tunteikas

Tunteikas is a Finnish adjective used to describe something that is highly emotional or sentiment-driven. In contemporary usage it often characterizes works of art, media content, or people who are inclined to display strong feelings. The term sits between tunteellinen (sentimental) and more intense descriptors of affect, signaling both affective appeal and intensity rather than moral judgment.

Etymology and form: Tunteikas derives from tuntea, to feel, with the attributive suffix -ikas, a productive formation in Finnish that yields adjectives describing a quality associated with the root verb. The form appears mostly in colloquial, media, or critical discourse rather than formal dictionaries.

Usage and nuance: The label can be neutral, meaning simply emotionally expressive, or pejorative, implying melodrama or excessive emotion. In reviews, a tunteikas novel or film tends to foreground personal feelings, heightened interactions, and affective cues such as close-ups, music, and intimate dialogue. In everyday speech, people may describe a moment, a post, or a performance as tunteikas if it provokes a strong emotional reaction.

See also: sentimental, melodrama, pathos, affect.