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Meaning & use

thoughts and feelings

phrase·Everyday

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UK/ˌθɔːts ən ˈfiːlɪŋz/
US/ˌθɔːts ən ˈfiːlɪŋz/

Meanings

  1. phraseplural

    The ideas and emotions that someone has inside their mind, especially when they are private or personal.

    Grammar: Always plural and usually used with a possessive word like my, your, her, or their. It takes a plural verb: 'Her thoughts and feelings were hurt.'

    Patterns

    • someone's thoughts and feelings
    • share your thoughts and feelings
    • talk about your thoughts and feelings

    The diary was a safe place for her to record her thoughts and feelings.

    He found it hard to put his thoughts and feelings into words.

    Therapy helped him understand his own thoughts and feelings better.

  2. phrasepluralformal

    The opinions and emotional reactions that people have about a situation or event.

    Grammar: Often used in formal or official contexts to talk about what a group of people think and feel. It can follow verbs like consider, respect, or ignore.

    Patterns

    • the thoughts and feelings of the public
    • consider people's thoughts and feelings
    • respect someone's thoughts and feelings

    The committee considered the thoughts and feelings of local residents before making a decision.

    Politicians often ignore the thoughts and feelings of young voters.

    The survey tried to capture the thoughts and feelings of employees about the new policy.

Common combinations

share your thoughts and feelings
She felt ready to share her thoughts and feelings with her closest friend.
express your thoughts and feelings
Art can be a powerful way to express your thoughts and feelings.
hurt someone's thoughts and feelings
His careless remark hurt her thoughts and feelings.
thoughts and feelings about something
We want to hear your thoughts and feelings about the new schedule.
deep thoughts and feelings
The poem reveals the author's deep thoughts and feelings about loss.

Synonyms and how they differ

emotions
Emotions refers mainly to feelings like anger, joy, or fear, without the element of ideas or opinions that thoughts and feelings includes.
sentiments
Sentiments is more formal and often means attitudes or opinions rather than the full mix of ideas and emotions.
inner life
Inner life is broader and more literary; it suggests the whole private mental and emotional world, not just specific thoughts and feelings.

Word family

thought noun
An idea or opinion produced by thinking.
feeling noun
An emotional state or reaction.
thoughtful adjective
Showing careful thinking or consideration for others.
feelingly adverb
In a way that shows strong emotion (rare).

Commonly confused: thoughts and feelings or thoughts and emotions? thoughts and feelings or feelings and thoughts?

thoughts and feelings vs thoughts and emotions

This is a similar phrase, but emotions focuses only on feelings like happiness or sadness, while thoughts and feelings also includes ideas and opinions.

thoughts and feelings vs feelings and thoughts

The order is sometimes reversed, but thoughts and feelings is the more common fixed phrase. Both are acceptable.

Practice

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