how to describe red in creative writing

Red Adjectives: Describing Words with Examples

Red is a color that evokes strong emotions and captures our attention. It is a vibrant and powerful hue that can symbolize passion, love, and energy. In this article, I’ll be exploring a variety of adjectives that can be used to describe the color red, along with examples to help you visualize and understand their meanings. Whether you’re a writer looking to add depth to your descriptions or simply someone who appreciates the beauty of language, this guide will provide you with a range of descriptive words to bring the color red to life.

Table of Contents

How to Describe red? – Different Scenarios

When it comes to describing the color red, there are numerous adjectives that can capture its essence. Whether you’re a writer seeking to add depth to your descriptions or a teacher looking to teach young students about colors, it’s important to choose the right words to convey the exact shade and feeling that red represents in different scenarios.

1. Passionate and Fiery:

In the context of emotions and feelings, red is often associated with passion, love, and intensity. When describing red in passionate scenarios, consider using adjectives such as:

Red is also known to stimulate energy and motivation. When describing red in energetic scenarios, consider using adjectives such as:

3. Bold and Striking:

Red can stimulate the senses and evoke excitement. When describing red in stimulating scenarios, consider using adjectives such as:

Red carries symbolic meanings and connotations. When describing red in symbolic scenarios, consider using adjectives such as:

Remember, the choice of adjectives to describe red depends on the specific context and the emotions or qualities you want to convey. Exploring a wide range of adjectives will allow you to capture the true essence of this vibrant and powerful color.

Describing Words for red in English

Red is a vibrant and powerful color that evokes a range of emotions and qualities. In English, there are numerous adjectives that can be used to describe red in different contexts. Here are some examples:

Remember, the choice of adjectives to describe red depends on the specific context and the emotions or qualities you want to convey. Feel free to explore a wide range of adjectives to capture the true essence of this dynamic and captivating color.

Adjectives for red

Positive adjectives for red with example sentences.

Red is a dynamic and captivating color that evokes a range of emotions and qualities. When it comes to describing red, there are a variety of positive adjectives that can be used. Here are some examples along with sentences to show how they can be used:

Negative Adjectives for Red with Example Sentences

While red is generally associated with positive emotions and qualities, there are also a few negative adjectives that can be used to describe it. Here are some examples along with sentences to illustrate their usage:

It’s important to note that the choice of adjectives depends on the specific context and the emotions or qualities one wants to convey. Exploring a wide range of adjectives can help capture the true essence of this vibrant color.

Synonyms and Antonyms with Example Sentences

Synonyms for red, antonyms for red.

While synonyms can be useful for describing red, antonyms can provide a contrasting perspective. Here are some common antonyms for red, along with example sentences:

Describing the color red can be an exciting and creative endeavor. By using a range of synonyms and antonyms, we can add depth and nuance to our descriptions. The article has provided a comprehensive list of adjectives for red, including crimson, scarlet, ruby, carmine, burgundy, and maroon. These words evoke different shades and intensities of red, allowing us to paint a more vivid picture.

In addition to synonyms, the article has also explored antonyms for red, such as blue, green, yellow, white, and gray. These contrasting colors offer a unique perspective and can be used to create striking visual imagery.

By incorporating descriptive words, we can convey the emotions and qualities associated with the color red. Whether it’s the passionate intensity of scarlet or the deep richness of burgundy, these adjectives help bring our descriptions to life.

So, the next time you want to describe something red, remember to explore the diverse world of adjectives. Let your imagination run wild and use these words to create captivating and engaging descriptions that truly capture the essence of red.

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204 Words That Describe Colours – A Resource For Writers

This post includes interesting facts about colours and a selection of words writers can use to describe colours .

Writers use the  five senses  when they write. We are able to see, smell, hear, taste, and touch exactly what the characters in the story experience.

I have written about words that describe  taste ,  touch ,  sound , and smell  in previous posts.

One of the best ways to describe what we see is through colour and in this post, I have included words that describe colours.

Note: ‘colour’ is British spelling and ‘color’ is American spelling.

What Is Colour?

Collins Dictionary says: ‘The colour of something is the appearance that it has as a result of the way in which it reflects light.’

The visible spectrum of colour as we see it, consists of seven main colours:

But we can only see three of these visible colours: red, blue, green. These three colours are mixed in our brain to create all of the other colours we see.

Colour Affects Us

Colour affects our moods . For example, blue is calm, red is aggressive, pink suppresses anger and anxiety, bright yellow is the most irritating colour because of its excessive stimulation on the eye. Colours also affect consumers .

According to Sally Augustin in an article in  Psychology Today , research has shown the “powers” of particular colours.

She writes about five colours:

• “Green: Seeing the colour green has been linked to more creative thinking—so greens are good options for home offices, art studios, etc.
• Red: People seeing others in front of red backgrounds generally find those other individuals are more attractive than when they see them silhouetted against other colours, so reds are great for a bedroom wall. Having a red surface in view also gives us a burst of strength, so reds are good choices for home gym areas, etc. Seeing red has been linked to impaired analytical reasoning, though, making it a bad option for offices.
• Violet: People link a greyish violet with sophistication, so it can be a good selection for places where you’re trying to make the “right” impression.
• Yellow: Using yellow in a home can be problematic. Many people dislike the colour, so if you have a lot of yellow rooms in your home or a yellow front door, you may be advised to repaint to get the best price for your home should you sell. An exception: Many people use yellow in kitchens—with no negative sales repercussions. Yellow may be accepted in kitchens because warm colours stimulate our appetite.
• Blue: People are more likely to tell you that blue is their favourite colour than any other shade. That makes it a safe choice. Seeing blue also brings thoughts of trustworthiness to mind; always a good thing.”

Writing Tips

• A character who lives in a colourful home is very different to one who lives in a monochromatic home. The use of colour can help you to show who the characters are.
• A colour-blind character can add an interesting twist to a story.
• A character with chromophobia has an irrational fear of colours. This can stop them from performing daily activities and can affect their lives.
• A bleak, grey setting works well for a crime scene. A sepia-tinged setting works for memoirs. A vivid setting works well for romance. Use colours to set the mood for your books.

204 Words That Describe Colours

General colour-related words.

• ablaze – bright and full of light or colour
• a riot of  [colour] – a lot of different bright colours together
• bleached – made very pale by chemicals or strong sunlight
• bleak – gloomy; sombre
• blotchy – discoloured, patchy
• bold – very bright, clear, or strong in colour and therefore easy to notice
• brash – big, bright, or colourful in a way that is not attractive
• bright – strong but not dark
• brilliant – vivid, intense
• chintzy – too colourful and in poor taste
• clean – light and fresh
• cold – colours such as white, blue, and grey that make you think of things that are cold
• colour-coded – marked with different colours to make it easy to see different features or uses
• colourful – has bright colours or a lot of different colours
• cool – cool colours, such as white and blue, give an idea of cold instead of heat. Colours with blue or green in them are called cool colours
• dappled – covered with or forming areas of lighter and darker colour or light and shadow
• dark – strong and not pale in colour
• deep – dark and strong
• delicate – pleasant and not too strong
• discoloured – changed in colour and no longer looks new, clean, or healthy
• dusty – used for describing a colour that is not bright because it has some grey in it
• electric – bright, metallic
• fast – colours that are fast will not become paler when clothes are washed
• festive – bright and colourful in a way that makes you think of a celebration
• fiery – very bright in colour, especially bright red, orange, or yellow
• flamboyant – brightly coloured or decorated
• flaming – brightly coloured red, orange, or yellow
• fluorescent – very bright and seems to reflect light
• fresh – clean colours
• gay – brightly-coloured or attractive
• glistening – sparkling or shining like glitter
• glittering – shining; sparkling
• glowing – glowing colours are bright and look warm
• harmonious – harmonious colours or parts combine well with each other
• harsh – very bright
• iridescent – showing changing colours in different types of light
• jazzy – bright, colourful, and attractive
• loud – very bright in a way that does not show good taste
• matching – with the same colour, pattern, or design
• medium – neither light nor dark in colour
• mellow – soft and warm in colour
• multicoloured – consisting of several different colours
• opalescent – seems always to be changing colour slightly
• pastel – having a pale soft colour
• prismatic – multi-coloured, brilliant, bright
• psychedelic – brightly coloured and have big unusual patterns
• pure – a pure colour is very clear and beautiful
• restrained – not too bright in colour, or not decorated too much
• rich – strong in a pleasant way
• sepia – sepia photographs are old and are a red-brown colour
• showy – brightly coloured and attractive
• soft – pale, gentle and pleasant to look at
• sombre – dark in colour, especially grey or black
• splashy – brightly coloured
• tinged – something that is tinged with a colour, feeling, or quality contains a small amount of it
• tinted – containing a small amount of a particular colour
• two-tone – two-tone shoes or clothes have two colours
• vibrant – bright and colourful
• violent – very bright and almost painful to look at
• vivid – a vivid colour is strong and bright
• warm – warm colours have red, orange, or yellow in them.
• watery – pale

