English Reference

Word

hormonal

Phoneticshor·mon·al

US/ˈhɔɹˌmoʊnəɫ/

UK/hɔːmˈəʊnəl/

Definition

adj. feeling moody or emotional because of changes in your body's chemicals. People often use this to explain why someone is acting grumpy or sensitive.

adj. relating to or caused by hormones; in casual usage, experiencing emotional instability or mood swings attributed to endocrine fluctuations.

Examples

“I feel a bit hormonal and tired today.”

“Teenagers are often described as hormonal because their bodies are going through significant physical and emotional changes.”

Examples

simple

“I feel a bit hormonal and tired today.”

contextual

“Teenagers are often described as hormonal because their bodies are going through significant physical and emotional changes.”

Usage

Often used predicatively after linking verbs like 'feel' or 'be'.

Real-World Examples

“If you stop, your hormonal levels will go back to what they were.”
The Guardian · 11 Sept 2026

Etymology

From hormone + -al.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

hormonalAdjectivehormoneNoun

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference