feel
Perceive through contact
Feel is the primary verb we use for the sense of touch and for physical sensations within the body.
Since our bodies are intimately connected with all of our senses, the meaning of feel has expanded over many centuries to include things more associated with the mind than with the body; in many cases, feel is a synonym of think or believe.
Feel is also commonly used as a linking verb to express an emotional or physiological state, as in I feel exhausted.
Of the touching sense
- fingertipsTerminal phalanx pads
- caressGentle loving touch
- pressureForce upon contact
- strokeSudden brain blood blockage
Uneven in surface
- smoothWithout roughness or difficulty
- silkySmooth and lustrous
- velvetySoft and smooth-textured
- slipperyLacking friction, hard-to-grasp
sticky · fuzzy · prickly · bumpy · coarse · spongy · soft · hard
Unproven inner sense
- instinctInnate behavioral tendency
- sixth senseExtrasensory perception ability
- premonitionAdvance sense of future events
- sensePerception or judgment
inkling · suspicion · foreboding · anticipation · insight · perception · awareness · impression
Concern for others' distress
- sympathyCompassionate understanding of others
- understandingMental comprehension of something
- caringShowing kind concern
- concernTroubled interest in something
sensitivity · warmth · rapport · kindness · solidarity · connection · resonance · identification
Intuitive sense of mood
- ambianceMood of surroundings
- moodPrevailing emotional condition
- auraPerceived emanation surrounding someone
- toneQuality of sound
energy · air · climate · spirit · character · essence · temperament · tension
Process with the mind
- believeAccept as true
- sensePerception or judgment
- reckonBelieve or estimate
- considerThink about carefully
suppose · view · impression · perception · notion · conviction · intuition · judgment
Gentle, caring quality
- sorenessTender, painful sensation
- painBodily or emotional distress
- discomfortMild physical or mental distress
- rawnessUnrefined or exposed state
numbness · tingling · irritation · burning · stinging · swelling · ache · throb
tactile
Of the touching sense
- fingertipsTerminal phalanx pads
- caressGentle loving touch
- pressureForce upon contact
stroke · graze · palpate · tickle · tap · rub · nudge · poke · prod · pat
rough
Uneven in surface
slippery · sticky · fuzzy · prickly · bumpy · coarse · spongy · soft · hard · grainy
hunch
Unproven inner sense
- instinctInnate behavioral tendency
- sixth senseExtrasensory perception ability
- premonitionAdvance sense of future events
sense · inkling · suspicion · foreboding · anticipation · insight · perception · awareness · impression · notion
compassion
Concern for others' distress
- sympathyCompassionate understanding of others
- understandingMental comprehension of something
- caringShowing kind concern
concern · sensitivity · warmth · rapport · kindness · solidarity · connection · resonance · identification · heart
vibe
Intuitive sense of mood
- ambianceMood of surroundings
- moodPrevailing emotional condition
- auraPerceived emanation surrounding someone
tone · energy · air · climate · spirit · character · essence · temperament · tension · warmth
think
Process with the mind
consider · suppose · view · impression · perception · notion · conviction · intuition · judgment · take
tenderness
Gentle, caring quality
- sorenessTender, painful sensation
- painBodily or emotional distress
- discomfortMild physical or mental distress
rawness · numbness · tingling · irritation · burning · stinging · swelling · ache · throb · twinge
joy
Intense positive emotion
love · happiness · anxiety · grief · despair · elation · frustration · melancholy · guilt · shame
grope
Feel about blindly
palm · probe · explore · search · rummage · pat down · fish · root around · navigate
feelnumb
Lacking physical sensation
insensate · dull · anesthetized · deadened · senseless
- feel freePermission casually granted
- feel likeDesire informally expressed
- feeling goodPositive emotional condition
- feeling downExperiencing sadness or dejection
- I feelSubjective statement introduction
- feeling blueExperiencing mild sadness
feeling, unfeeling, feels, feeler, feely, feelers, unfeelingly