Words That Describe A Lack Of Colour

• colourless – dull or lacking in colour
• dotted – a series of small spots or marks
• faded – less bright
• flecked – having a spot or small patch of colour
• light – lacking brightness or saturation
• monochromatic – having one colour
• monotone – all one colour
• muted – subdued or softened colours
• neutral – having very little colour
• opaque – incapable of allowing light to pass through
• pale – something light in colour or washed out
• primary – basic colour
• rustic – plain; simple
• tinged – a small amount of colour
• tinted – slightly coloured
• translucent – allowing light to pass through
• transparent – clear; see-through
• watery – containing too much water; diluted

Words That Describe Specific Colours

• alabaster – very white and smooth.
• amber – between brown and yellow in colour.
• amethyst – light purple.
• apricot – a shade of pink tinged with yellow
• avocado – with a pale green colour.
• ash – the colour of ash
• azure – bright blue.
• baby-blue – light blue in colour.
• beige – very pale brown in colour
• black – having the darkest colour, like the sky at night when there is no light
• blue – something that is blue is the same colour as the sky on a clear sunny day.
• bluish – similar to blue or slightly blue in colour
• bone – a shade of white the colour of a bleached skeleton
• bottle green – very dark green
• bronze – an attractive brown colour
• brown – something that is brown is the same colour as wood or coffee
• brownish – similar to brown or slightly brown in colour
• burgundy – dark red
• canary – having the colour of a canary; of a light to moderate yellow
• caramel – light yellowish-brown in colour
• cerise – bright red-pink in colour
• chalk – a pure flat white
• charcoal – something that is charcoal is dark grey in colour
• chartreuse – bright green-yellow in colour
• cherry – a red the colour of ripe cherries
• cinnamon – light red-brown in colour
• claret – dark red in colour
• cobalt blue – a shade of blue tinged with green
• copper – red-brown in colour
• coral – with a colour between pink and orange
• cream – yellowish-white in colour
• crimson – dark purple-red in colour
• Day-Glo – extremely bright yellow, orange, pink, or green in colour
• dove-grey – light grey in colour
• dun – between brown and grey in colour
• ebony – dark black in colour
• ecru – very pale brown
• eggshell – like an eggshell, for example white-yellow in colour, not very shiny, or thin and delicate
• electric blue – very bright blue
• emerald – bright green in colour
• fawn – light brown in colour
• flesh-coloured – the colour of white people’s skin
• gold – something that is gold is the colour of gold
• golden – bright yellow in colour
• green – something that is green is the same colour as grass.
• greenish – similar to green or slightly green in colour
• greige – between very pale brown and grey in colour
• grey – between black and white in colour (gray – the American spelling of grey)
• hazel – light brown and slightly green or golden in colour, used especially for describing someone’s eyes
• ice blue – a very light blue colour
• indigo – between dark blue and purple in colour
• inky – mainly literary black, or a very dark colour
• iron-grey – dark grey in colour
• ivory – something that is ivory is a yellowish-white colour
• jet-black – very shiny and black in colour
• lavender – light purple in colour
• leaden – dull and dark grey in colour
• lilac – pale purple in colour
• lily-white – pure white
• lime-green – bright yellow-green in colour
• livid – mainly literary dark purple or blue-grey in colour
• magenta – purple-red in colour
• maroon – dark red-brown in colour
• mauve – pale purple in colour
• milk-white – the colour of milk
• milky – the colour of milk
• navy blue – very dark blue
• nut-brown – medium brown in colour
• off-white – slightly yellow or grey
• olive – dark yellowish green in colour
• olive – dark grey-green in colour, like many military uniforms
• orange – between red and yellow in colour
• orangey – similar to orange or slightly orange in colour
• peach – yellowish pink in colour
• peacock blue – dark blue-green in colour
• pea green – bright green in colour
• pink – between red and white in colour
• pinkish – similar to pink or slightly pink in colour
• pitch-black – completely black or dark
• plum – between red and purple in colour
• puce – between dark brown or dark red and purple
• purple – between red and blue in colour
• purplish – similar to purple or slightly purple in colour
• red – the same colour as blood
• reddish – similar to red, or slightly red
• rose – dark pink in colour
• roseate – pink in colour
• rose-coloured – pink in colour
• rosy – pink in colour
• royal blue – deep blue
• ruby – a deep red colour
• ruddy – red in colour
• russet – red-brown in colour
• rusty – red-brown in colour
• saffron – between bright yellow and orange in colour
• salmon – orange tinged with pink
• sandy – pale yellow in colour
• scarlet – bright red in colour
• sea-green – green-blue in colour
• sepia – something that is sepia is a red-brown colour
• shocking pink – very bright pink in colour
• silver – light grey in colour
• silvery – like silver in colour or appearance
• sky-blue – the colour of the sky on a bright clear day
• smoky – light grey in colour
• snow-white – very white
• sooty – black or dusky in colour
• steely – steely blue is grey-blue in colour
• straw-coloured – pale brown-yellow in colour
• tan – light brown in colour
• taupe – a brown-grey colour
• tawny – between yellow and brown in colour
• teal – between blue and green in colour
• terracotta – brown-red in colour
• turquoise – bright green-blue in colour
• ultramarine – very bright blue in colour
• umber – yellow or reddish brown in colour
• vermilion – bright red or red-orange in colour
• violet a- blue-purple in colour
• white – something that is white is the same colour as milk or snow
• whitish – similar to white or slightly white in colour
• wine – something that is wine is a dark red colour
• yellow a- something that is yellow is the same colour as the middle of an egg
• yellowish – similar to yellow or slightly yellow in colour

Top Tip : Find out more about our workbooks and online courses in our shop .

© Amanda Patterson

If you enjoyed this post, read:

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• Three Simple Ways To Show And Not Tell
• 12 Crucial Things To Remember About Setting

Sources: https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/grammar/word-lists/list-of-words-to-describe-colors.html https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/words-used-to-describe-specific-colours https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/general-words-used-to-describe-colours

• Description , Show Don't Tell , Writing Resource , Writing Tips from Amanda Patterson

2 thoughts on “204 Words That Describe Colours – A Resource For Writers”

Great post, I especially loved the idea you mentioned of a colour blind character, something I never considered before – that would make an interesting disability to write about. The one thing I’d be afraid of is getting too carried away with colours and mentioning something that would pull the reader out of the book, wondering ‘What color is that?’

