1
a(1)
: the one of the basic physical senses of which the skin contains the chief end organs and of which the sensations of touch and temperature are characteristic : touch
(2)
: a sensation experienced through this sense
b
: generalized bodily consciousness or sensation
c
: appreciative or responsive awareness or recognition
experience a feeling of safety
2
a
: an emotional state or reaction
a kindly feeling toward the boy
b
3
a
: the undifferentiated background of one's awareness considered apart from any identifiable sensation, perception, or thought
b
: the overall quality of one's awareness
c
: conscious recognition : sense
4
a
: often unreasoned opinion or belief : sentiment
What are your feelings about this subject?
b
: presentiment
I have a feeling she's not going to like this.
5
: capacity to respond emotionally especially with the higher emotions
found out how much feeling his mother really had
6
: the character ascribed to something : atmosphere
The place had the feeling of a haunted house.
7
a
: the quality of a work of art that conveys the emotion of the artist
the feeling of the outdoors has been realized with sky-blue ceiling and natural colors—
Playthings
Playthings
b
: sympathetic aesthetic response
a person of fine feeling
8
2
obsolete
: deeply felt
3
: expressing emotion or sensitivity
feelingness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of feeling in a Sentence
Noun
I noticed tingling feelings in my fingers.
She had a queasy feeling in her stomach.
I had the feeling of something crawling across my foot.
We enjoyed the feeling of walking barefoot in the sand.
He had no feeling in his right leg.
He's been troubled by feelings of guilt.
There's no point in trying to hide your feelings.
He spoke with feeling about the injustice he had seen.
Have you no feeling for the plight of the homeless?
I can see that you have strong feelings about this subject.
Recent Examples on the Web
Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 9 Nov. 2024
Perhaps that can be found in a moment that’s less about feeling and more about action.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
This innate desire for connection, however, combined with people’s reliance on technology, can lead to feelings of FOMO– fear of missing out – and anxiety during a digital detox.
—Discover Magazine, 7 Nov. 2024
The feeling of calmness is all-enveloping on this ship, which is part of the Riverside Luxury Cruises fleet travelling languidly up and down Europe's great rivers.
—James Rampton, theweek, 6 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for feeling 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Don’t limit yourself for the sake of someone else’s feelings; do what’s best for you.
—Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 9 Nov. 2024
Perhaps that can be found in a moment that’s less about feeling and more about action.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
This innate desire for connection, however, combined with people’s reliance on technology, can lead to feelings of FOMO– fear of missing out – and anxiety during a digital detox.
—Discover Magazine, 7 Nov. 2024
The feeling of calmness is all-enveloping on this ship, which is part of the Riverside Luxury Cruises fleet travelling languidly up and down Europe's great rivers.
—James Rampton, theweek, 6 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for feeling
Dictionary Entries Near feeling
Cite this Entry
“Feeling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feeling. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
feeling
1 of 2 noun
feel·ing
ˈfē-liŋ 
1
a
: a sense by which the hardness or softness, hotness or coldness, or heaviness or lightness of things is found out
especially
: touch entry 2 sense 3
b
: a sensation experienced through this sense
2
a
: a state of mind
a feeling of loneliness
b
plural
: general emotional condition : sensibilities
hurt their feelings
3
: an opinion or belief often when not based on evidence
a feeling that it will rain
4
5
Medical Definition
feeling
noun
feel·ing
ˈfē-liŋ
1
a
: the capacity or ability to experience physical sensations (such as pain, touch, or temperature) that is mediated chiefly by end organs and sensory receptors in the skin
b
: a sensation experienced through this capacity
2
: an emotional state or reaction
guilt feelings
3
: the overall quality of one's awareness especially as measured along a pleasantness-unpleasantness continuum
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