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The Emotionary: A Dictionary of Words That Don't Exist for Feelings That Do
A dictionary of words that don't exist for feelings that do written by The Middle actress Eden Sher and illustrated by acclaimed graphic novelist Julia Wertz.
"A must-read for bad, good and just plain complicated days." --Oprah.com
All her life, Eden Sher has suffered from dyscommunicatia (n. the inability to articulate a feeling through words.). Then, one day, she decided that, whenever she had an emotion for which she had no word, she would make one up.
The result of this is The Emotionary, which lives at the intersection of incredibly funny and very useful. Chock full of words you always wanted/never knew you needed, often accompanied by illustrations of hilarious and all-too-familiar situations, The Emotionary will be a cherished tool for you or the world-class feelings-haver in your life.
At long last, all your complicated feelings can be put into words, so you can recognize them for what they are, speak their names aloud, and move on. Finally!
"A must-read for bad, good and just plain complicated days." --Oprah.com
All her life, Eden Sher has suffered from dyscommunicatia (n. the inability to articulate a feeling through words.). Then, one day, she decided that, whenever she had an emotion for which she had no word, she would make one up.
The result of this is The Emotionary, which lives at the intersection of incredibly funny and very useful. Chock full of words you always wanted/never knew you needed, often accompanied by illustrations of hilarious and all-too-familiar situations, The Emotionary will be a cherished tool for you or the world-class feelings-haver in your life.
At long last, all your complicated feelings can be put into words, so you can recognize them for what they are, speak their names aloud, and move on. Finally!
181 pages, Paperback
First published October 18, 2016
80 people are currently reading
2533 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 184 reviews
September 29, 2025
Some of these are spot on! There are several that I have experienced either myself or in others:
feignderstand (feign + understand) to pretend one has finally heard another person after asking them to repeat themselves three plus times
therapize (therapy +-ize) to give advice to others based on things one learned in therapy, but never follow the same guidance oneself
idiovated (idiocy + aggravated) frustrated by one’s own ability to not be a dumbass
And some that I really think could catch on and become mainstream English:
trafu (traffic + snafu) a wrong turn or exit that puts one in bad traffic or gets one stuck in a construction zone
snacktivity (snack + activity) the act of eating purely for recreation; most likely to occur when bored
smackle (smack + smile) to follow a vindictive statement with a sugary grin
A fun and clever book that will have you nodding your head in agreement.
feignderstand (feign + understand) to pretend one has finally heard another person after asking them to repeat themselves three plus times
therapize (therapy +-ize) to give advice to others based on things one learned in therapy, but never follow the same guidance oneself
idiovated (idiocy + aggravated) frustrated by one’s own ability to not be a dumbass
And some that I really think could catch on and become mainstream English:
trafu (traffic + snafu) a wrong turn or exit that puts one in bad traffic or gets one stuck in a construction zone
snacktivity (snack + activity) the act of eating purely for recreation; most likely to occur when bored
smackle (smack + smile) to follow a vindictive statement with a sugary grin
A fun and clever book that will have you nodding your head in agreement.
March 23, 2020
I picked this up because I love Julia Wertz's comics, most of which seem to be memoir. Many of you who are younger may know the actress Eden Sher, but I had no idea who she was. She says she suffers from dyscommunicatia (n. the inability to articulate a feeling through words, which mainly seems to be about not being able to fit the English language to her feelings, so she makes up words to fit her emotions, such as
Exochsim--The inability to not torture oneself by thinking of one's ex.
Ridiculize--To reflect on something and realize how ridiculous it is
Inapolotence--The inability to admit wrongdoing.
Having gone here to see Julia, I wanted more Julia. There's a LOT of made up words, though we get the general point (which IS totally funny) with roughly half of them. What I like is that this is not one of those comics memoirs where the writer writes her stuff and then we hire an illustrator; Julia and Eden seem to be friends, so many of the cartoons/comics pages deal with them in relationship, so that is cool.
Exochsim--The inability to not torture oneself by thinking of one's ex.
Ridiculize--To reflect on something and realize how ridiculous it is
Inapolotence--The inability to admit wrongdoing.
Having gone here to see Julia, I wanted more Julia. There's a LOT of made up words, though we get the general point (which IS totally funny) with roughly half of them. What I like is that this is not one of those comics memoirs where the writer writes her stuff and then we hire an illustrator; Julia and Eden seem to be friends, so many of the cartoons/comics pages deal with them in relationship, so that is cool.
July 17, 2016
Clever and humorous. So many words that that I didn't realized I sorely needed in my life!
