
101 Mood Words to Use in Writing Fiction
- Amused
- Angry
- Anxious
- Apathetic
- Astonished
- Awed
- Bored
- Brooding
- Calm
- Cheerful
- Cold
- Confident
- Confining
- Contemplative
- Content
- Crushed
- Cynical
- Depressed / Depressing
- Desolate
- Determined
- Dignified
- Disappointed
- Distressed
- Drained
- Dreamy
- Ecstatic
- Embarrassed
- Empty
- Enthralled
- Energetic
- Exhausted
- Exhilarated
- Fatalistic
- Foreboding
- Frightened
- Frustrated
- Futile
- Giddy
- Gloomy
- Grateful
- Happy
- Harmonious
- Hesitant
- 46.Hostile
- Idyllic
- Impressed
- Indifferent
- Interested
- Intimidated
- Irritated
- Isolated
- Joyful
- Lethargic
- Light-hearted
- Lonely
- Melancholic
- Mellow
- Morose
- Nauseated
- Nervous
- Nostalgic
- Numb
- Ominous
- Optimistic
- Overwhelmed
- Painful / Pained
- Passionate
- Peaceful
- Pensive
- Playful
- Proud
- Reflective
- Refreshed
- Rejected
- Relaxed
- Relieved
- Restless
- Safe
- Satisfied
- Scared
- Sentimental
- Shocked
- Sick / Sickened
- Silly
- Somber
- Surprised
- Suspenseful
- Thankful
- Tense
- Terrified
- Threatened
- Touched
- Vengeful
- Vulnerable
- Warm
- Worried
- Cheerful.
- Reflective.
- Gloomy.
- Humorous.
- Melancholy.
- Idyllic.
- Whimsical.
- Romantic.
What is an example of a mood word?
The English language contains five types of mood:
- INDICATIVE - The indicative mood is used to state facts and opinions, as in: "My mom's lasagna is my favorite food in the world."
- IMPERATIVE - The imperative mood is used to give commands, orders, and instructions. ...
- INTERROGATIVE - The interrogative mood is used to ask a question, as in, "Have you eaten all of your lasagna yet?"
What are some adjectives to describe a mood?
Words to Describe mood
- _ed_--potential
- private gentle
- already somber
- defiant fantastic
How would you describe your mood?
Words to describe mood when you’re feeling sadness
- Blue The word “blue” being used as a word to describe sadness is not new. ...
- Depressed “Depressed” is a word that is used to describe an extreme level of sadness. ...
- Disappointed “Disappointed” is a good word to use when you were looking forward to something, and that something does not happen. ...
What are some examples of mood and tone?
Tone – A Breakdown of the Differences:
- Tone is the feeling an author conveys in a story. Mood is the feeling a reader gets.
- Tone can offer insight into an author’s views and experiences. Mood can provide insight into a reader’s views and experiences.
- Tone is something an author can convey clearly. ...
- Tone happens when an author ‘tells.’ Mood occurs when an author ‘shows.’

How do you describe different moods?
While tone is often said to be what the author feels, what the reader feels is known as the mood. This mood affects readers psychologically and emotionally. We describe mood with adjectives like 'light-hearted', 'nervous', 'foreboding', optimistic', and 'peaceful'.
What are some positive mood words?
More Words for “Happy”Pleased — This word means between “happy” and “satisfied.” ... Cheerful — This is when someone is visibly happy. ... Exuberant — This is like cheerful — but even stronger.Euphoric — When you're intensely happy. ... Merry — This is a little like cheerful. ... Overjoyed — This simply means “very happy.”More items...•
What are some words for mood and tone?
The Ultimate List of Tone WordsTone WordMeaningJoyfulpositive; optimistic; cheerful; elatedJudgmentalcritical; finding fault; disparagingLight-Heartedcarefree; relaxed; chatty; humorousLovingaffectionate; showing intense, deep concern118 more rows•Mar 2, 2019
What are the 10 positive emotions?
Dr. Fredrickson identified the following as the ten most common positive emotions: Joy, Gratitude, Serenity, Interest, Hope, Pride, Amusement, Inspiration, Awe, Love.
What is a word for good feeling?
Similar words for good feelings: buoyancy/buoyance (noun) fellow feeling (noun) thrill (noun)
What are 10 examples of tone?
It can be joyful, serious, humorous, sad, threatening, formal, informal, pessimistic, or optimistic.
How do you write a mood?
8 Sure-fire Ways To Establish MoodWord choice. Your word choice is the number one tool at your disposal for setting the mood. ... Tone. ... Setting. ... Internal monologue. ... Description. ... Rhythm of language. ... Mood should shift from the beginning of a scene to the end of it. ... In longer works, mood should shift from scene to scene.More items...•
What is mood in a story?
What Is Mood in Literature? Mood in literature is another word for the atmosphere or ambience of a piece of writing, be it a short story, novel, poem, or essay. The mood is the feeling that the writer is trying to evoke in their readers—feelings like calm, anxiety, joy, or anger.
What are 5 positive words?
Here is a detailed list of some of the most common positive words you can use in the English language.Adaptable.Adventurous.Amazing.Amiable.Beautiful.Becoming.Beloved.Blessed.More items...
What are mood words for happy?
blissful,delighted,glad,joyful,joyous,jubilant,rejoicing,tickled.
Mood Examples
The mood is conveyed to the reader by the language used in the text. While most books have shifting moods due to their plot, the overall mood is established, and as the mood changes, the language does, as well. The following examples convey the mood and feelings of both characters, situations, and settings in literature.
Emotions in a Story
When the author feels that emotions should be conveyed in a story, he or she changes the tone by using descriptive and emotional language.
Genre and Mood
Genre often gives the person reading the book a hint as to what the mood of the story will be. Suspense novels have suspenseful language. There are many pregnant pauses between both speech and action. There are cliffhangers, there are mysteries, and there are mistakes made by characters, all to make the reading more suspenseful.
Look For Mood Examples in Your Favorite Books
When you reflect upon your favorite book, think about the writing style and whether the language in it helps set the mood. Ask yourself if the person who wrote the book set you up, as the audience, to be curious about how the mood would influence the plot or your feelings towards the characters.
What is an example of a whimsical mood?
Example #1: Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Lewis Carroll uses extraordinary imagery, lighthearted language, and unusual turns of phrase to create a whimsical mood, presenting strange characters as if they were ordinary and expected.
Why is mood important in literature?
What Is Mood in Literature and Why Is It Important? If the tone is tied to what the author feels, the mood is what you, as the reader, feel when you read the author’s words. The author sets the tone, and if they do it well, you pick up on the mood intended. And it stays with you even after you close the book.
How Is Mood Created?
A skilled author uses all five of the following story elements to create a particular mood:
What is tone in writing?
For tone, the author carefully chooses words to evoke the types of mood they want to set, using what they know or drawing from a list of mood words like the one in this post .
What does it mean when you tune into the author's intended mood?
When you tune into the author’s intended mood, you feel more invested in the story — feeling as present for each scene as the characters and empathizing with them.
What language does Shakespeare use to give the reader a taste of reality?
Here Shakespeare uses clear, blunt language to give the reader a taste of reality, poking fun at poetry that exaggerates the beauty of their female subjects.
Does the author force emotion on you?
It’s not that the author forced an emotion on you.
What are some words to describe mood?
It’s easy to use broad words to describe your mood, like happy, sad, angry, or nervous. However, you can use many different words to describe mood than the most basic ones available. This is important, especially since there are different levels of moodiness, and sometimes, you may feel a certain emotion or mood in only the slightest way. . .
What is the best word to describe anger?
Here are some words to describe mood when you’re feeling anger: 01 Annoyed. “Annoyed” is a word that can be used to describe a mild or slight form of anger.
What is the opposite of happiness?
Sadness is the opposite of happiness. It is a feeling of sorrow, regret, or grief. It can be a feeling that you have about something that someone said or did, or it can be about an event or the absence of something. Here are eight words to describe mood when experiencing sadness: 07 Blue.
Why is "hurt" a good word?
12 Hurt. “Hurt” is a good word to use because this type of sadness happens after a specific event. It’s usually because of something that someone has said or done to you to cause you emotional pain. It is a good word to use to indicate, at the moment, when someone says or does something to make you feel sad.
When to use "sadness"?
It is a good word to use when sadness is related to your expectations not being met, and you are displeased as a result.
When to use "regret"?
It is a good word to use when you’re grieving a death, when you’ve experienced the loss of a job, or when an important relationship has fallen apart.
How many ways to describe moods?
450+ Ways to Describe Moods: A Word List for Writers
What is a mood?
mood:a short-term state of mind or feeling
What is mood in literature?
Mood is also a term for a literary device that involves setting a general atmosphere in a story that may change as the story progresses.
What is mood 2020?
posted by John Spacey, August 09, 2020. Mood is a persistent emotional state that colors all thoughts for a period of time. As mood can greatly influence all thoughts it is useful to be able to identify your own mood and the mood of others. For example, if you are able to see that your thoughts are being colored by your mood you might not take them ...