Thank you, Barry. Let us know if you write about a colour-blind character. We agree that adding too much colour would be a bad thing.

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Seeing Red: What Writers Should Know About Color

Our perception, behavior and mood can be influenced by color. Reaction to color is part of our evolutionary biology. The color blue, for example, is associated with the nighttime and rest, so it calms us. Yellow, the color associated with the sun, does just the opposite.

The way we perceive space can be altered by color. Warm colors — yellows, reds and oranges — tend to advance and make a room seem smaller. Cool colors — the purple, blues and greens —retreat in space and make a room feel larger.

Semantic meaning is embedded in color. Light green on a label indicates “cooling mint.” And the color of something can change our behavior towards it. We might be less likely to buy mint gum packaged in red.

Color has gender. Green and blue are considered masculine; yellow, red, purple, and pink, feminine. You can use color deliberately to evoke gender stereotypes, or you can play around with them and make a killer’s favorite color pink.

Attitudes, convictions and judgments can be painted with color. Black can be evil or elegant. White can portray goodness or emptiness. Primary colors can indicate playfulness or stupidity, depending on how you use them. Your overall color palette can reveal a lot. You wouldn’t use the same combination of color to describe the inner city as you would the suburbs.

A powerful tool, color works on a deep, subconscious level and we are often unaware when and how it affects us. Filmmakers and consumer marketers manipulate us with color all the time. Painters never stop seeing or thinking about color. Not that long ago, I spent a whole evening with a friend discussing a patch of green he’d added to the upper right hand corner of his canvas. Did the green recede too much? Was its translucency distracting? Should it be more opaque? How did the green affect the colors around it?

Writers should work with color in the same manner. The next time your character walks down the street with a purse, step back and ask yourself, what color is it? Be deliberate about your choice. Color without purpose is just fill. If it’s red, what kind of red is it and what does it mean? Red can represent love, passion, embarrassment or anger. And you must always consider the colors around it. What color is the coat on which the purse rests? Because putting one color up against another changes both. And where is the sun? Light changes color in surprising ways—you can see a wider spectrum on an overcast day. The high, bright light on a sunny day tends to wash color out. If your scene takes place at night, there has to be a moon or a streetlight because we can’t see color without light. And what is the purse made of? Canvas or patented leather? The choice of material will give it a different sheen and this in turn will alter the impact of the color. Hue, value, tint, shade, tone, brightness, saturation, lightness, opacity—color is infinitely complex and the slightest variation can change what it does and what it means.

Color communicates emotion and meaning. There is as much to know about the language of color as there is to know about the language of words. One color intentionally handled can determine the direction of a whole scene.

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Colour is a fundamental element of our world, infusing our everyday experiences with depth and vibrancy. It evokes emotion, sets the mood, and helps paint a vivid picture in a reader's mind. This article aims to provide you with useful guidance and inspiration for describing colour in your writing.

Recognising the power of colour

The first step in describing colour is acknowledging its power. Colour sets a scene, conveys emotion, and even symbolises deeper themes or concepts. For instance, green could symbolise nature or jealousy, while blue could represent peace or sadness. In literature, this use of colour to signify deeper meanings is known as colour symbolism.

When writing, consider how you can use colour to enrich your narrative. Will a sunset be just orange, or will it burn with hues of crimson and gold? Will your character's eyes be simply brown, or will they be a rich, warm chocolate colour?

Ways to describe colour

There are several ways you can approach describing colour in your writing:

• Direct description: This is the most straightforward way to describe colour. For instance, 'The car was red.'
• Comparison: Comparing the colour to something else can offer a more vivid image. For example, 'Her eyes were as green as emeralds.'
• Metaphor or simile: These can add depth and creativity to your descriptions. For example, 'The dawn sky was a soft wash of watercolour blues and pinks.'
• Evoking emotion or mood: Describing colour in relation to the feelings or mood it invokes can add layers to your narrative. For example, 'The room was painted a cold, clinical white.'
• Symbolism: As mentioned earlier, colours can carry symbolic meanings. Use these meanings to enrich your narrative and convey deeper messages.

Broadening your colour vocabulary

Having a diverse colour vocabulary can enhance your descriptions and make your writing more compelling. Instead of using basic colour names, consider more specific shades. For example, instead of saying 'blue', you could say 'turquoise', 'sapphire', 'sky-blue', 'teal', or 'navy'.

Here are some colour words to get you started:

• Red variations: Crimson, burgundy, scarlet, ruby, maroon
• Blue variations: Azure, cobalt, cerulean, indigo, periwinkle
• Green variations: Emerald, jade, olive, lime, mint
• Yellow variations: Gold, lemon, amber, saffron, canary
• Purple variations: Lavender, violet, plum, mauve, lilac

Colour descriptions in action

Now, let's look at how to use these techniques in context:

• Reveal character: 'His eyes were a stormy grey, mirroring the turbulent thoughts swirling in his mind.'
• Set the scene: 'The forest was a canvas of autumnal hues, with fiery oranges, rich reds, and deep burgundies painting a stunning picture.'
• Evoke mood: 'The room was bathed in a sickly yellow light that amplified the unsettling atmosphere.'
• Symbolise deeper meanings: 'The white dove, a symbol of peace and purity, flew against the azure sky, promising hope amidst chaos.'

Balancing detail and readability

While describing colour can add richness to your narrative, it's essential to strike a balance. Overly detailed or frequent colour descriptions can slow down your story and distract the reader. Remember, your goal is to paint a vivid picture, but the narrative should still take centre stage.

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Writing with Color: Words for Skin Tone

A blog dedicated to writing and resources centered on racial & ethnic diversity.

• Reviews (3)

How do you describe the color of someone’s skin? This page is all about that. “This final portion focuses on describing skin tone, with photo and passage examples provided throughout. I hope to cover everything from the use of straight-forward description to the more creatively-inclined.”​ (I wanted to give a URL but this insists on inlining the content) ​

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Very useful reference. Skin color is something I typically have trouble with.

Like TVTropes, Springhole, and Wikipedia, an author could spend hours following one link (Black Panther Fanfic Writing) to the next (Bad to have a Disabled Love Interest?) and the next (Baby Banks in an Infertile World, Eugenics and Racism) into the wee hours of the morning, only this one is tailored specifically to people who want their fiction to have as much positive impact as possible on the real people who are reading their stories in the real world.

Love this! I had it bookmarked a few years ago on my old computer, then lost it. Thanks for posting it. I've used this as a reference in many of my novels over the years. It's incredibly helpful in coming up with creative ways to describe characters.

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• My Painting
• With Galya Varna, ‘Doorway to Art’ Magazine
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• With writer, Ari Meghlen
• With author, T.R.Robinson

On The Use Of Colour In Creative Writing

I haven’t personally come across much in my reading on this topic in relation to creative writing.  Yes, we’re told to describe colour in addressing the visual senses to make the fictive dream more vivid for the reader, but what else could there be to consider? Well, as an artist, colour is very close to my heart. Like other artists, I mix it, I brush it out on canvas, and I place one colour against another with strategic intent. It’s not just about red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black and white. It’s about tints, tones and shades – adding white, grey or black respectively. It’s about the relationship of one colour to another  – if two colours or their derivatives are opposite in the colour wheel (and therefore termed complementary), they enhance one another to maximum visual impact eg purple and yellow. It’s about an endless infinity of colour mixes. It’s about warm and cool – adding yellow or blue respectively. Any painting course for beginners worth its salt will address the theory of colour. So I thought I’d explore how we can use colour in relation to creative writing, bearing some colour theory and psychology in mind.