Guilt + Introversion = Guiltroversion
n. the guilt from want to see no one and do nothing
Guilt + Introversion = Guiltroversion
n. the guilt from want to see no one and do nothing
November 22, 2016
CONTRANGST
n. the anxiety of not being able to control your or another's behavior, or a course of events.
I could use this term daily.
n. the fear of being an active participant of social networking sites.
- Is it just me, or were a lot of these made up words actually no more relevant to the feeling than the words the author used to make them? Like
adj. Too preoccupied thinking about how one is feeling to have the energy to try to articulate it to another person.
The word is made up of pensive and silent. If you are pensive, does that not imply that you are caught up in your own mind already?
Yeah, maybe it is just me. But there were too many words that seemed like they didn't need a made up word at all. Like, the word that already exists is fine.
July 15, 2017
I'm utterly disappointed.
I opened this book with high expectations and this book managed to ruin my hopes.
the thing is, not only the words were crap, the comics were even worse!
I opened this book with high expectations and this book managed to ruin my hopes.
the thing is, not only the words were crap, the comics were even worse!
June 28, 2023
This was an amusing and trendy book. It illustrated the author's imagination with comic strip like drawings for each word elicited. The whole idea of the items presented was that we often find that no word truly exists for an emotion we are experiencing. So, often cleverly, Sher has devised a new vocabulary. For example, angermorphize , to ascribe ill will to an inanimate object.Some others are: disconstrue and castrapolate . Perhaps a few could reasonably be adopted! This is certainly not a book with a linear plot, but one to thumb through at a leisurely pace for amusement.
March 14, 2017
Eh. Most of the words fell flat for me. There were a few I absolutely loved (i.e.-- deliberhate: to consciously choose anger over empathy for a person), but overall I wished there were fewer words with more substance.
September 14, 2023
A listing of emotional portmanteaus that would be absolutely tedious were it not for the sporadic Julia Wertz cartoons.
Most of the book is junk like this floating in the middle of an otherwise blank page:
ILLOGICAL + EMOTE
ILLOGIMOTE
|i'läjimōt|
v. to feel in a way that contradicts or undermines one's intellectual understanding (of a situation)
This whole book strikes me as an attempt to use the shotgun method to make fetch happen. One of these fetches gotta hit, right?
Most of the book is junk like this floating in the middle of an otherwise blank page:
ILLOGICAL + EMOTE
ILLOGIMOTE
|i'läjimōt|
v. to feel in a way that contradicts or undermines one's intellectual understanding (of a situation)
This whole book strikes me as an attempt to use the shotgun method to make fetch happen. One of these fetches gotta hit, right?
November 22, 2016
"While on the surface this looks like a silly jaunt, it is really a book about feelings and their amazing complexity. While it is certainly no pandect on the connection between language and feeling, it is a great beginners guide. We all share a need to express our feelings in words and many emotions are nearly impossible to do that with. Teens are especially emotional beings and will likely appreciate not only the humor, but the ability to put a name to some of those feelings. I'm in love with having more, rather than fewer words to describe the amorphous range of feelings I experience on a daily basis. I hope people consider it for their young adult collections because while it seems ""fun"", and it is, it really does go deeper than that. Words (and feelings) are powerful. "
December 14, 2016
A dictionary of words made up to describe feelings that don't have their own words and ought to, illustrated by comics from one of my very favorites, Julia Wertz.
One of my favorites:
ANGERPOMORPHIZE (anger + anthropomorphize): To ascribe agency and/or ill will to inanimate objects.
This is exactly how I felt this morning when I tried to pump some lotion into my hand and instead it sprayed all over my sweater.
Highly enjoyable, best read in bits and pieces.
One of my favorites:
ANGERPOMORPHIZE (anger + anthropomorphize): To ascribe agency and/or ill will to inanimate objects.
This is exactly how I felt this morning when I tried to pump some lotion into my hand and instead it sprayed all over my sweater.
Highly enjoyable, best read in bits and pieces.
January 14, 2017
Very cute concept--a dictionary of new words blended from old words, combined with comics to illustrate many of the terms. The comics are fantastic, and many of the terms shine a light on something new/cool in the smashup. I love the word fauxcus--a combination of "faux" and "focus" meaning "to devote a great deal of time and effort to a pointless task." So. Perfect. I also liked solopsess (though I'd have spelled it solipsess), combining "solipsism" and "obsess" to describe overthinking/overfeeling about an embarrassing thing no one else even remembers. The author's neuroses are many (and on full display! very brave), and a lot of the words would speak more to introverts than extroverts, but there's a lot for everyone to recognize and empathize with and be amused by here.
