Touched
What it means
Moved to warm gratitude, sympathy, or affection.
Reach for it when describing a gentle emotional response to kindness, meaning, or vulnerability
She felt touched that former pupils had preserved her handwritten lessons.
Words to choose between 6
| playful | |
|---|---|
| everyday | |
| warm |
|
| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
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playful
heart-warmed
Fits when affectionate uplift suits informal expression
Careful Heart-warmed is uncommon and more purely cheerful than touched.
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everyday
Fits when thankfulness for a benefit is the central feeling
Careful Grateful requires a reason for thanks; touched may arise from beauty or sympathy.
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warm
moved
Fits when emotion is deep and may include sadness as well as gratitude
Careful Moved is broader and can be stronger or more solemn.
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professional
Fits when recognition of effort should sound measured
Careful Appreciative is cooler and may involve evaluation rather than emotion.
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formal
affected
Fits when an experience has made a noticeable emotional impact
Careful Affected can mean artificial or simply influenced, creating ambiguity.
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literary
stirred
Fits when emotion has been awakened strongly
Careful Stirred can include anger, excitement, or unrest.
Opposites 3
- unmoved
- indifferent
- insensitive
Common phrases 3
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deeply touched
He was deeply touched by the quiet guard of honor.
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feel touched
Visitors feel touched when the archive volunteers share family stories.
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touched by kindness
The stranded travelers were touched by kindness from complete strangers.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated