Affective meter describes a rhythmic pattern in poetry that is deliberately crafted to evoke specific emotional responses through its tempo, stress, and cadence—such as using a slow, heavy iambic pentameter to convey grief or a rapid anapestic beat to suggest excitement or panic; unlike purely formal meter, affective meter prioritizes the psychological and somatic impact of rhythm, aligning prosody with mood so that the reader’s body resonates with the poem’s emotional core, as seen in the galloping tetrameter of Poe’s “The Raven” or the halting lines of a trauma narrative.

Rhythm pattern chosen specifically to evoke emotional response. Related to affective fallacy debate. Consider how iambic pentameter suggests calm versus anapestic creating urgency in Poe's "Annabel Lee."