November 23, 2016
This book is GREAT! I am always making up words, so this is perfect for me. Even if you think this is silly and nonsensical, you should give it a try! Some of these are so true, they should be real words. I mean, it's still better that abbreviations and emojis.
March 1, 2017
Thought I wouldn't like it; now I am 'remistaken'
November 9, 2018
This is a fun, highly relatable little book full of fake words for real feelings. The illustrations are pretty cool, too.
June 30, 2020
I now understand that I am just someone who is a deep feeler. Bless this book.
March 20, 2017
A little while ago, while texting with my fiance, I couldn’t for the life of me recall a specific word- productive (was I just hungry, or is my age starting to affect my memory?)- what was this adjective that signified “achieving a significant amount?” Anyway, I just made up my own word, “accomplishmenty.” Sometimes in that struggle to express yourself, you just have to work with what your mind is delivering up to you at any given moment, vocabulary be damned.
A similar impulse seems to be the seed for this comedic dictionary of words that don’t exist to describe those indescribable feelings. Organized by topic from just plain “emotional anarchy,” despair, those many little annoyances in life, shame, to even happiness, Sher makes up new words to best express feelings that, up until now had no way to describe them (in English, at least). I had checked it out from the library on the strength of featuring the work of Julia Wertz, one of my favorite autobiographical comedic graphic novelists and her art included here, parodic and expressive, was definitely the highlight of the work.
I did find quite a few of the new vocabulary concocted by Sher to be a bit relatable, in particular things such as ambiviculty, the “anxiety of having to make decisions.” I often find myself paralyzed trying to decide what restaurant I want to go to. Others, such as angerpomorphize, to “ascribe agency and/or ill will to inanimate objects” resonated with me as well. No doubt just about anyone could flip through the Emotionary and find at least a few that they have their own knowledge of, and finally have a word to express it! On the other hand, if those words seem at all awkward to you, her use of simply combining two separate words into some occasionally unwieldy neologisms got a little bit repetitive, and the topical chapters seemed mainly arbitrary, as many could easily fit in two or more of them. Still, it is an amusing book to flip through and Wertz’ comics are always funny!
A similar impulse seems to be the seed for this comedic dictionary of words that don’t exist to describe those indescribable feelings. Organized by topic from just plain “emotional anarchy,” despair, those many little annoyances in life, shame, to even happiness, Sher makes up new words to best express feelings that, up until now had no way to describe them (in English, at least). I had checked it out from the library on the strength of featuring the work of Julia Wertz, one of my favorite autobiographical comedic graphic novelists and her art included here, parodic and expressive, was definitely the highlight of the work.
I did find quite a few of the new vocabulary concocted by Sher to be a bit relatable, in particular things such as ambiviculty, the “anxiety of having to make decisions.” I often find myself paralyzed trying to decide what restaurant I want to go to. Others, such as angerpomorphize, to “ascribe agency and/or ill will to inanimate objects” resonated with me as well. No doubt just about anyone could flip through the Emotionary and find at least a few that they have their own knowledge of, and finally have a word to express it! On the other hand, if those words seem at all awkward to you, her use of simply combining two separate words into some occasionally unwieldy neologisms got a little bit repetitive, and the topical chapters seemed mainly arbitrary, as many could easily fit in two or more of them. Still, it is an amusing book to flip through and Wertz’ comics are always funny!
February 22, 2017
I love the concept of this book: new, made-up words describing the emotions or things we experience but can't find the right word for. I think my favorite is snacktivity - eating as a source of entertainment. I checked this out from the library in order to preview it before possibly purchasing as a coffee table book; I won't be purchasing it for two reasons. First, there are numerous comics/graphics that accompany the words and they're all heavily focused on the author's own life. I didn't read this book looking to learn more about the author. Second, according to the preface, most of the words come from the author's tendency to be overly dramatic and emotional and the majority of the words describe negative feelings and experiences. I think the concept for this book is really clever, but it's not done in a way that appeals to me.
August 26, 2019
Comics that allow you to laugh at yourself and your emotions? Check.
Panicked characters trying to get their life together? Double check.
Strange words I will never use or remember but fit my life perfectly? Triple check.
I adored this book. The illustrations are so much fun, the comics ingeniously me, and for me the dictionary itself was a side factor because I just wanted to see what the characters would get themselves into next.
Panicked characters trying to get their life together? Double check.
Strange words I will never use or remember but fit my life perfectly? Triple check.
