Meaning & use
emotional outburst
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Meanings
nouncountable
a sudden, intense release of emotion such as anger, tears, or laughter, often in a way that surprises others
Grammar: Countable: you can have an emotional outburst, several emotional outbursts, or a series of emotional outbursts.
Patterns
- have an emotional outburst
- an emotional outburst of something
- in an emotional outburst
After weeks of stress, she had an emotional outburst and started crying in the meeting.
His emotional outburst of anger shocked everyone at the dinner table.
The child's emotional outbursts became less frequent as he learned to talk about his feelings.
nouncountabledisapproving
a short period when someone expresses strong feelings loudly or violently, especially in public
Grammar: Often used with verbs like 'trigger', 'provoke', or 'witness' when describing causes or observers.
Patterns
- trigger an emotional outburst
- provoke an emotional outburst
- witness an emotional outburst
The smallest criticism can trigger an emotional outburst from him.
Her emotional outburst at the party embarrassed her family.
Teachers are trained to handle emotional outbursts in the classroom calmly.
Word forms
| plural | emotional outbursts |
|---|
Common combinations
- sudden emotional outburst
- A sudden emotional outburst interrupted the ceremony.
- violent emotional outburst
- The patient had a violent emotional outburst and had to be restrained.
- emotional outburst of anger
- His emotional outburst of anger was frightening to watch.
- have an emotional outburst
- She rarely has an emotional outburst, so everyone noticed.
- following an emotional outburst
- Following an emotional outburst, he apologized to the whole team.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tantrum
- Usually describes a child's angry crying or screaming; 'emotional outburst' is broader and can be used for adults and for any strong emotion.
- flare-up
- Often used for anger or violence that starts suddenly and ends quickly, especially in conflicts; 'emotional outburst' focuses on the display of feeling.
- outburst
- Shorter and can refer to any sudden release, including of words or activity; 'emotional outburst' makes the emotional content explicit.
- scene
- Informal and disapproving for a loud, embarrassing display in public; 'emotional outburst' is more neutral and psychological.
Opposites
Word family
- emotion noun
- a strong feeling such as love, anger, or fear
- emotional adjective
- relating to feelings, or showing strong feelings
- emotionally adverb
- in a way that relates to feelings
- outburst noun
- a sudden release of strong emotion or activity
Commonly confused: emotional outburst or outburst? emotional outburst or breakdown?
emotional outburst vs outburst
'Outburst' alone can mean a sudden burst of laughter, activity, or words, not necessarily emotional. 'Emotional outburst' specifies that the release is of feeling.
emotional outburst vs breakdown
A 'breakdown' is a severe failure of mental or physical health that lasts longer and is more serious than an emotional outburst.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'emotional outburst' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Have an emotional outburst of joy' is correct because 'outburst' is a countable noun and can be followed by 'of' plus the emotion. Option 2 is wrong because 'emotional outburst' is a noun, not a verb. Option 3 is wrong because 'happen' is intransitive and cannot be passive. Option 4 is wrong because 'of the project' does not name an emotion.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “emotional outburst”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.