mood swings

Meaning

1. 1nounusually plural

   Sudden and sometimes extreme changes in how a person feels, such as going from cheerful to angry or sad within a short time.

   Grammar: Usually plural: she has mood swings; a single change is a mood swing.

   Patterns

   • have mood swings
   • mood swings caused by something
   • suffer from mood swings

   Hormone changes can cause mood swings during pregnancy.

   My little brother has terrible mood swings when he is tired.

   His mood swings made it hard for coworkers to know how to talk to him.

Word forms

Common combinations

have mood swings

Many teenagers have mood swings as they grow up.

sudden mood swings

Sudden mood swings can be a side effect of the medicine.

extreme mood swings

Extreme mood swings should be discussed with a doctor.

cause mood swings

Lack of sleep can cause mood swings.

suffer from mood swings

She suffered from mood swings before her period.

Synonyms and how they differ

emotional ups and downs

Emotional ups and downs is a looser, gentler phrase, while mood swings suggests more abrupt and noticeable shifts.

moodiness

Moodiness describes a general tendency to be in changing or bad moods, whereas mood swings points to specific swings.

volatility

Volatility is formal and can describe anything unstable, while mood swings is specific to feelings.

emotional instability

Emotional instability is a clinical-sounding phrase and implies a bigger problem than ordinary mood swings.

Opposites

Word family

mood noun

the way someone feels at a given time

moody adjective

likely to change mood quickly or be sulky

moodiness noun

the state of being moody

swing verb

to move back and forth or change sharply

Commonly confused: mood swings or mood disorder?

Practice

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