I adored this book. The illustrations are so much fun, the comics ingeniously me, and for me the dictionary itself was a side factor because I just wanted to see what the characters would get themselves into next.
March 7, 2017
This was fine. It was a cute idea, but I was expecting more narrative. To be honest, I skimmed it more than read each definition so maybe this is one where I didn't give it enough of a chance. I suppose it should have been a hint that it was shelved in nonfiction though...
Read
July 5, 2020A perfect dictionary for every feelings and emotional words , it's not an one time read book , it's an dictionary that must be carried all way along , clearly expresses the words of particular mixed emotions, and the doodles are fascinating.
Read
December 30, 2016LOVED it - too fun!
April 9, 2017
This was one of those books that just jump out at you when you are wandering the stacks at the library. It is no secret that I love words and there are some of the words in this book that really grabbed me and I love the idea of this book because I make up words like this often and I have a few friends who do the same. I only wish that this had been less negative and that the last chapter, Fleeting Moments of Happiness had been expanded so that there was at least nearly as many positive words as negative. This also got me to thinking that perhaps we need to spend less time on ourselves and trying to identify what we are feeling and wishing that others "got" us and more time trying to "get" others.
Below are my favourite words and definitions from the book, the ones that define me or those close to me.
-Self-Congratulatory + Pun = Self-Pungratulatory; adj. smug from coming up with an exceptionally good pun.
-Miserable + Full = Miserafull; adj. mentally and physically pained from continuing to eat past the point of being hungry.
-Smudge + Left = Smedge; n. the (ink, pencil, marker, etc.) blotch appearing on the left side of one's hand caused by simultaneously writing and smearing what one has just written. * specific to left-handed people.
-Defeated + Muted = Defuted; adj. participating minimally in conversation because the idea of having to explain oneself is too exhausting.
-Restraint + Patience = Restraitience; n. the composure required to listen to someone tell one things one either already knows and has heard before or strongly disagrees with.
-Disappointed + Incredulous = Discredulous; adj. (of a person) shocked/confused by a loved one's failure to understand something valued.
-Vapidity + Frustrated = Vapidated; adj. exasperated from listening to people quibble over trivial things.
-Emotion + Modulate = Emodulate; v. to temper one's true emotions around others.
-Blissful + Ignorant = Blignorant; adj. possessing a jolly naiveté about life and the world.
-Music + Nostalgia = Mustalgia; n. the visceral feeling that hearing a song from one's past evokes.
-Solitary + Content = Solitent; adj. in a state of peaceful solitude. n. Solitentment; the comfort of being alone.
-Debilitating Infinite Need To Eat Syndrome = Dines; n. the disorder requiring one to compulsively eat food if it is in front of oneself even when not hungry, especially when said food is free.
Below are my favourite words and definitions from the book, the ones that define me or those close to me.
-Self-Congratulatory + Pun = Self-Pungratulatory; adj. smug from coming up with an exceptionally good pun.
-Miserable + Full = Miserafull; adj. mentally and physically pained from continuing to eat past the point of being hungry.
-Smudge + Left = Smedge; n. the (ink, pencil, marker, etc.) blotch appearing on the left side of one's hand caused by simultaneously writing and smearing what one has just written. * specific to left-handed people.
-Defeated + Muted = Defuted; adj. participating minimally in conversation because the idea of having to explain oneself is too exhausting.
-Restraint + Patience = Restraitience; n. the composure required to listen to someone tell one things one either already knows and has heard before or strongly disagrees with.
-Disappointed + Incredulous = Discredulous; adj. (of a person) shocked/confused by a loved one's failure to understand something valued.
-Vapidity + Frustrated = Vapidated; adj. exasperated from listening to people quibble over trivial things.
-Emotion + Modulate = Emodulate; v. to temper one's true emotions around others.
-Blissful + Ignorant = Blignorant; adj. possessing a jolly naiveté about life and the world.
-Music + Nostalgia = Mustalgia; n. the visceral feeling that hearing a song from one's past evokes.
-Solitary + Content = Solitent; adj. in a state of peaceful solitude. n. Solitentment; the comfort of being alone.
-Debilitating Infinite Need To Eat Syndrome = Dines; n. the disorder requiring one to compulsively eat food if it is in front of oneself even when not hungry, especially when said food is free.
December 29, 2020
A friend of mine had recommended this to me a few months back during a conversation about teaching emotional regulation and identifying emotions. I had been talking about how some of the students I work with can't find the words to describe what they are feeling and how I haven't been able to help them find that right word. That's when she recommended this book to me and what a joy this has been to read!
