Faux feeling Something done to me
Cheated
Not a feeling: a thought about what someone did.
‘I think you got something from me by being dishonest or unfair.’
Why it’s not a feeling
Cheated charges someone with gaining at your expense through dishonesty or unfairness. It is a conclusion about their conduct, and ‘I think you cheated me’ says it just as well. Alongside the conclusion there is usually something felt: hurt, anger or a resentment that lingers.
Feelings underneath
Needs
Saying it as a feeling
‘I feel cheated.’
When the car you sold me needed a new gearbox within a month, and your advert had said ‘no known faults’, I felt angry and resentful, because I need honesty and fairness.