Describing Colour

Now we’re not going to get carried away, we’re not going down the route of flowery excess eg. a hint of sweet magnolia with a faint blush of pomegranate, but we are going to get away from the problem of this:

Person A says to person B : What is your favourite colour?

Person B replies: Oh, I just love red!

Person A says: Oh – my favourite is green.

  What is wrong here (and it’s really common in everyday conversation) is that we have no idea what kind of red, what kind of green. Persons A and B know what they are visualising, but they are not expressing it to each other at all. It’s a dead conversation, and it can be dead in creative writing too. We need to ask what kind of red ? Is it a pinky red, like crimson, or a more browny red like a tomato red? And as for green – is it a cool pale pastel or a rich deep green? Is it a turquoise blue green or a yellowy grass green?

So how do we get around this in a simple way for the reader?

Well, the best way is probably to relate the colour you’re trying to describe to a feature of the world around us, natural or man-made, thinking about how it will add a particular feel or mood to that colour in the context you would like to get across Eg A corporate red would convey a strong, flat, responsible, conservative context, whereas a poppy red may suggest a brightly bold, somewhat flighty and optimistic feel, and there again chilli red would take the imagination to exotic, hot and passionate places.

So take the colour you are imagining eg a grey sky, and find something in the world ‘out there’ that does the job of suggesting what you want to convey. So for a grey sky, it may be a porridge sky for a sense of sludgy oppressive heaviness, or a veil of silver sky for something more delicate, mysterious and ethereal.

Another way of describing colour is to do so through the point of view of your character , especially if you are in their heads when the description of colour moment pops up. This can be a particular feature of using your narrative language to convey a sense of your character.

Eg In my novel, On Turtle Beach, my artist character, Lucy, enters a Turkish market where she spots a stand full of ground spices. She instantly associates them with ground pigments, and therefore to a traditional artist’s colour palette. I wanted to have her enthusing, but also with a sense of her showing off, as she begins to list them for the benefit of her bored and unimpressed sister. So we have colours described as burnt sienna, yellow ochre,  vermillion, burnt umber, cadmium yellow…you get the drift.

So you can think, what does the character do for a living or consider the nature of their personality and decide if you can use this when describing colour from their perspective.

More generally, from the theory of colour, cool tints (pastels) suggest distance (both emotional and physical) and relaxation, while also alluding to conservative values. Hot bright colours suggest excitement, stimulation, a zest for life, with hints of eccentricity. Earthy colours convey warmth, trust, security and cosiness. And extreme lights such as white suggest both airiness and coldness. Once you get your head around this, its amazing what will occur to you. In a sense you know all this already, it’s just making use of it.

Colour symbolism: For character, past and present, for setting, and for mood

  Well, here we can really bring in the psychology of colour. And here is a lovely guide.

As an example, let’s take black. I describe an middle-aged lady character of mine as routinely wearing black. Black is her chosen colour for her work suit. She never deviates, so when her husband dies, it  makes little difference to her (both practically and emotionally), black is already ‘her colour’. This colour says a lot about my character and her past, which comes to light later on. Think about what it feels like to wear black. I find it closed off, yet protective, but usually avoid wearing it for its heaviness. Below is what its psychological properties are described as in the above guide from ‘Colour Affects’, and my character wearing black is most definitively encompassing the negative qualities, rather than the positive:

Positive: Sophistication, glamour, security, emotional safety, efficiency, substance. Negative: Oppression, coldness, menace, heaviness.

Black is all colours, totally absorbed. The psychological implications of that are considerable. It creates protective barriers, as it absorbs all the energy coming towards you, and it enshrouds the personality. Black is essentially an absence of light, since no wavelengths are reflected and it can, therefore be menacing; many people are afraid of the dark. Positively, it communicates absolute clarity, with no fine nuances. It communicates sophistication and uncompromising excellence and it works particularly well with white. Black creates a perception of weight and seriousness.’

So I’m pleased I chose black for my character to need to wear because it fits her well, and it may even be used in the title of the novel. I also have her hating red poinsettias (she is quite a repressed person), her home decor is pastel based (for her conservatism) and the car she drives is an understated responsible indigo. You get the idea.

To finish , I’m not suggesting getting hung up on colour, it’s to be enjoyed. But just to have a think, when the moment comes to pick a colour, how to describe it more vividly, more evocatively, and consider using it to represent character qualities, their values, their mood, and the mood of their environment, be it sympathetic or hostile. And have some fun with it.

Here is some more information if you are interested:

Using colour in Creative Writing

Colour Thesaurus , very visual and gets you going in the zone

**Interesting Fact: Stephen king named one of his novels (and the character within) as Rose Madder (a yummy purple pink). Now that must have been a first!

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12 responses to on the use of colour in creative writing.

Yes. It can add an extra dimension to the written word.

Like Liked by 1 person

Absolutely!

In the movie, The Sixth Sense, the color red is used in outlandish ways to show the theme of the story to the viewers. For example, the door on the cathedral is bright red.

I love that film! So red is being used as a symbol here – well spotted!

Thank you for this. Great information. B

You’re welcome – thanks for giving it a read!

great post. yes, Lynne i am often agonising about how to describe a colour in an unusual interesting way. i like your ‘porridge sky’ to suggest sludgy oppressive heaviness. brilliant.

Many thanks, Libby!

An American mystery writer whose name I’ve forgotten (ironically) named her central character, with a full dose of irony since she’s black and very aware of the absurdity of the name, Blanche White. Maybe we should introduce her to Rose Madder.

Hi there, Ellen! Yes names can be great to play with, haven’t done this myself yet, but good for satire and irony!

Interesting exploration and I liked the links too. Yes we communicate so much to each other with the colours we wear and the colours we use in our homes and workplace and yes, we wear colours for the energies they emit and attract. (The Egyptians understood the power of coloured light and used it for healing) It’s generally quite unconscious but as you say, the writer can subtly stimulate the emotions of the reader with the way he/she uses colour to create character or mood. The post also made me think of paint charts and how the descriptive words are used to suggest a fantasy world in which to live. e.g. Buttercup yellow, misty blue, celadon green, English fire red, moonlight bay blue to name a few. Thanks Lynne.

Thanks, Sylvia. You’re absolutely right about paint chart colour names strategically appealing to the subconscious of the customer and being so suggestive of desirable environments. They do this in the fashion industry too where colourways of garment designs can be used to entice buyers eg taupe sounds posher than beige or fawn. Outside of industry pantone numbers and artist’s palettes, we all have taken on board these suggestive names collectively eg peacock green, duck egg blue, olive green, burgundy red. It’s all so mutable, isn’t it? But yes, great for using within fiction when colour crops up.

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The Do’s of Writing People of Color: Describe Your Characters

Diversity makes stories better, plain and simple. This year, we’ve partnered with the good folks at Writing With Color to get some advice on how to write stories populated with people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. In the third part of her “Do’s of Writing People of Color” sub-series, founder Colette Aburime   goes over how to describe characters of color in your writing:

One key to strong representation is making the race of your characters undisputedly clear. So clue your readers in! Not only is it nice for People of Color to read descriptions of themselves as awesome everyday people, but there’s a consequence to being vague: Most readers will assume the characters are white. 

Society ensures we view white people as the default. That default human is probably also straight, cis, able-bodied, etc. until proven otherwise. This way of thinking won’t dissolve overnight.

When describing your characters

• Make their races clear early on once they’re introduced.
• Sprinkle in a few more reminders throughout the story.

Ways to show race:

• Physical descriptions - You can describe hair, skin tone, and facial features to create a picture for readers. It isn’t foolproof, though. For example, dark brown skin and curly hair may point to a Person of Color, sure, but not an exact race or ethnicity. It’s wise to pair physical details with other means.
• Culture - Cultural elements can seamlessly indicate race. They’re already part of your character’s identity, so it’s bound to come up! Think family names, clothing, holidays, traditions, language, food, heirlooms…
• Social issues - What social issues directly affect the character? What about relatives in other countries? Even a national disaster could show background, like a hurricane affecting your character’s family in Mexico. 
• Activities - The character could be involved or have met someone through a PoC-specific organization. Think student unions, activism, local businesses Facebook groups, professional meet-ups…
• Cover art - If your book cover features your characters, I urge you to make sure they look the part. Even if you have little say in the final product, remind your publisher of their races and ask they take care to be accurate. Say no to white-washed book covers! 
• Say it in story - Don’t be afraid to just state it. I highly recommend doing so at some point in the story. There’s many ways to work in a mention. Create a situation that makes sense to the story. See these examples:
• “The woman turned to face me. She was Black, I think, with a short coily afro and a dimple in her smile that took my breath away.” 
• “It felt awkward, being the only woman in the room, let alone an Indian woman.”  
• “I was born of a Korean mother and a German father.”
• Say it outside the pages - These days allow more interaction between authors and their readers. Use social media or a webpage to share character profiles, your celebrity dream cast, share commissioned art, and clarify questions. 

Use one or more of these methods. At the least, I recommend a combination of physical descriptions and outright stating race whenever the story allows.

Characters of Color in Fantasy

Alternative or fantasy settings may have different concepts of race. Perhaps there’s no word for human ethnicities or countries. Never fear—racial coding is here!  Racial coding means providing hints that your character is the equivalent of a human race. You can use physical, cultural and geographical parallels to help readers make a conclusion. 

Now, go forth and describe your characters. We wanna see them!

Related Articles on Writingwithcolor:

Describing Characters of Color:

• Writing With Color Featured Description Posts 

Fantasy Coding Advice on Writing With Color:

• PoC in Fantasy When Their Country/Continent Doesn’t Exist
• Describing POC without stating Race  
• Writing With Color “Coding” Search  

Colette Aburime is the founder of WritingWithColor, a writing advice blog focused on diversity. She studied creative and professional writing in college, and writes (or rather, dreams of writing) in her free time. Colette is a big fan of romance and fantasy and lives out her fairytale in a humble cottage in Minnesota’s Twin Cities. She spends happily ever after with her prince, plants, and a feisty cat. Check out WritingWithColor on Tumblr and Twitter .

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A blog about writing.

Writing About Hair: The Thick and Thin of Descriptions

You all are getting another peek into my magic notebook. This time we're taking a page out of my 17 page section that covers hair, wigs and every description of body hair you can imagine (and probably some of you can't). Now that I've scared you, we're going to talk about the hair on your character's heads - the color, the length, the style . . . We're covering it all. But there are a few very important points we should chat about first.

The #1 thing about hair descriptions is Do Not overuse them . You do not want to be known as "hair girl "or "hair boy!"

#2 on the essential List: Hair descriptions are a part of the character so make them work harder by using them to describe the person “inside,” not just what the person looks like outside.

•  A tomboy might have a very short, non-nonsense haircut. Then again, she might hide long tresses under a ball cap, because secretly she’d like to be noticed as the girl she really is.
• A man who works as an executive might conform to a short, and very tailored look. Or, he wears expensive suits but he wears his hair a little too long because on the weekends he caters to his passion and joins his buddies for motorcycle road trips.

Okay, because I have so many descriptions and definitions, I’m going to cut to the chase.

Alternative Generic Names For Head Hair

Coiffure Curls Down Fringe Fuzz Locks Mane Mop Ringlets Shock Strands Tresses Tufts Wig Wool

Descriptive Hair Phrases

Bangs obscured her eyes like a sheepdog Flaked with snowy dandruff Bleached, bottle baby Braid like a thick black rope Bundled at the nape Bun resembled a cow patty Cascading down her back Chemically damaged Coiled in a top-knot Crowning glory Cupie curls Curls foamed luxuriously Tendrils danced on the breeze Disheveled Downy bond hair sprinkled her arms Dramatic widow’s peak Elaborately dressed with ribbons Electrified Smelled like burnt chicken feathers Snow drifts of dandruff Veiled her expression with Greased into a ducktail Flaming locks fluttered to the floor Fluffy Frizz job, bad perm Glossy locks lifted on the wind Grew like a thatch of straw on a roof Grizzled, gray hair Hair drooped around pale cheeks Hair like Rapunzel Hairy as a dog Hung like a dark river Kinky perm Knotted Left unbound to tumble Like a clown wig, artificial red, plastic shine and fuzzy Like a thatched roof Like she put her finger in a light socket Limp and lifeless Long, shaggy hippy look Lustrous as onyx stone Marcelled into fingerwaves Matted to the scalp Perm fried Prematurely gray Puffed like a bubble around her head Ragged bangs Rat’s nest Ringlets Shock of hair stood straight up Slapped her face like wet worms Sleek and chic Smooth honey dripped over her shoulders Spiky Mohawk style of a punk rocker Spilled out of the hat Spread like feathers on a pillow Standing on end Stiff in front like a cockatoo Straight as a wire Streaked, highlighted Stuck to her sweaty nape Tangled mane Tousled pixie Two-toned dye job Unconquered curls sprang loose Unruly swirl Old-lady blue rinsed hair Vibrant color and shine Wet with sweat White Pigeon Wings at temples Wispy ringlets Wondered what rubble lay beneath that mess Wreathed her face

Hair Texture Phrases

Baby fuzz Bleached hair like mushy wet works Blue feather hair of old lady Bristle top Broom chopped Cat-fur fine Cotton candy hair, fine Cottony Dandelion fuzz Down Gummy Horsetail coarse Moldy hay Short-cropped and stiff Soft and lush Soft curls and waves Yellow straw

Descriptive Hair Color Words & Phrases

Coal Crows wing Ebony Jet Indian Ink Midnight Obsidian Onyx Raven

Grays and Whites

Battleship gray, dull gray Blue dandelion fuzz Blue rinse gray Faded glory Flint Grizzled (gray) Gunmetal Maltese gray (blue gray) Mineral Mousy (gray) Pewter Salt and Pepper Shale Silver cloud Smoke Snowy white Swan’s wing Steel Wood ashes

Amber (reddish) Ash brown Auburn (reddish) Baked Clay Bison Brunette Burnished Camel Caramel Chestnut Cinnamon Clove Dark beer Dark Earth Dark toffee Dirt Fudge cycle Glazed ginger Maple Sugar Mink Mousy Muddy Nutmeg Pecan Rawhide, dark reddish Root beer Russet Tobacco Tortoise Shell Walnut

Auburn Berry Brassy Brightest Burgundy Burnished copper Carrot top Cinnabar Clown wig red Cognac Dull brick Flame Garish brass Orange Russet Scarlet Strawberry Wine

Professional Hair Color Descriptions

  Ash blond -- Lacks red or gold highlights (verges on green tones); light mousy blond, medium and dark blond, dishwater, beige

Ash brown -- Browns lacking warm/red tones tones; light mousy brown, medium and dark brown

Black -- Different shades of black vary according to the amount of highlighting or pigmentation shadings present in the hair; black lacking all highlighting will be duller, ash shade; black containing a lot of red may appear as deep burgundy

Red -- Warm shades; berry, russet, strawberry (red-blonde), rusty orange, wine, carrot top, etc.

Towhead -- Whitish blond; usually an ash blond lacking warm tones but not always

Warm blond -- Blond with touch of gold and red; whiskey, wheat, honey, strawberry, brassy, golden etc.

Warm brown -- Brunette, dark or light brown that contains red or gold tones; varies from light to nearly black; reddish brown, chestnut, dark amber, auburn etc.

Hair Styles Modern And Historical

It’s impossible to name all the hairstyles but the selection here should be a good start. Many listed here also are known by other names.

[See of some these hairstyles here .]

Afro -- Unisex style borrowed from the African Americans; short and very curly, forming a bowl shaped profile; a pick is used to pull the hair away from the head and shape it

Asymmetric -- Hair is cut long on side of the head and short on the other.

Bedhead -- Popularized in 1990s by starlet Meg Ryan; short to mid-length shaggy cut worn jelled or moussed in tossed fashion

Beehive   -- A 60’s French twist coiled at the back of the head and rising above it to form a cone shape (see upsweep)

Bob -- Introduced in 1915 this short cropped hair style was popular during the 1920’s; also called the shingle bob, the shingle, the Eaton crop. It is often cropped at the jawline and aligned close to the face.

Bouffant -- Puffy hair style’ hair is backcombed or ratted then barely smoothed, resulting in a bubble affect

Bowl -- Most commonly worn by young boys. The bang area cut straight cross the forehead as if measured by turning a bowl upside down on the head. The top layers are longer and cut along the this bowl line around the head.

Braid -- Plaited hair

Bubble -- 60’s hairstyle, short to mid-length, ratted/backcombed to appear like a football helmet or bubble surrounding the head

Butch/flattop/crewcut -- A man’s style; usually cut with electric shears; very short and stands on end at the front of the head and his shaved close to the head on the sides; sometimes called a GI cut.

Buzz -  Modern slang for a hair shaved close to the head

Chignon -- Bun, usually at the nape or top of head; topknot

Conk -- African American textured hair that is straightened

Cornrows -- Small tightly braided rows of hair that hug the scalp; most often worn by African Americans

Duck tail -- 50’s style worn by girls and boys alike; hair on either side of nape combed toward the center of the head; reminiscent of Elvis Presley, Fabian, Doris Day, Debbie Reynolds etc.

Farraha Fawcett -- Long layered hair flipped or feathered back off the face with a bang that feathers or rolls off the face as well; made popular by the TV star of the same name; late 70’s and early 80’s

Finger waved -- Usually short haircut in which a stylist uses lotion and her fingers to create deep waves that circle the head. Popular in the 1920s and 30s.

Flip -- Feminine hair style of the 50’s and 60’s; long hair usually shoulder length turned up at the ends, sometimes in a roll.

Fontange -- Worn 1690’s to 1710; a towering fountain of frills and complex, lacy intertwining shaped around a wire frame and considered the height of fashion; nicknamed by disdaining men, the “tower and the comet”

French twist/seam -- Hair swept back from both sides the head (front to back) and rolled down the center of the head into a roll or tucked to make a seam

Fringe -- Curly bangs worn in the 1880’s; in 1900’s worn straight; alternate name for bangs

Kiss curls -- Seen immediately after Civil War; ringlets of curls on the cheeks or forehead

London Cut -- Short female cut popular during the 1960s and early 70s. The hair was cut over the ears, leaving a fringe in front of the ears, often brushed toward the face or straight down. The nape hair was cut along the hairline like a boys but more rounded instead of squared off like a man’s neckline.

Mohawk -- Shaved head with a strip of hair growth down the center of the head from forehead to the nape

Pads -- Late 1830’s long coiled curls over the ears (looked like ear muffs); at the back of the head they were called a Grecian knot or psyche knot

Pageboy -- Introduced in late 1930s early 40’s; long, hair turned under, usually just touching the shoulders

Pigtails -- Same as pony tail only the hair is parted down middle and each section is cinched into its own tail above or below the ear

Pixie -- Female short cut; feathered around profile of face and onto cheek, short at the nape line; usually with full bang and combed forward onto face; also called an Italian cut; permed version called a poodle cut

Pompadour -- Style of wearing the hair high over the forehead usually in some type of rolled affect; in 1940’s women used rats (nylon mash) to roll the hair off the forehead and puff it; a version of this also worn during the 1700’s and early 1800’s by most and women; name comes from a lady of this era called Madame Pompadour

Ponytail -- Hair gathered together and cinched with a rubber band or barrette to make a tail at the back of the head; worn high or low; worn low it’s sometimes called a George (referring to George Washington) or a Paul Revere

Poodle cut -- Short, curly haircut

Powdered hair/wigs -- Unisex style worn from about 1760’s to 1820; after 1740 men were wearing shorter, simpler wigs and began to powder their own hair

Punk -- Usually short on top and styled with lotion to stand up off the head; often a mohawk fashion from forehead to nape; sometimes dyed bright neon colors of pink, purple, blue, orange etc.

Queue -- Pigtail, esp. that of a Chinese. (Chinese queue was braided) Men of Colonial America wore these as well, usually tied back with a ribbon and in some cases men wore a periwig styled with a queue

Roach -- Hair brushed into a roll

Sausage curl -- Long tube-like coils of hair; popular in early 1800’s; in the early 1970’s these were piled on top of the head in a cluster, esp. for formal dress for teens.

Shag -- Like a pixie, only long at the nape. Lengths vary from short to long layered cut; popular during the early 70’s

Skin heads -- Group of radical racist youths, men and women alike, who shaved their heads

Spaniel’s curls -- Late 1840’s into the 50’s; long thick curls worn by the ear (as worn by Elizabeth Barrette Browning)

Spit curls -- First seen in 1831; flat curls on women in front of the ear

Tonsure -- Shaven part of a monk or cleric’s head

Updo/upsweep -- Generic term for long hair styled high on top of head; hair might petaled (layered curls), barrel curled, arranged in a chignon, backcombed into a beehive or styled in French roll etc.

Wedge cut -- Also called Dorothy Hamill cut; short cut worn mostly by women; sides feathered off the face, back cut longer from the drown to the occipital bone, where its layered into a wedge; nape is trimmed close the head and short; a late ‘70’s and early 80’s style.

Sharla has published three historical romances and her fourth, How to Fell a Timberman, is impatiently waiting to be formatted for Kindle.

When she’s not writing and researching ways to bedevil her book characters, Sharla enjoys collecting authentically costumed dolls from all over the world, traveling (to seek more dolls!), and reading tons of books. You can find Sharla here at Writers In The Storm, on Twitter at @SharlaWrites or on Facebook .

25 comments on “Writing About Hair: The Thick and Thin of Descriptions”

Thanks for sharing this wonderful list, along with the great pic!

Thank "you" for dropping by Erin.

Sharla, once more I must say ... you are amazing. How in the world do you do this ?? Reading your posts is like having our own personal writing coach. Each element of each writing technique in such amazing detail, that I need a workbook for your posts only.

Thanks ... everything I ever wanted to know about hair 🙂

Thanks for such a great compliment! Glad you enjoy my lists.

Goodie, another list of descriptions to add to my personal long list. Thanks so much for posting this - you save all of us a lot of long hours researching those perfect terms/descriptions for our manuscripts. Always, V

Glad you like the list Virgina. I wasn't kidding when I said I could only post a section of my hair list. But I figured you guys would be most interested in this one. 🙂

You've done it again, Sharla. The descriptive range you provide for such everyday characteristics is beyond impressive. Thanks.

Wow, you just made my top of the list for awesome. Thank you for all the work, and sharing.

Thank you ladies for stopping by. I'm happy to share. That's the best thing about being a romance writer. We share. 🙂

Wow! I'll never look at hair the same again.

