Feeling upset is something everyone experiences sometimes. It means you feel sad, angry, or disappointed. We often use special words or phrases to describe these feelings in a way that paints a picture in our minds. These are called metaphors. Metaphors for upset help us talk about our feelings in a more interesting and clear way.
In this article, you will learn some common metaphors people use to show when they are upset. These word pictures make it easier to understand and share feelings. Knowing these metaphors can help you express yourself better and understand others too. Let’s explore some metaphors for upset and see how they work.
Metaphors for Upset
1. Storm brewing
Meaning: Feeling anger or trouble about to happen.
Give an Instance: Sarah felt a storm brewing inside her after the argument. / There was a storm brewing when the team lost again.
Substitute Meaning: Anger growing / Trouble starting
2. Boiling point
Meaning: Being very angry or upset.
Give an Instance: Mom reached her boiling point when the kids didn’t clean their room. / I was at my boiling point after the bad grade.
Substitute Meaning: Very angry / About to lose control
3. Heart in pieces
Meaning: Feeling very sad or broken inside.
Give an Instance: After losing her pet, Lily’s heart was in pieces. / His heart was in pieces when his best friend moved away.
Substitute Meaning: Very sad / Deeply hurt
4. On edge
Meaning: Feeling nervous or upset and easily bothered.
Give an Instance: I was on edge before the big test. / She was on edge all day after the bad news.
Substitute Meaning: Nervous / Easily upset
5. Like a volcano ready to erupt
Meaning: About to get very angry.
Give an Instance: He was like a volcano ready to erupt when his sister broke his toy. / The teacher was like a volcano ready to erupt after the noisy class.
Substitute Meaning: About to explode / Very angry
6. Burning inside
Meaning: Feeling upset or angry but not showing it.
Give an Instance: She was burning inside after hearing the mean words. / I was burning inside but kept quiet.
Substitute Meaning: Upset but quiet / Holding in anger
7. Cloud hanging overhead
Meaning: Feeling sad or worried all the time.
Give an Instance: There was a cloud hanging overhead after the bad news. / He felt like a cloud was hanging over him all day.
Substitute Meaning: Feeling sad / Always worried
8. Heart heavy as stone
Meaning: Feeling very sad or burdened.
Give an Instance: After the fight, her heart was heavy as stone. / He walked home with a heart heavy as stone.
Substitute Meaning: Very sad / Feeling burdened
9. Boiling with anger
Meaning: Very angry and upset.
Give an Instance: She was boiling with anger when someone broke her glasses. / I was boiling with anger after the unfair game.
Substitute Meaning: Very mad / Furious
10. Tears ready to spill
Meaning: About to cry because of sadness or upset.
Give an Instance: Her tears were ready to spill when she lost the race. / He had tears ready to spill after the sad story.
Substitute Meaning: About to cry / Very upset
11. Broken like glass
Meaning: Feeling fragile and hurt inside.
Give an Instance: His heart felt broken like glass after the disappointment. / She was broken like glass when her friend moved away.
Substitute Meaning: Very hurt / Fragile feelings
12. Like a storm inside
Meaning: Having strong feelings of anger or upset.
Give an Instance: I felt like a storm inside when they ignored me. / She had a storm inside after the argument.
Substitute Meaning: Strong emotions / Angry and upset
13. Burning with frustration
Meaning: Feeling upset because things aren’t going right.
Give an Instance: He was burning with frustration after losing the game. / She was burning with frustration when her project didn’t work.
Substitute Meaning: Very frustrated / Upset and annoyed
14. Like a balloon ready to pop
Meaning: Feeling so upset or angry that you might explode.
Give an Instance: I was like a balloon ready to pop after the teasing. / She was like a balloon ready to pop during the argument.
Substitute Meaning: About to explode / Very upset
15. Heart sinking
Meaning: Feeling sad or disappointed suddenly.
Give an Instance: My heart sank when I saw the broken toy. / Her heart sank after hearing the bad news.
Substitute Meaning: Feeling sad / Disappointed
16. Like a dark cloud
Meaning: Feeling upset or gloomy.
Give an Instance: A dark cloud followed him after the argument. / She felt like a dark cloud was over her all day.
