Emotions & Psychology
B1 words for emotions, mood, and psychology
Overview
16 B1-level words for emotions, mood, and psychology.
Words
admire /ədˈmaɪə/
verb — B1
Meaning: To be amazed at; to view with surprise; to marvel at.
Example:
- I admire her courage.
- Everyone admires his talent.
Collocations: admire someone for, greatly admire
Word family: admire (đt.) → admiration (dt.) → admirable (tt.) → admirably (trt.)
amazed /əˈmeɪzd/
adjective — B1
Meaning: To fill with wonder and surprise; to astonish, astound, surprise or perplex.
Example:
- I was amazed by the beautiful scenery.
- She was amazed at how fast he learned.
Collocations: amazed at, amazed by, amazed to find
Word family: amaze (đt.) → amazed (tt.) → amazing (tt.) → amazement (dt.)
ambition /æmˈbɪ.ʃən/
noun — B1
Meaning: Eager or inordinate desire for some object that confers distinction, as preferment, honor, superiority, political power, or literary fame; desire to distinguish one’s self from other people.
Example:
- Her ambition is to become a doctor.
- He has no ambition to be rich.
Collocations: personal ambition, achieve an ambition
Word family: ambition (dt.) → ambitious (tt.) → ambitiously (trt.)
ambitious /æmˈbɪʃ.əs/
adjective — B1
Meaning: (of a person or their character) Having or showing ambition; wanting a lot of power, honor, respect, superiority, or other distinction.
Example:
- She’s very ambitious and hardworking.
- That’s an ambitious plan.
Collocations: ambitious plan, ambitious project, overly ambitious
Word family: ambition (dt.) → ambitious (tt.)
attract /əˈtɹækt/
verb — B1
Meaning: To pull toward without touching.
Example:
- A magnet attracts iron filings.
- They attracted last week.
Collocations: attract something, attract that, try to attract
Word family: attract (đt.) → attraction (dt.) → attractive (tt.)
attitude /ˈætɪˌtjuːd/
noun — B1
Meaning: The position of the body or way of carrying oneself.
Example:
- He has a positive attitude towards life.
- I don’t like his attitude.
Collocations: positive attitude, change attitude, attitude towards
Word family: attitude (dt.)
aware /əˈweːɹ/
adjective — B1
Meaning: Vigilant or on one’s guard against danger or difficulty.
Example:
- Are you aware of the risks?
- She became aware of someone watching her.
Collocations: aware of, become aware, fully aware
Word family: aware (tt.) → awareness (dt.) → unaware (tt.)
bother [ˈbɔðə(ɹ)]
verb — B1
Meaning: Fuss, ado.
Example:
- Sorry to bother you, but I need help.
- Don’t bother to call — I’ll be fine.
Collocations: don’t bother, bother someone, can’t be bothered
Word family: bother (đt./dt.) → bothersome (tt.)
brave /bɹeɪv/
adjective — B1
Meaning: A Native American warrior.
Example:
- The brave firefighters saved the family.
- She was very brave during the surgery.
Collocations: brave enough, brave soldier, be brave
Word family: brave (tt.) → bravery (dt.) → bravely (trt.)
calm /kam/
adjective, noun, verb — B1
Meaning: (in a person) The state of being calm; peacefulness; absence of worry, anger, fear or other strong negative emotion.
Example:
- Please stay calm during the emergency.
- The sea was calm and beautiful.
Collocations: keep calm, calm down, stay calm
Word family: calm (tt./đt.) → calmly (trt.) → calmness (dt.)
determined /dɪˈtɜːmɪnd/
adjective — B1
Meaning: To set the boundaries or limits of.
Example:
- She’s determined to succeed.
- He made a determined effort.
Collocations: determined to, determined effort
Word family: determine (đt.) → determined (tt.) → determination (dt.)
embarrassed /ɪmˈbæɹ.əst/
adjective — B1
Meaning: To humiliate; to disrupt somebody’s composure or comfort with acting publicly or freely; to disconcert; to abash
Example:
- The crowd’s laughter and jeers embarrassed him.
- After returning from the pool, Aleshia felt significantly better, though she was still slightly embarrassed.
Collocations: very embarrassed, quite embarrassed, extremely embarrassed
Word family: embarrass (đt.) → embarrassed (tt.) → embarrassing (tt.) → embarrassment (dt.)
emotion /iˈmoʊʃən/
noun — B1
Meaning: A person’s internal state of being and involuntary physiological response to an object or a situation, based on or tied to physical state and sensory data.
Example:
- She showed no emotion when she heard the news.
- Music can stir strong emotions.
Collocations: strong emotion, show emotion, mixed emotions
Word family: emotion (dt.) → emotional (tt.) → emotionally (trt.)
guilty /ˈɡɪl.ti/
adjective — B1
Meaning: A plea by a defendant who does not contest a charge.
Example:
- He felt guilty about lying.
- The jury found him guilty.
Collocations: feel guilty, plead guilty, guilty of, not guilty
Word family: guilt (dt.) → guilty (tt.) → guiltily (trt.)
keen /kiːn/
adjective — B1
Meaning: To make cold, to sharpen.
Example:
- She’s keen on learning Japanese.
- He’s a keen photographer.
Collocations: keen on, keen to, keen interest
Word family: keen (tt.) → keenly (trt.) → keenness (dt.)
lonely /ˈləʊnli/
adjective — B1
Meaning: Unhappy because of feeling isolated from contact with other people.
Example:
- She felt lonely in the new city.
- It’s lonely living by yourself.
Collocations: feel lonely, lonely place, lonely life
Word family: lone (tt.) → lonely (tt.) → loneliness (dt.)
Quick Review
| Word | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| admire | v. | To be amazed at; to view with surprise; to marvel at |
| amazed | adj. | To fill with wonder and surprise; to astonish, astound, surprise or perplex |
| ambition | n. | Eager or inordinate desire for some object that confers distinction, as preferment, honor, superiority, political power, or literary fame; desire to distinguish one’s self from other people |
| ambitious | adj. | (of a person or their character) Having or showing ambition; wanting a lot of power, honor, respect, superiority, or other distinction |
| attract | v. | To pull toward without touching |
| attitude | n. | The position of the body or way of carrying oneself |
| aware | adj. | Vigilant or on one’s guard against danger or difficulty |
| bother | v. | Fuss, ado |
| brave | adj. | A Native American warrior |
| calm | adj./n./v. | (in a person) The state of being calm; peacefulness; absence of worry, anger, fear or other strong negative emotion |
| determined | adj. | To set the boundaries or limits of |
| embarrassed | adj. | To humiliate; to disrupt somebody’s composure or comfort with acting publicly or freely; to disconcert; to abash |
| emotion | n. | A person’s internal state of being and involuntary physiological response to an object or a situation, based on or tied to physical state and sensory data |
| guilty | adj. | A plea by a defendant who does not contest a charge |
| keen | adj. | To make cold, to sharpen |
| lonely | adj. | Unhappy because of feeling isolated from contact with other people |