What does emotively mean?
Emotively is a formal adverb describing the act of speaking, writing, or performing in a way that arouses or expresses emotion. It derives from 'emotive', an adjective meaning capable of stirring feelings, which entered English in the seventeenth century from Latin roots meaning 'to move out' — reflecting the old idea that emotions are forces that move a person. In modern usage, 'emotively' characterises expressive force: a lawyer may plead emotively, a poet may write emotively, or a eulogy may be delivered emotively. It carries no inherent judgement, though it often appears in criticism when a writer wants to suggest that language appeals to feeling at the expense of reason — as in the phrase 'used emotively'. Less frequent than its close relative 'emotionally', it remains a precise choice when the emphasis falls on expression and persuasion rather than on inner experience.
adverbIn a manner that relates to, arouses, or expresses emotion.
- In a way that arouses or expresses emotion; with emotional force or expressiveness.
"She spoke emotively about her years spent working with refugees, and the room fell silent."
"The candidate spoke emotively about her childhood in a coal-mining town, bringing several delegates to tears."
"Critics praised the film's final scene for ending quietly rather than emotively."
The word 'emotive' and its adverb 'emotively' trace back to the same Latin root as 'movie' — movere, 'to move' — because emotions were literally thought to move you.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of emotively
Emotively is formed from the adjective 'emotive' plus the adverbial suffix '-ly'. 'Emotive' derives from Latin 'emot-', the past participial stem of 'emovere', meaning 'to move out, stir up', formed from 'e-' ('out') and 'movere' ('to move'). The adjective was adopted into English in the early seventeenth century via French 'émotif' or directly from Latin, and the adverb followed naturally. It shares its root 'movere' with words such as 'motion', 'motor', and 'promote'.
Related word forms
How emotively is actually used
Relatively formal and literary in register; far less common than the near-synonym 'emotionally'. It is used chiefly to describe language, delivery, or artistic expression that stirs feeling, rather than to describe a person's internal emotional state.
Easily confused with emotively
While 'emotionally' can describe both the experiencing of emotion (e.g. an emotionally draining day) and expression of it, 'emotively' specifically concerns the arousing or expressing of emotion in speech or writing.