Substitute Meaning: Gloomy feelings / Upset mood
17. Eyes burning with tears
Meaning: Feeling very upset and about to cry.
Give an Instance: Her eyes were burning with tears after the sad movie. / His eyes burned with tears when he lost the game.
Substitute Meaning: About to cry / Very sad
18. Heart pounding with worry
Meaning: Feeling very nervous and upset.
Give an Instance: My heart was pounding with worry before the test. / She felt her heart pounding with worry all night.
Substitute Meaning: Nervous / Upset and anxious
19. Feeling shattered
Meaning: Feeling very hurt or upset inside.
Give an Instance: He felt shattered when his team lost. / She was shattered after the bad news.
Substitute Meaning: Very upset / Emotionally broken
20. Like a ticking bomb
Meaning: Feeling angry and ready to explode soon.
Give an Instance: He was like a ticking bomb after the argument. / The coach was like a ticking bomb during the game.
Substitute Meaning: About to lose control / Very angry
21. Chest tightening
Meaning: Feeling anxious or upset.
Give an Instance: Her chest tightened when she heard the news. / I felt my chest tightening before the big speech.
Substitute Meaning: Nervous / Upset feelings
22. Like a wave crashing
Meaning: Feeling sudden and strong emotions.
Give an Instance: A wave of sadness crashed over me after the news. / She felt like a wave crashing after the argument.
Substitute Meaning: Strong emotions / Feeling overwhelmed
23. Like a broken record
Meaning: Feeling stuck and upset about the same thing.
Give an Instance: He felt like a broken record when the teacher kept reminding him. / She was like a broken record about the problem.
Substitute Meaning: Repeating sad thoughts / Stuck on feelings
24. Burning bridges
Meaning: Feeling upset and ending a relationship or friendship.
Give an Instance: They were burning bridges after the fight. / He felt upset and burned bridges with his friend.
Substitute Meaning: Ending ties / Upset and cutting off others
25. Heart pounding like thunder
Meaning: Feeling very upset and nervous.
Give an Instance: My heart pounded like thunder before the test. / She felt her heart pounding like thunder after the argument.
Substitute Meaning: Nervous and upset / Anxious feelings
26. Like a fire burning low
Meaning: Feeling sad or angry but not showing much.
Give an Instance: He had a fire burning low inside after the fight. / She felt a fire burning low after the bad day.
Substitute Meaning: Quiet upset / Holding feelings inside
27. Feeling trapped in a cage
Meaning: Feeling upset and stuck in a bad situation.
Give an Instance: She felt trapped in a cage when things went wrong. / He was upset and felt trapped in a cage.
Substitute Meaning: Feeling stuck / Upset and helpless
28. Like a thunderstorm inside
Meaning: Feeling strong and mixed emotions of anger and sadness.
Give an Instance: I had a thunderstorm inside after the fight. / She felt a thunderstorm inside after the bad news.
Substitute Meaning: Strong upset feelings / Angry and sad
29. Mind spinning
Meaning: Feeling confused and upset.
Give an Instance: My mind was spinning after the confusing news. / She felt her mind spinning after the argument.
Substitute Meaning: Confused and upset / Overwhelmed
30. Like a wilted flower
Meaning: Feeling sad and weak.
Give an Instance: He looked like a wilted flower after losing the game. / She felt like a wilted flower when she got bad news.
Substitute Meaning: Sad and tired / Feeling weak
31. Like a broken mirror
Meaning: Feeling upset and scattered inside.
Give an Instance: After the fight, he felt like a broken mirror. / She was like a broken mirror when her plans failed.
Substitute Meaning: Upset and confused / Emotionally broken
32. Heart racing like a drum
Meaning: Feeling nervous and upset.
Give an Instance: My heart was racing like a drum before the test. / She felt her heart racing like a drum after the argument.
Substitute Meaning: Nervous / Upset and anxious
33. Like a sinking ship
Meaning: Feeling hopeless and upset.
Give an Instance: He felt like a sinking ship after losing the game. / She was like a sinking ship after the bad news.
Substitute Meaning: Hopeless / Very upset
34. Like ashes after fire
Meaning: Feeling empty and sad after a bad event.
Give an Instance: He felt like ashes after fire when his team lost. / She was like ashes after fire after the fight.
