THE THINKING WRITER'S DESCRIPTIVE WORD LIST AS OF TODAY
"I think I did pretty well, considering I started out with nothing but a bunch of blank paper." - Steve Martin
Smile, grin, beam, smirk frightfully, gently, gracefully,
Indifferent, apathetic, gratefully, greedily, grumpily,
Frown, scowl, glare, glower, unresponsive helplessly, heroically, hungrily,
grimace impatiently, joyfully, kindly,
Remote, aloof, detached, luckily, magically, majestically,
Stare, gaze, gape, watch, distant merrily, remarkably, splendidly,
gawk, ogle, look, examine, leer strangely, swiftly, unusually
Threatened, intimidated,
Flinch, recoil, balk, cringe, shy alarmed, worried, anxious, Afraid, fearful, frightened,
away, pull back, wince, cower, troubled, upset, distressed, timid, wishy-washy, shaky,
shrink, tremble shocked, startled apprehensive, fidgety, terrified,
panicky, tragic, hysterical,
Incredulous, disbelieving, Crash, thud, bump, thump, cautious, shocked, horrified,
skeptical, doubtful, dubious, bang, thunder, smash, insecure, impatient, nervous,
uncertain, suspicious, explode, roar, shout, scream, dependent, anxious, pressured,
questioning, vague screech, shout, whistle, whine, worried, doubtful, suspicious,
squawk, blare, slam, stomp, hesitant, awed, dismayed,
Quizzical, questioning, puzzled, stamp, noise, clap, bark, scared, petrified, gutless
surprised, perplexed, inquiring meow, moo, boom, yell,
whisper, hum, snap, hiss, Bad, worse, poor, terrible,
Interested, curious, involved, crackle horrible, evil, wicked, corrupt,
attentive, concerned, heinous, inferior, inept, ill,
attracted, fascinated, Taut, uptight, immobilized, unfortunate , distressful . . .
engrossed paralyzed, tense, stretched,
hollow, alarmed, strong, weak, Big, huge, giant, gigantic,
Sad, gloomy, cheerless, sweaty, breathless, nauseated, monstrous, tremendous,
depressing, dark, dull, thick, sluggish, weary, tired, alive, gargantuan, large, wide,
dreary feisty important, influential, immense,
massive, bulky, heavy,
Happy, content, pleased, glad, Angry, resentful, irritated, voluminous
joyful, cheerful, blissful, enraged, furious, annoyed,
exultant, ecstatic, delighted, inflamed, provoked, infuriated, Eager, keen, earnest, intent,
cheery, jovial offended, sullen, indignant, zealous, ardent, avid, anxious,
irate, wrathful, cross, sulky, enthusiastic, proud
Scared, frightened, terrified, bitter, frustrated, grumpy,
petrified, afraid, fearful, boiling, fuming, stubborn, Fearless, encouraged,
nervous, anxious, worried, belligerent, confused, courageous, confident, secure,
timid, shy awkward, bewildered, empty independent, reassured, bold,
brave, daring, heroic, hardy,
Strong, burly, brawny, determined, loyal, proud,
strapping, muscular, beefy, impulsive
tough, fervent, intense, zealous, Angrily, anxiously, brightly,
avid, eager cheerfully, comfortably, Good, excellent, fine,
curiously, delightfully, eagerly, satisfactory, kind, generous,
Coy, bashful, timid, modest, enormously, excitedly, faintly, worthy, humane, pure, benign,
reserved, demure falsely, fearfully, foolishly,
benevolent, proper, valid, sulky, out of sorts, low, interjected, interrogated,
favored discontented, discouraged, intimated, intimidated,
disappointed, concerned, itemized, jested, judged,
Happy, brisk, buoyant, calm, sympathetic, compassionate, lamented, laughed, lectured,
carefree, cheerful, cheery, choked up, embarrassed, lied, lisped, listed, made,
comfortable, complacent, shameful, ashamed, useless, maintained, mentioned,
contented, ecstatic, elated, worthless, ill at ease mimicked, moaned, mumbled,
enthusiastic, excited, murmured, mused, muttered,
exhilarated, generous, glad, Said, acknowledged, nagged, narrated, noted,
grateful, hilarious, inspired, jolly, acquiesced, added, notified, objected, observed,
joyous, lighthearted, merry, addressed, admitted, opined, orated, ordered,
optimistic, peaceful, playful, admonished, advised, petitioned, pleaded, pled,
pleased, relaxed, restive, advocated, affirmed, agreed, pointed, prayed, predicted,
satisfied, serene, sparkling, alleged, allowed, announced, proclaimed, professed,
spirited, surprised, vivacious answered, approved, argued, prompted, pronounced,
asked, assented, asserted, proposed, propounded,
Hurt, injured, isolated, assumed, assured, attested, protested, proved, publicized,
offended, distressed, pained, avowed, babbled, bantered, queried, questioned, quibbled,
suffering, afflicted, worried, bargained, barked, began, quipped, quoted, rambled,
tortured begged, bellowed, ranted, reaffirmed, reasoned,
beseeched, boasted, reassured, reciprocated,
Little, small, tiny, microscopic, bragged, brought, called, recited, recommended,
miniscule, minute, cautioned, charged, chided, recounted, referred, refuted,