The English language is vast and very confusing, but there are still many words we do not have for things, the multitude of feelings humanity has being just one area of this. This is further evident when we look at the words that exist in other languages for feelings that English has no translation for (though honestly, if it describes the feeling, why do we need an English translation for it?). Eden Sher struggled with being able to verbally share her feelings and when she couldn't find an existing one, she just... made one up! The Emotionary is where she had collected all the words she has created to describe all those previously indescribable feelings.
I love this book! So many of these feelings/emotions I recognized and would immediately think "OMG, I've felt that!" And it was such fun and exciting to be able to have a label for it, a verbal representation for something that was previously difficulty to share with others. I can definitely see myself utilizing this with others - actually I already have!
The English language is vast and very confusing, but there are still many words we do not have for things, the multitude of feelings humanity has being just one area of this. This is further evident when we look at the words that exist in other languages for feelings that English has no translation for (though honestly, if it describes the feeling, why do we need an English translation for it?). Eden Sher struggled with being able to verbally share her feelings and when she couldn't find an existing one, she just... made one up! The Emotionary is where she had collected all the words she has created to describe all those previously indescribable feelings.
I love this book! So many of these feelings/emotions I recognized and would immediately think "OMG, I've felt that!" And it was such fun and exciting to be able to have a label for it, a verbal representation for something that was previously difficulty to share with others. I can definitely see myself utilizing this with others - actually I already have!
June 25, 2023
lfl find... not sure I'm going to make it through... not identifying with the need for any of the words so far...
... other reviewers highlight quite a variety of example words. From the reviews, I like angermorphize, disconstrue, and castrapolate. Let's see if I still believe so when I see the creators' take on them.
---
Ok, my favorite word is indeed castrapolate (for myself). Second is disconstrue (which my new d.i.l. does).
Lots of words are totally awkward and don't communicate what they mean, though. And there are redundancies. And many of the words just aren't any better than what we already say.
But the catchiest that mean something to me include:
skeptimism: "restrained excitement for something good one anticipates happening"
futifaction: "the hollow smugness that comes from having been right all along" [futile]
praisistent: "unable to take a compliment"
penissism: "guilt from realizing one has been excessively self involved" [penitent + narcissism]
... other reviewers highlight quite a variety of example words. From the reviews, I like angermorphize, disconstrue, and castrapolate. Let's see if I still believe so when I see the creators' take on them.
---
Ok, my favorite word is indeed castrapolate (for myself). Second is disconstrue (which my new d.i.l. does).
Lots of words are totally awkward and don't communicate what they mean, though. And there are redundancies. And many of the words just aren't any better than what we already say.
But the catchiest that mean something to me include:
skeptimism: "restrained excitement for something good one anticipates happening"
futifaction: "the hollow smugness that comes from having been right all along" [futile]
praisistent: "unable to take a compliment"
penissism: "guilt from realizing one has been excessively self involved" [penitent + narcissism]
May 21, 2024
Hey! Man this was a great follow up. I saw some of Julia Wertz’ other works and her comic work on this one was a delight! I do a very similar thing, writing down unique sensations, feelings, or tropes that I come across. I started for a similar reason too, as I often had a hard time communicating feelings and ideas when I was younger. It’s so nice to get inspired or cross reference against someone else’s emotionary. I think “Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows” is another book with a similar focus that I should check out as well!
June 14, 2022
Loved this book, was a super easy read with the most brilliant comics intertwined. A good option if you cannot find words to express what you are feeling, a book we keep on hand in our house in case someone is at a loss for words. Has aided in deepening understanding of others and how they perceive things when used to.
January 14, 2023
This book is exactly what the title says: "a dictionary of words that don't exist for feelings that do."
I liked the idea but I found it more and more boring, skipping the pages faster at the end.
However I think it's the kind of book worth sharing, so I'll put it in the book box on my street :)
I liked the idea but I found it more and more boring, skipping the pages faster at the end.
However I think it's the kind of book worth sharing, so I'll put it in the book box on my street :)
December 28, 2019
Appropriate for Millennials i guess. With tons of made up words for emotions that we feel. It was fun reading it not sure I'll even remember any to be used in practical day to day life.. but yeah one can always open the book and quote from it.
October 15, 2023
Cute idea. A lot of words. The comics are great and definitely illustrate the definitions. It was just a lot and I kind of got bored with it. A lot of the it is repeating ideas - or personality maybe. Fun idea though.
October 23, 2018
3 1/4 stars
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