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sorrows

a feeling of great sadness, usually because someone has died or because something terrible has happened to you

grief

extreme sadness, especially because someone you love has died

trauma

an unpleasant and upsettingexperience that affects you for a long time

down in the dumps / down in the mouth

did badly in a job interview or failed an exam

out of sorts

someone who is usually cheerful, but simply seems a bit glum at the moment

glum

unhappy and do not talk a lot

bereavement

when someone dies

broken-hearted / grief-stricken

extremely sad, especially because someone you love has died or left you

knocked sideways / knocked for six

to shock or upset someone very much

taken it hard

if sm is extremely upset about sth

sm is in bits

be extremely upset because sth unpleasant or disappointing has happened

sm has gone/fallen to pieces / fallen apart

failing to cope with what has happened

get you down / cast a shadow over

make people feel less happy or hopeful about sth

a heavy heart

if you feel as if you are carrying sadness inside you

doing sth with a heavy heart

we are forced into an action that makes us sad

brings a lump to your throat

If something makes you feel as though you want to cry

well up

tears come into your eyes

burst into tears

suddenly start crying, usually in a strong, uncontrollable way

mope around

act in a miserable way

wallow in (their sadness)

make no effort to recover, as if they are enjoying it

pull yourself together

act in a more sensible way

dejected, forlorn, glum, miserable or wretched

feeling very sad, unhappy

chilled

relaxed and not worried

on edge

anxious about sth and not able to relax

chripy, perky

sm who seems cheerful

bright

someone who seems cheerful and lively

someone is in good/high spirits

happy

mellow

someone who is feeling very relaxed, sometimes – though not always – because they’ve drunk alcohol

gloomy, low, down

you’re unhappy and without hope

subdued

someone who is quiet and seems a little unhappy or anxious

(a bit) down in the mouth and (a bit) down in the dumps

unhappy

out of sorts

in an unhappy mood

irritable, grumpy, grouchy, cranky

angry mood in which we are easily annoyed by other people

express

To show a feeling, opinion, or fact by means of words, speaking, or gestures

demonstrative

freely shows love and affection for other people, for example by hugging them

expressive

showing what someone feels or thinks

expressionless

shows no emotions

impassive

they are showing no emotion and no response to what is happening at the time

blank

a face that shows no emotion, with the additional meaning of ‘showing no interest or understanding’

stolid

never shows emotion or excitement, in a way that is rather boring

vent, give vent to

To express a strong negative emotion (such as anger or frustration) very strongly or freely, often to relieve pressure

radiate

If someone radiates a feeling, or if it radiates from them, it is very easy to see it in their appearance or behavior

betray

If you betray a feeling, your face shows that feeling, even though you try not to let it

conceal

To conceal a feeling is to hide it from others

suppress

To prevent yourself from having or showing a feeling or an emotion

if you make no secret of your feelings

if you make no secret of your feelings on a particular subject, you do not try to hide them

pour your heart out

you talk to someone emotionally, for a long time, telling them all about how you feel

let off steam

to express strong feelings that you have been controlling for a while

wears their heart on their sleeve

makes their feelings obvious, making no attempt to hide them

put on a brave face, or put a brave face on it

When someone is determined not to appear upset or disappointed, even though they feel it

get a grip (on yourself)

you try hard to control your emotions and behave calmly, especially when you are very angry or sad

hold in

the idea of trying not to show feelings of sadness or anger

fights back or holds back

they try hard not to cry

bottles up

Someone who bottles up feelings such as anger and sadness, stops themselves from showing them to other people for a long time

gives them away

Meanwhile, if someone’s face or manner gives them away, it shows how they really feel, even though they are trying to hide it

likeable

someone who is easy to like

empathy / empathetic

If they show that they understand the feelings of other people, they have empathy and are empathetic

a man/woman after your own heart

If you like someone because they have characteristics you particularly admire

laid-back or easy-going

someone with a nice, relaxed personality

he/she doesn’t have a [mean, jealous etc.] bone in his/her body

someone is always pleasant and kind

(the) salt of the earth

someone who is very ordinary but also very good and honest

big-hearted or has a heart of gold

very kind

a tower/pillar of strength

someone is supportive to you at a difficult time

A hospitable person

likes having guests and treats them well

approachable

easy to talk to and doesn’t make you feel nervous

tactful

takes care not to do or say things that upset people

a ray of sunshine or simply as sunny

they have a very happy nature

jolly or jovial

good-humoured and likes to laugh or make jokes

has a short fuse

becomes angry very quickly

doesn’t suffer fools (gladly)

very impatient with people they think are stupid

a chip on their shoulder

often angry because they think they have been treated unfairly

like a bear with a sore head

in a very bad mood

sullen or surly

someone who is unwilling to be pleasant

argumentative or confrontational

often causes arguments

abrasive

a rude manner

prickly

takes offence very easily

discourteous

someone who is not polite

impertinent or insolent

mock or insult people

coarse, vulgar and uncouth

people who are rude in a way that often shows a lack of education and good manners

churlish

When someone is rude to someone who does not deserve such behaviour

tactless, thoughtless or inconsiderate

they act without considering the feelings of others

bitchy, catty or having a sharp tongue

Someone who says nasty things about other people

spiteful and malicious

imply that behaviour is deliberately intended to hurt someone

sadistic

gets pleasure from hurting other people

renowned, celebrated or noted

well known, usually because of something good

legendary

extremely famous and greatly admired

prominent

well known and important

eminent

well known and respected in a particular area of work or study

High-profile

attracts a lot of media interest and so is known by many

Illustrious

famous and widely admired, especially for great achievements

notorious or infamous

famous for something very bad

obscure

known to few people

unknown and little-known

people who are not famous

lesser-known

less famous than others like them

angry synonyms

annoyed and irritated

cross

angry about something

indignant

angry because something is wrong or not fair

aggrieved

unhappy and angry because of unfair treatment

hangry

feeling angry because they’re hungry

furious, irate and incensed

very angry

seething

extremely angry, although trying not to express it

outraged

very angry and shocked

incandescent and apoplectic

formal adjectives for furious

lose your temper

suddenly become angry

lose it

a more informal phrase with the same meaning

go ballistic, see red, lose their rag or hit the roof

to suddenly become angry

make your blood boil

situation that makes your blood boil makes you extremely angry

a face like thunder

look very angry

on the warpath

angry and wants to punish someone for something

a heated discussion

in which people become angry

layabout

A word indicating strong disapproval for someone who is lazy

lazybones

A word for a lazy person that can be used almost affectionately

slacker

A word used seriously or semi-humorously to describe someone who avoids work

couch potato

(lazy people) informal

work-shy

a very disapproving word, often used for unemployed people suspected of not wanting to get a job

lazy

basic word for someone who is not active or does not want to work

idle

lazy

bone idle

extremely lazy

idly

(lazy) used in much less disapproving contexts

slothful

(lazy) rare and rather literary word

sloth

referring to laziness

didn’t lift a finger

didn’t do any work at all (lazy people)

sat around on their backside doing nothing

more rudely

rest and relaxation

positive terms used when someone deserves a period of rest

taking a break

having a short period of rest during or after work

unwind / wind down

to relax after being "tightly wound up" with stress

recharge their batteries

to have a rest in order to build up energy levels again

put their feet up

to rest for a while

take it easy

to relax and not exert oneself

kick back / chill out / laze around

all basically mean to relax and do nothing

restorative

describes an activity or holiday that makes you feel better and more refreshed than before

respite

a pause or a period of rest from a difficult or stressful situation

leisurely

an activity or period of time that is relaxed and involves no hurry

up to your eyes/eyeballs/neck/ears

to have a very large amount of work to do

rushed off our feet

being very busy, especially when the work involves standing up or moving around (like in a shop or café)

it’s all go

an informal UK English way to say that a job or situation is busy

have your hands full

when something takes up all your time and you cannot do anything else

have a lot on your plate

to be very busy

chasing your tail / running (a)round in circles

being very busy but not managing to achieve much

running (a)round like headless chickens

trying hard to do something but being in a panic and not being effective

have their nose to the grindstone

working very hard at the moment

have their head down

working very hard, especially when preparing for exams

go the extra mile

doing more than is necessary to do something as well as possible

sweated blood

making an extreme amount of effort to achieve something

bust a gut

an informal phrase meaning to work too hard

hard-working

a general adjective for someone who works very hard

industrious

a more formal word for someone who works very hard

conscientious

putting a lot of effort into doing work as well as one possibly can

elbow grease

hard physical effort needed to do something, such as cleaning

effort

the physical or mental energy needed to do something

exertion

the use of physical or mental effort

slog

an informal word for a period of hard work or effort

work-life balance

the state of having a healthy balance between work and personal life

bellow

to shout loudly to convey anger

bawl

to shout loudly to convey anger

shriek

to shout loudly, indicating a high degree of emotion such as shock, anger, or laughter

screech

to shout loudly, indicating a high degree of emotion such as shock, anger, or laughter

howl

to make a loud noise to show that someone is upset or in pain

wail

to make a loud noise to show that someone is upset or in pain

groan

to make a lower, softer sound to indicate being upset or in pain

moan

to make a lower, softer sound to indicate being upset or in pain / slightly informal verb suggesting someone is unhappy about something unimportant and conveying slight irritation

whimper

to make a soft but higher-pitched sound to indicate being upset or in pain

splutter

to speak in a way that shows someone is shocked

burst out

to speak suddenly because of an inability to control emotions

drawl

to speak slowly but unclearly with long vowel sounds, indicating laziness or arrogance

slur

to speak unclearly, often implying that the speaker is drunk

mumble

to speak quietly in a way that is difficult to understand.

mutter

to speak quietly and unclearly, usually indicating anger or worry

murmur

to speak softly and unclearly, usually in positive situations

gabble

to speak quickly and indistinctly, often through excitement or fear

babble

to speak quickly and indistinctly, often through excitement or fear

jabber

to speak quickly and indistinctly, often through excitement or fear

complain

the basic verb used to express that you are unhappy about something, such as poor service or a noisy neighbor

complaint

the noun form of "complain"

make a complaint

common way to express your unhappiness about a situation

lodge / file a complaint

formal collocations used to make a complaint in an official context, such as with a human resources department

have a moan

slightly informal UK English phrase using "moan" as a noun

moan and groan

phrase used for extra emphasis when someone is complaining a lot

grumble / gripe / whinge / grouch / kvetch

various informal verbs that have a slightly disapproving tone. Grumble, gripe, and whinge are also used as informal, disapproving nouns

whine

disapproving synonym for "complain" that specifically refers to an annoying, high-pitched voice, often associated with children

grouch

informal noun used to describe a person who complains too much

huffs and puffs

to complain about something you are required to do, often right before you actually do it

kicks up a fuss

to complain about something, typically in a public place