minefield of emotions
- noun
- Informal
:
campo minado de emociones
- Navigating through a minefield of emotions during her mother's illness was incredibly challenging.
Examples
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After the breakup, she felt lost in a minefield of emotions that made it hard to move on.
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He described his experience in therapy as like walking through a minefield of emotions, uncertain and fragile.
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I'm a child of a Vietnam veteran who searched for years to find something (a book, an article) or someone (a field expert or friend) who could help me navigate through the minefield of emotions that surrounds a 100% permanently disabled vet with
Blog text (19)
Synonyms
488
2.5
A situation full of strong feelings and excitement
25
7.9
A difficult situation that is hard to escape or solve
10
9.3
A confusing situation full of problems that is hard to get out of
5
8.1
A difficult situation that is hard to escape
4
3.7
A difficult situation that is hard to deal with
3
9.8
A very confusing and embarrassing situation involving conflict or misunderstanding
A strong, confusing mix of very different feelings inside a person
Antonyms
How Sensitive
- Informal
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
minefield + of + emotion
The phrase is a straightforward metaphorical composition: 'minefield' evokes a place full of hidden dangers and 'of emotions' specifies the domain, so the overall meaning (an emotionally hazardous situation) is directly inferable from the constituents. This mapping is a common, transparent metaphorical pattern that most learners who know 'minefield' and 'emotion' can predict without prior exposure.
Etymology
Minefield of emotions compares a person's strong emotions to a minefield, a place with hidden bombs that can explode if you step the wrong way. So, when people use it they mean 'a situation full of emotional risks' where you must be very careful with words or actions.