Moody
/ˈmuːdi/
adjectiveB1
Definition
Moody means that a person often changes their mood, sometimes feeling happy and other times feeling sad, angry, or quiet. These changes can happen quickly and without clear reasons. It usually describes people who are hard to predict because their feelings go up and down.
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See It in Action
Having frequent changes in emotions or feelings
- •She is moody today; one moment she smiles, the next she looks upset.
- •Teenagers often feel moody because of changes in their bodies.
- •The weather is moody, changing from warm to cold quickly.
Describing something that changes often in mood or style (less common)
- •The music was moody, moving from soft and calm to loud and intense.
- •The movie had a moody atmosphere, making the audience feel different emotions.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "moody" like "happy" or "sad" (A1 words), but moving between these feelings quickly and often
- ✓Picture a weather sky that changes from sunshine to clouds and rain many times in one day
- ✓It's the feeling when you wake up feeling good but later feel upset without knowing why
- ✓Sounds like "MOOD-ee" → imagine a person carrying many different colored balloons (moods) that pop or appear suddenly
- ✓Think of characters in movies who suddenly change from laughing to serious without clear reason
- ✓NOT like "angry" (one strong feeling), moody means many feelings change often
- ✓NOT like "calm" (steady feelings), moody means emotions move up and down
- ✓NOT like "happy" or "sad" alone, moody is about changing between these feelings
Try Other Words
- •Temperamental: having moods that change quickly and unpredictably (Use when you want to emphasize that the person’s moods are difficult to understand or control)
- •Unpredictable: not able to be guessed or expected (Use when focusing on the surprise element of mood changes)
- •Irritable: easily annoyed or angry (Use when mood changes lean more toward anger or frustration)
Unboxing
- •Prefix/root/suffix: "mood" (feeling or emotion) + "-y" (adjective suffix meaning "having" or "full of")
- •Etymology: From English "mood" meaning a state of feeling, plus "-y" to describe having moods
- •Historical development: Used since the early 1800s to describe people who often change their feelings
- •Modern usage: Commonly used to describe people, especially teenagers, who have quick emotional changes; also used for art or music with changing feelings
Reflect & Connect
•How can being moody affect your relationships with friends or family?
•Can you think of times when being moody might be helpful or important?
Fill in the blanks
1.She feels moody ___ because of stress or lack of sleep.
2.When someone is moody, their emotions ___ quickly and without warning.
3.Unlike calm people, moody people often ___ between happiness and sadness.
4.The phrase "moody weather" means the weather ___ from one condition to another.
5.He tried to explain his moody behavior, but no one could ___ the sudden changes.
6.Moony people may sometimes ___ their feelings without saying why.
7.Being moody can make it hard to ___ how someone will act next.