maelstrom of emotions
- noun
- /ˈmeɪlstrəm əv ɪˈmoʊʃənz/
:
torbellino de emociones
- He struggled to express the maelstrom of emotions within him during the heartfelt conversation.
Examples
-
After hearing the news, she found herself in a maelstrom of emotions, feeling both joy and despair.
-
When she lifted her head to look at him, equally surprised by his burst of feeling, she found herself caught by the maelstrom of emotions in his face.
Fiction book (1990) -
I put my head against his chest and struggled to calm the maelstrom of emotion that seethed inside me.
Fiction book (1991) -
The shuttle ride down from orbit had been a tense half hour as a maelstrom of emotions coursed through him, and even now he could feel his fingernails digging into the palms of his hands.
Fiction book (1999) -
In the aftermath of the breakup, he experienced a maelstrom of emotions, ranging from anger to sadness.
Synonyms
1
3.6
A sudden strong feeling that is hard to control
A confusing mix of strong feelings
A strong, stormy feeling that causes sudden emotional change
A sudden very strong feeling that you cannot control
A situation full of strong feelings that are hard to handle
Antonyms
How Turbulent
Surface Forms
Morphology
maelstrom + of + emotion
If a learner knows 'maelstrom' (a powerful whirlpool or tumult) and 'emotions', they can readily infer that this describes a chaotic, turbulent state of feelings; the whirlpool-to-turmoil metaphor is direct and easily mapped onto emotional disturbance. Although 'maelstrom' is somewhat literary, the composition 'maelstrom of emotions' is predictable and cross-linguistically transparent, so a learner knowing the parts would understand the phrase.
Etymology
Maelstrom of emotions comes from the image of a powerful whirlpool at sea. Think of a maelstrom as water that spins and pulls things in, and emotions as feelings being tossed about; that picture shows how strong, mixed feelings can overwhelm and confuse someone. That's why the phrase means 'a chaotic mix of strong feelings'.