Thanks Janie and thanks for stopping by WITS today.

Sharla, Thanks for the detailed description of HAIR that all writers can use in their stories.

what a helpful library you've created for hair. thank you

Thanks for posting such a useful resource! I made my own reference table, leaving a space for blonde and bald 🙂

My characters will never have a "bad hair day again!" Unless it furthers my plot, of course. 🙂

Thanks for taking so much time to compile these lists for us. It's so appreciated.

You are all welcome ladies. Now I wonder if I should tell my daughter, I used her punk hair style for my blog today. 🙂

What a great collection of facts! Thanks, Sharla! One of my characters, a Las Vegas showgirl, wears her hair in a "bob." Now I know what to call it.

Thanks for opening up your magic notebook, Sharla. I tend to get in a rut with hair and eye descriptions.

Thank you, wonderful descriptions. In Australia we also have (or had, it's a bit retro), a men's style called "short back and sides", like a crew cut but not as short. It was a conservative style that was the socially acceptable opposite of long hippy hair in the nineteen sixties. Hair styles carry a strong social message.

I love this regional information. Every country is different and sometimes even states here in the US. Thanks for sharing.

Very informative and fun, Sharla! I write stories set in the 15th century, and you included descriptions that I can use, also. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks. I write American historicals so I wanted to include styles from the past. Also I think sometimes it's fun to refer to old styles even for contemporary stories as they make great descriptions themselves.

This will save time I would have spent googling--thank you!

Your welcome Toni. You can find pictures of many hairstyles at the link I included above if that helps.

I must admit I only skimmed this, but I pinned it. It's an excellent resource. Thank you!

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Colorful World

264 Words That Describe Colors (List With Meanings)

Color is a language in itself. Like music, it exudes distinctive energy that can seem impossible to capture in words.

So, how exactly do you go about describing colors? It helps to have a handful of fitting adjectives in your arsenal and a thorough understanding of what each word means.

Here are 264 descriptors to get you started — we’ve divided them into these sections:

Words to Describe Colors in General

Words to describe shades of red, words to describe shades of orange, words to describe shades of yellow, words to describe shades of green, words to describe shades of blue, words to describe shades of indigo/purple, words to describe shades of pink, words to describe metallics, words to describe shades of brown/beige, words to describe shades of white, words to describe shades of gray, words to describe shades of black.

A vivid memory is sharp and clear — it stands out from the noise of the rest of your mind. Vivid colors are similar. They’re strong and described as being “very high in chroma.” That means that they’re highly pure, with little to no white, black, or gray.

Bright colors are intense and saturated. Even if you know virtually nothing about color theory, you’ll be able to spot a bright color when you see one.

Some bright colors might appear fluorescent or neon. It’s easy to assume that a “bright” color would be a warm shade like red, orange, or yellow. But if you’ve ever seen an intensely blue sky (or even a green highlighter), you know that cool colors can be bright, too!

3. Saturated

Saturated colors are pure and intense. An image with highly saturated colors might look more vivid and “alive.” Some visual artists and designers will strategically make some images look overly saturated. This can create an artificial look, but when it’s done carefully, it can be very effective.

The diagram below shows you two common representations of the RGB (red-green-blue) color space. HSL stands for hue-saturation-lightness, and HSB stands for hue-saturation-brightness. These two models are slightly different, but for our purposes, they do a good job of illustrating what low vs. high saturation looks like:

4. Jewel-Toned

Jewel-toned colors are very saturated and somewhat dark. They’re inspired by the color of actual gemstones like emeralds, sapphires, garnets, etc.

Rustic colors are those that can be found readily in nature. They usually are deep and earthy, and many have an autumnal feel.

A matte color is a shade whose finish is not glossy. It might look “dull” or “flat.”

A darker color is one that has some black added to it. A color that is changed in this way is known as a “shade” of the original value.

Pastel colors are soft, light versions of colors made by adding white to a more saturated hue. (When you change a color by adding white, you create what’s called a “tint” of the original value.) Most people describe pastels as being “soothing” or “relaxing,” and they are commonly used to make audiences think of spring.

9. Luminous

Technically, “luminous” means that something glows or emits light. But you can also describe a color as being luminous if it’s so bright it appears to glow. For example, vivid neon shades could be colloquially described as being luminous.

10. Brilliant

The word “brilliant” has a number of different meanings. But at least when it comes to color, a brilliant shade is one that is (1) highly saturated and (2) reflects a lot of light.

You can probably recognize a muted color when you see one. “Muted” is the opposite of “vivid,” so muted colors are somewhat dull and relatively desaturated. Practically speaking, if you want to make a muted color, you take a base color and add some black, gray, or a complementary color.

Warm colors are red, orange, yellow, and their combinations. As you can see above, exactly half of the color wheel is made up of warm colors, and exactly half is made up of cool colors.

You might hear people talk about “warm neutrals” as well. Neutral colors are technically neither warm nor cool, but they can have undertones that make them lean either warm or cool.

Ashy (or “ash”) is sometimes used to describe colors that have a slightly smoky, muted quality. You most often see this modifier used in “ash blue,” a pale, powdery blue with a little gray mixed in.

14. Earth-Toned

As the name suggests, “earth tones” are colors that are often found in nature — think muted, often neutral shades like khaki, rust, olive green, and cocoa brown. Most of the time, earth-toned colors and rustic colors are essentially the same.

When used to describe color, “deep” isn’t really a technical term. It’s more of an analogy. A deep pool of color (like the deep part of the ocean) tends to have a certain richness and darkness to it. If a certain shade makes you think of a deep pool or well of color, you can safely describe it as being “deep.”

16. Desaturated

Desaturated colors are hues that have another color blended in. That color makes them look closer to a grayscale shade, so designers commonly make desaturated colors by mixing in black or white. The illustration under “saturated” above can also give you a good idea of what a desaturated color looks like.

17. Variegated

This is a word used to describe the coloration of a plant, animal, or other entity — not the characteristics of an individual color. It usually means something is colored with at least two different shades, and typically, those shades are arranged in an irregular pattern.

“Variegated” is a word often used to describe plants. In this context, it refers to a plant with leaves that have either edges or a pattern of another color besides green.

Some people use “drab” to refer to a specific shade of dull brown. Others use it to describe dull, muddy colors in general. One of the best-known of these is “olive drab,” a dull shade that looks like a mixture of brown and olive green. Unfortunately, the word itself has a somewhat negative connotation, as “drab” can also be used to mean “boring.”

This isn’t a technical term, but it can be used to describe colors that are overly or offensively bright. Something that is garish is typically also gauche, tasteless, or tacky.

A color that is bold is both saturated and bright. Bold shades command attention, and they’re commonly used when a designer wants to make something very eye-catching.

A neon color is a version of a color (either a primary or secondary color) that is extremely bright. Take a look at an illuminated neon sign or the almost-glowing ink of a highlighter, and you’ll have an idea!

22. Opalescent

Opalescent colors are those that have an iridescence like that of an opal. The iridescence itself changes depending on the angle of the light.

The best way to really understand opalescence is to see it on an opal. The picture above shows a magnificent piece of natural blue opal on a contrasting black background.

A cool color is the opposite of a warm color. Cool shades are made up of blue, green, purple, and their mixtures. As you can see on the color wheel above, cool colors make up the side of the color wheel right across from warm colors.

You might hear “muddy” used to describe colors in a couple of different ways. Some people might use it to describe brown and gray shades that are close to the color of actual mud. Others might use it to describe colors that have been desaturated (“muddied”) by the addition of colors like these.

At least in terms of color, you most often hear “stark” used to describe shades of white that seem harsh or bare. Usually, it’s reserved for the kind of cold, plain white often seen in hospital hallways.

