What does emotionalise mean?
To emotionalise is to invest a subject, account, or situation with heightened emotion — presenting it in ways calculated to move an audience rather than to inform them coolly. A journalist may be accused of emotionalising a tragedy by dwelling on grieving families instead of policy failures; a speaker might be urged not to emotionalise a debate but to argue from evidence. The word is most often used critically: it implies that feeling has been amplified, sometimes artificially, at the expense of balance or objectivity. Spelled "emotionalise" in British English and "emotionalize" in American English, it derives ultimately from Latin movere, "to move" — the same root that gives us emotion itself, literally a stirring of the mind. Its reflexive use, meaning simply to become emotional, is rarer and more informal. For writers and readers alike, the word names one of the central tensions in communication between moving an audience and informing it.
verbTo give an emotional character or charge to something; to make or become emotional, especially by presenting a subject in a way that heightens its emotional impact.
- To make something emotional or charged with emotion; to present a subject in terms designed to stir feeling rather than convey it dispassionately.
- (Reflexive) To allow oneself to become emotional; to react emotionally to a situation.
"The documentary was criticised for choosing to emotionalise a tragedy that deserved cooler analysis."
"Critics accused the film of choosing to emotionalise the disaster rather than explain its causes."
"Try not to emotionalise the decision; look at the figures first."
It's the verb behind every tabloid headline — the difference between reporting a story and making audiences feel it, whether they want to or not.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of emotionalise
"Emotionalise" combines "emotion" with the suffix "-ise", used to form verbs meaning to make or render. "Emotion" entered English from French émotion, borrowed in the early 17th century from Latin emovere, "to move out, stir up" — from e- (out) plus movere (to move). The same Latin root gives English cognates such as motive, promote, remote, and motion. The verb form arose much later, in the 19th century, alongside other -ise coinages describing the manufacture of states or qualities.
Related word forms
How emotionalise is actually used
"Emotionalise" is chiefly British spelling; American English prefers "emotionalize". The word carries a mildly critical connotation when applied to journalism or storytelling, suggesting manipulation of feeling at the expense of accuracy. The reflexive use ("to emotionalise about something") is less common and more informal.
Easily confused with emotionalise
To emote is to display emotion oneself, often theatrically, whereas to emotionalise is to render something else emotional or charged with feeling.
To empathise is to share and understand another person's feelings, while to emotionalise is to make a subject or account more emotional.