Meaning & use
strong feeling
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Meanings
nouncountable
An intense emotion or opinion that you experience clearly and powerfully.
Grammar: Countable: a strong feeling, strong feelings. Often followed by 'about' or 'that'.
Patterns
- a strong feeling about something
- strong feelings about something
- a strong feeling that ...
She had a strong feeling that something was wrong.
He has strong feelings about protecting the environment.
I got a strong feeling of relief when the exam was over.
nouncountable
A clear intuition or belief that is not based on proof.
Grammar: Often used with 'have' or 'get': I have a strong feeling (that) ...
Patterns
- have a strong feeling that ...
- get a strong feeling about something
I have a strong feeling that she'll say yes.
He had a strong feeling about which horse would win.
Do you ever get a strong feeling about a person you just met?
Word forms
| plural | strong feelings |
|---|
Common combinations
- have strong feelings about
- Many people have strong feelings about politics.
- a strong feeling of
- A strong feeling of sadness came over her.
- strong feelings for someone
- He realized he had strong feelings for her.
Synonyms and how they differ
- intense emotion
- More formal and general; 'strong feeling' is more everyday.
- passion
- Suggests very strong, often positive emotion; 'strong feeling' can be positive or negative.
- hunch
- Means a slight intuition, not necessarily strong; 'strong feeling' is more definite.
Opposites
Commonly confused: strong feeling or strong feelings?
strong feeling vs strong feelings
The plural often means deep emotional attachment or anger, while the singular can just be one instance of emotion.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
Option 2 is correct because 'strong feelings' is the usual plural form when talking about opinions or emotions. Option 0 is wrong because 'feeling' as a countable noun needs 'a' or a plural. Option 1 is possible but less natural; option 3 changes the meaning to 'sympathy for'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “strong feeling”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.