inconsequential, Lilliputian, cited, claimed, commanded, regretted, reiterated, rejoiced,
insignificant, narrow, thin, comment, commented, rejoined, related, relented,
paltry, modest, slender, slight complained, conceded, remarked, reminded,
concluded, condescended, remonstrated, repeated,
Looked, gazed, peered, confessed, confided, replied, reported,
starched, stared, glanced, consented, contended, reprimanded, requested,
sighted, regarded, attended, contested, continued, responded, restated, resumed,
viewed, inspected, directed, contradicted, counseled, retorted, returned, revealed,
followed countered, cracked, cried, roared, ruled, sanctioned,
debated, decided, declared, scoffed, scolded, screamed,
Nice, friendly, helpful, gentle, decreed, demanded, shouted, shrieked, snapped,
warm, inspiring, good-natured, demurred, denied, sneered, sobbed, solicited,
kind, generous, cheerful, denounced, described, specified, spoke, sputtered,
loving, happy, funny, peppy, dictated, directed, disclosed, stammered, stated, stipulated,
relaxed, thoughtful, disrupted, divulged, drawled, stormed, stressed, stuttered,
cooperative droned, elaborated, suggested, taunted, testified,
emphasized, enjoined, thought, threatened, told,
Ran, trotted, skipped, hurried, entreated, enunciated, twitted, unbridled, urged,
moved, sped, operated, estimated, exclaimed, uttered, vowed, wailed,
progressed, glided, flowed, explained, exposed, expressed, warned, went, wept,
traced, pursued, galloped, faltered, feared, foretold, whispered, whistled, whooped,
loped, fled fumed, giggled, granted, wrangled, yawned, yelled
granted, grinned, groaned,
Sad, sorrowful, unhappy, growled, grumbled, haggled, Amazing, Attractive, Authentic,
depressed, melancholy, hedged, held, hesitated, Beautiful, Better, Big, Colorful,
gloomy, somber, dismal, hinted, howled, imparted, Colossal, Complete,
heavy-hearted, mournful, implied, implored, indicated, Confidential, Enormous,
dreadful, dreary, flat, blah, dull, inferred, informed, inquired, Excellent, Exciting, Exclusive,
in the dumps, sullen, moody, insinuated, insisted, instructed, Expert, Famous, Fascinating,
Free, Full, Genuine, Gigantic, mustard, butterscotch, orange, swollen, lumpy, clustered,
Huge, Informative, Instructive, tangerine, persimmon padded, holly, tufted, top-
Interesting, Lavishly, Liberally, heavy, pendulous, jutting,
Mammoth, Professional, Green: celery, mint, apple, irregular, proportioned,
Startling, Strange, Strong, lime, Kelly, emerald, olive, angular, triangular,
Sturdy, Successful, Superior, pistachio rectangular, hexagonal,
Surprise octagonal, square, tapering,
White: snow, milky, marble, branching, twiggy, split,
Crammed, Delivered, Directed cream, ivory, oyster, pear, broken, spindly, skinny, thin,
silver, platinum wiry, shapely, shapeless
Brave, Angry, Bright, Busy,
Clever, Cold, Cozy, Deep, Flat, Purple: lavender, amethyst, Appearance: dotted, freckled,
Foggy, Free, Fresh, Frozen, lilac, orchid, mauve, plum, spotted, blotched, wrinkled,
Gentle, Giant, Glad, Grand, mulberry, pansy, fuchsia, patterned, mottled, flowery,
Hollow, Hungry, Hurt, Lucky, magenta striped, bright, clear, shiny,
Neat, New, Old, Polite, Proud, glowing glossy, shimmering,
Rough, Serious, Shiny, Short, Black: jet, ebony, licorice fluid, sparkling, iridescent,
Shy, Smooth, Spotted, Strong, glassy, flashy, glazed, sheer,
Tall, Tough, Weak, Wide, Wild, Gray: ashen, dove, steel transparent, translucent,
Wise, Bumpy, Careful, Cheerful, opaque, muddy, grimy, young,
Chilly, Clean, Cloudy, Crisp, Brown: sandy, almond amber, drab, dingy, dull, dark, dismal,
Damp, Enormous, Fancy, tawny, hazel, cinnamon, rotted, old, used, worn, untidy,
Flashy, Flowery, Frosty, Fuzzy, nutmeg, chocolate, coffee, shabby, messy, chintzy, cheap,
Huge, Icy, Kind, Marvelous, copper, rust, ginger, bronze, ugly, ramshackle, tired,
Merry, Messy, Mighty, Misty, walnut, mahogany exhausted, arid, awkward,
Moldy, Plaid, Plain, Quiet, crooked, loose, curved,
Scented, Selfish, Sharp, Slim, Movement – Fast: hurry, run, straight, orderly, formal, crisp,
Slippery, Sloppy, Sly, Soggy, scamper, skip, scramble, dart, pretty, heavy, flat, stout, wide,
Spicy, Stormy, Striped, Sweet, spring, spin, sprint, stride, streak, rigid, narrow, overloaded,
Tasty, Thinly, Tiny, Velvety, propel, trot, gallop, drive, dash, congested, cluttered,
Twinkling, Weak, Worn, Young bolt, careen, rush, race, zoom, crowded, jammed, packed,
zip, speech, chase, hurl, swat, squeezed, bruised, tied,
Colors: flick, whisk, rip shove, swerve, stretched, tall, lean, slender,
smash, drop, plummet, supple, lithe, lively, muscular,
Red: pink, salmon, rose, coral, bounce, dive, swoop, plunge, sturdy, sickly, small, tiny,
raspberry, strawberry, tomato, swing, fly sail miniature, timid shy, fearful,
currant, cherry, crimson, apprehensive, tearful, nervous,
cardinal, vermillion, carmine, Movement-Slow: creep, crawl, frightened, terrified, hysterical,
flame, ruby, garnet, wine, plod, slouch, lumber, tiptoe, wild, bold, dramatic,
blood, maroon, burgundy blend, amble, saunter, loiter, tantalizing, exuberant,
stray, slink, stalk edge, sneak, energetic, animated, perky,
Blue: sky, sapphire, azure, deft, stagger, lope, canter, waddle, attractive, arrogant,
porcelain, Wedgwood, drag, sway, soar, lift, drift, flamboyant, expansive,
turquoise, aqua, aquamarine, droop heave imposing, regal, stately,
violent, peacock, cobalt, royal, elegant, statuesque, large,
navy, steel Shapes: flat, round, domed, huge, immense, massive,
curved, wavy, scrolled, gigantic, showy, decorative,
Yellow: beige, buff, straw, globular, rolled, scalloped, distinctive, dazzling, opulent,
peach, apricot, butter, ruffled, frilled, crimped crinkled, jeweled, lacy, lavish, scrubbed,
buttercup, lemon, chartreuse, flared, oval, conical, tidy, pleasant, salty, calm,
citron, canary, chrome, gold, cylindrical, tubular, hollow, serene unruffled nerveless
topaz, ochre, saffron, sulfur, rotund, chubby, portly, fat,
Loud Sounds: crash, thud, How did the surroundings remind and adjectives convey more to
bump, thump, boom, thunder, you of other places you have the reader than do nouns.
bang, smash, explode, roar, been?
scream, screech, shout, yell, Unless the description is objective,
whistle, whine, squawk, bark, What sights, smells, sounds, and you must be sure that the
bawl, bray, bluster, rage, blare, tastes were in the air? dominant impression conveys an
attitude.
rumble, grate, slam, clap,
stomp, stamp, noise, discord, Did the sights, smells, sounds, and
tastes remind you of anything? Strategies
jangle, rasp, clash, caterwaul,
clamor, tumult, riot, racket,
What were you feeling at that Try giving all the details first; the
brawl, bedlam, pandemonium,
time? dominant impression then is built
hubbub, blatant, deafening,
from these details.
raucous, earsplitting, piercing,
Has there been an instance in
rowdy, disorderly
which you have felt this way Check your details to be sure that
before? they are consistent with the
Soft Sounds: sigh, murmur, dominant impression. You might
whisper, whir, twitter, patter, even want to write down the five
What do you want the reader to
hum, mutter, snap, hiss, feel after reading the paper? senses on a scratch piece of
crackle, bleat, peep, buzz, paper and check to see that you
zing, gurgle, swish, rush chime, What types of words and images have covered them all.
tinkle, clink, hush, still, can convey this feeling?
speechless, mute, faint, Try moving your reader through
inaudible, melody, resonance, Can you think of another situation space and time chronologically.
harmony, musical that was similar to the one you are For instance, you might want to
writing about? How can it help describe a train ride from start to
Speech Sounds: stutter, explain what you are writing destination, or a stream from its
about? source to the point at which it joins
stammer, giggle, guffaw,
the river.
laugh, sing, yell, scream,
screech, snort, bellow, growl, Is there enough detail in your essay
to create a mental image for the Use a then-and-now approach to
chatter, murmur, whisper, show decay, change, or
whimper, talk, speak, drawl reader?
improvement. The house where
you grew up might now be a
Things to Consider as You Write Conventions of Descriptive Writing rambling shack. The variations on
Your Descriptive Essay this strategy are endless.
The descriptive essay relies on
Think of an instance that you want concrete, sensory detail to Select an emotion and try to
to describe. communicate its point. describe it. It might be more
Remember, we have five senses, difficult to get started, but it can
not one or two. be worthwhile.
Why is this particular instance
important?
The author of a descriptive essay Writing is not like painting
must carefully select details to
What were you doing? where you add. It is not what
support the dominant impression.
In other words, the author has the you put on the canvas that the
What other things were happening license to omit details which are reader sees. Writing is more
around you? Is there anything incongruent with the dominant like a sculpture where you
specific that stands out in your impression unless the dominant remove, you eliminate in order
mind? impression is one which points out to make the work visible. Even
the discrepancies. those pages you remove
Where were objects located in somehow remain.
relation to where you were? Description very often relies on ~ Elie Wiesel
emotion to convey its point.
Because of this, verbs, adverbs,