Substitute Meaning: Empty / Deeply sad
35. Like a closed door
Meaning: Feeling rejected or shut out.
Give an Instance: He felt like a closed door after not being picked for the team. / She felt like a closed door when no one talked to her.
Substitute Meaning: Rejected / Left out
36. Burning up inside
Meaning: Feeling very upset or angry inside.
Give an Instance: I was burning up inside after the unfair rule. / She was burning up inside when her idea was ignored.
Substitute Meaning: Very angry / Upset but quiet
37. Like a wave pulling under
Meaning: Feeling overwhelmed by upset emotions.
Give an Instance: The bad news felt like a wave pulling me under. / She was like a wave pulling under after the argument.
Substitute Meaning: Overwhelmed / Deeply upset
38. Mind in a storm
Meaning: Feeling confused and upset.
Give an Instance: Her mind was in a storm after the fight. / He felt his mind in a storm after the bad news.
Substitute Meaning: Confused / Emotionally upset
39. Like a crumpled paper
Meaning: Feeling ruined or upset inside.
Give an Instance: He felt like a crumpled paper after the bad test. / She was like crumpled paper after the disappointment.
Substitute Meaning: Upset / Feeling ruined
40. Burning like a wildfire
Meaning: Feeling anger or upset spreading fast.
Give an Instance: Her anger was burning like a wildfire after the argument. / He felt upset burning like wildfire after the bad news.
Substitute Meaning: Spreading anger / Very upset
41. Like a frozen lake
Meaning: Feeling cold or shut down inside from being upset.
Give an Instance: After the fight, he was like a frozen lake. / She felt like a frozen lake when no one listened.
Substitute Meaning: Shut down / Emotionally cold
42. Like a cracked vase
Meaning: Feeling fragile and upset.
Give an Instance: He was like a cracked vase after the bad news. / She felt like a cracked vase after the fight.
Substitute Meaning: Fragile / Emotionally hurt
43. Heart wrapped in ice
Meaning: Feeling cold and upset inside.
Give an Instance: His heart was wrapped in ice after the argument. / She felt her heart wrapped in ice after the sad day.
Substitute Meaning: Cold feelings / Upset and distant
44. Like a fallen leaf
Meaning: Feeling weak or sad.
Give an Instance: He was like a fallen leaf after losing the game. / She felt like a fallen leaf after the bad news.
Substitute Meaning: Sad and weak / Feeling down
45. Like a shadow passing
Meaning: Feeling sad or upset but it will go away.
Give an Instance: The sadness was like a shadow passing. / Her upset feelings were like shadows that soon disappeared.
Substitute Meaning: Temporary sadness / Feeling upset but moving on
Find the Metaphors for Upset
Reading Passage
Last week at school, things felt strange for Emma. She was on edge all day after a small fight with her best friend. Her heart was heavy as stone, and she felt like a dark cloud was hanging overhead. During recess, she tried to keep calm, but inside she was boiling with anger. When the teacher asked a question, Emma’s heart was pounding like a drum, and she could feel tears ready to spill.
After school, Emma’s mom noticed she looked like a wilted flower and asked what was wrong. Emma said she felt like a storm brewing inside her and that her mind was spinning with sad thoughts. Later, she told her mom that her feelings were like a wave crashing and pulling her under.
The next day, Emma tried to cheer up but still felt like a balloon ready to pop from all the frustration. However, after talking with her friend, the dark cloud began to fade. Emma’s heart started to feel lighter, and the storm inside began to calm down.
Task
Read the passage again. Underline or list all the metaphors for upset you find.
Answer Key
- On edge
- Heart heavy as stone
- Dark cloud hanging overhead
- Boiling with anger
- Heart pounding like a drum
- Tears ready to spill
- Wilted flower
- Storm brewing inside
- Mind spinning
- Wave crashing (pulling her under)
- Balloon ready to pop
Conclusion
Metaphors help us talk about feelings of being upset in ways that are easy to understand. Using pictures with words, like “storm brewing” or “heart heavy as stone,” helps show how strong feelings can be. These phrases make it easier to share how we feel and help others understand us better. When you learn metaphors for upset, you get better at explaining your feelings and reading others’ emotions too.
