the long day, she was still in good spirits at the party.
Other Ways to Say: Cheerful, Upbeat
59. Heart of gold
Meaning: Being kind and compassionate.
In a Sentence: She always helps others; she truly has a heart of gold.
Other Ways to Say: Kind-hearted, Generous
60. At peace
Meaning: Feeling calm and free from worry.
In a Sentence: After resolving the conflict, she finally felt at peace with herself.
Other Ways to Say: Calm, Serene
Practical Exercise
Fill in the blanks:
- When she won the award, she was absolutely _______ the moon with excitement.
- After the argument, he gave her the _______ shoulder and refused to talk.
- Waiting for the audition results had her _______ pins and needles.
- He was _______ with pride watching his son score the winning goal.
- The unfair treatment left her _______ to her stomach and unable to speak.
- She felt _______ blue after her best friend moved to another city.
- He flew _______ the handle when someone broke his favorite mug.
- After finishing the project, the team was _______ top of the world.
- She was _______ a tizzy trying to prepare for the surprise party.
- Despite the challenges, he kept a _______ upper lip and stayed strong.
- Seeing the old photos gave her a _______ in her throat.
- After a long day, she let her _______ down and danced with her friends.
Answers:
over, cold, on, bursting, sick, feeling, off, on, in, stiff, lump, hair
Conclusion
Idioms about feelings are a dynamic way to express emotions, adding color and depth to your conversations. They allow you to capture complex emotions like joy, anger, or nervousness in a way that’s relatable and engaging. By incorporating these 60 idioms into your daily speech, you’ll not only enrich your vocabulary but also connect more deeply with others. Practice using them in conversations, writing, or even social media posts to make your communication more lively and expressive. Keep exploring the world of idioms, and let your emotions shine through your words!