“Stark” is also sometimes used to describe dramatic contrasts in color schemes. For example, if you’re designing an interior with a bright white couch against a dark charcoal wall, you’re certainly employing a very stark contrast!

26. Fluorescent

“Fluorescent” is a word used to describe colors that appear unnaturally bright. That’s not an illusion — fluorescent colors do actually have an unnatural feature that makes them incredibly bright. These shades absorb UV light. They then radiate the bright color we see.

Because fluorescent colors emit more light than most shades, they’re very useful for any kind of application where you need to draw attention. That’s why you so often see them used for safety vests, highlighters, and even some signs.

What color is fire? Most of the time, it’s a bold, bright orange. Still, red is often described as being fiery. In this context, it usually refers to the passion and energy of fire, rather than its exact color.

Claret is a deep, rich shade of purplish red. It gets its name from a French wine of the same color. Because claret wine is traditionally produced in the Bordeaux region of France, it’s also the color most people mean when they say “Bordeaux.”

29. Vermilion

Traditionally, vermilion was a red-orange pigment made from powdered cinnabar (a red mineral). Today, it can be used to describe rich, intense shades of red-orange. The bird shown above is the vermilion flycatcher ( Pyrocephalus obscurus ), and it offers a striking illustration of the color!

30. Crimson

Crimson is a shade of rich red similar to that of a red rose, but it leans just a touch more purple. Somewhat confusingly, it used to be the name used to describe a dye made from an insect called Kermes vermilio . Of all shades of red, this is probably the one most closely associated with courage, power, and nobility.

Simply put, brick red is roughly the color of traditional brick. Depending on who you ask (and the building you’re looking at), it might be closer to either red with a hint of brown or brown with a hint of red.

Similar to brick red, the color of rose red can vary a bit depending on who you ask. If you’re talking about a color sometimes just called “rose,” you might mean a shade that’s exactly between red and magenta on the color wheel. But often, “rose red” means the deep, rich, slightly purplish color of a classic red rose.

Of all jewel tones, ruby is probably one of the ones that leans the warmest. Just like actual rubies, the exact shade of ruby red can vary a little. But in many cases, it has the rich depth of a quality ruby with just a hint of pink.

There are plenty of different species of cherry, so it’s easy to get a bit confused over what exactly constitutes “cherry red.” But generally speaking, cherry is a bright, extra-hot red that’s the color of a maraschino cherry.

35. Flaming

You might sometimes hear someone describe red as being “flaming.” This descriptor often refers to a red with clear orange undertones.

36. Scarlet

Scarlet is another shade of red characterized by orangish undertones. It’s also rich with symbolic meaning: scarlet is the shade of red most closely associated with the blood of Christ, so it plays an important role in many Christian denominations.

37. Cardinal

You saw above that the vermilion flycatcher is a bird whose color matches the name. So you may be surprised to hear that cardinal red doesn’t always match up to the color of male cardinals. The birds are closer to scarlet in color, and cardinal red usually has a trace of purple. The color name gets even more confusing when you realize it’s not the color worn by Catholic cardinals, either — they wear scarlet!

38. Carmine

Carmine is a shade of red with an interesting history: it originated as a dye made from crushed cochineal insets. However, most people today use “carmine” to describe shades of red that are a little bit purplish, but not as purplish as crimson.

“Tomato” is a descriptor used for reds inspired by fresh tomatoes. If you’ve ever seen a perfectly ripe tomato, you’re familiar with it — it’s a bright, saturated red-orange shade.

40. Oxblood

Oxblood is a rich, intense shade of red that sits somewhere between the purplish burgundy and the brownish maroon. It can be used to describe various shades of dark, muted red.

41. Cinnabar

Cinnabar red is the color of the mineral cinnabar. Since vermilion is the color of powdered cinnabar, you could use these two adjectives interchangeably.

If you’ve ever paid close attention to the words people use to describe shades of red, you’ve almost certainly seen “wine” come up. Usually, “wine red” is a dark, purple-tinted red shade similar to claret.

If you love jewel tones, you certainly appreciate a nice shade of garnet red. That said, real gemstones can vary a good bit when it comes to color. You could correctly use “garnet” to describe a number of different shades of dark red.

Madder red started out as a pigment that came from the common madder plant, Rubia tinctorum . The color itself is sometimes described as being a “true red,” as it sits right between red orange and purplish red.

45. Cordovan

Cordovan is a shade of reddish brown (or brownish red) named for a traditional leather produced in Cordoba, Spain. It’s an apt descriptor for a red shade that’s somewhere between burgundy and a very dark rose.

46. Tangerine

Tangerines are citrus fruits related to oranges. Often, their skin appears a bit brighter, so many shades of bold, saturated orange are referred to as “tangerine.”

Burnt orange is a classic, fire-inspired orange shade that often makes its way into autumnal palettes. Typically, shades of burnt orange are dark and slightly reddish.

Everyone loves a beautiful, fiery sunset. And if you see a shade of orange that reminds you of the last time you saw a setting sun, you might just call it “sunset orange.”

One of the best ways to clarify the quality of a particular orange shade is to compare it to something orange. Everyone knows the color of a carrot, so describing a shade as “carrot orange” can be particularly useful. However, you sometimes see this color name used to denote a pale, yellowish orange that’s lighter than most carrots.

50. Reddish

Some of the words on our list offer you unique, creative ways to describe different colors. Others, like this word, are plain and utilitarian. Many shades of orange have clear undertones of red. If you describe them as “reddish-orange,” anyone will know what you mean!

51. Apricot

Apricots are related to peaches, so it’s fitting that “apricot” describes a somewhat similar color. Apricot is a lighter shade of orange with yellow undertones.

52. Sherbet

There’s nothing quite as refreshing as a bowl of orange sherbet on a hot summer day. And as you might already know, sherbet orange is a pale, pastel-like shade.

Oranges are citrus fruits, so describing any orange shade as “citrus” might seem like a no-brainer. But most people who describe a specific orange shade as “citrus orange” mean a color that is bright, saturated, and juicy.

54. Marmalade

If you’ve ever put orange marmalade on your toast, you know that this distinctive condiment is actually a mix of different orange shades. But if you had to pick one color to capture the essence of marmalade, it would likely be a soft yet energetic tangerine-like shade.

The color “orange marmalade” can be described as the shade of a saturated, pure, tangerine orange with a sherbet undertone.

Is peach a shade of orange? Maybe. If you spot a shade of light orange with decidedly pink undertones, you might just get away with calling it “peachy.”

56. Bittersweet

Bittersweet is a memorable shade of orangish brown — or at least it can be. The orangish-brown description matches the color of the Crayola crayon called “bittersweet,” but if you do a deep dive into this polarizing color, you’ll see some people describe it as a shade of red, others describe it as a shade of brown, and still others as a shade of orange!

57. Pumpkin

Each year when fall rolls around, you can count on a host of website updates and other designs including some level of pumpkin orange. “Pumpkin” might be one of the most common words to describe shades of orange, but as you might have already discovered, it’s used to describe a surprisingly wide range of colors.

58. Cheerful

Orange is probably one of the most exuberant colors there is. So it makes sense that “cheerful” is an appropriate word to describe it!

59. Persimmon

Not everyone is familiar with the persimmon, an orange fruit whose color can range from a pale, yellowish orange to a rich red-orange. But if you’re looking for a different way to describe a shade of orange, “persimmon orange” is great.

60. Autumnal

“Autumnal orange” isn’t a specific shade. However, almost every autumn-inspired color palette includes some shade of orange inspired by the changing leaves. If a specific shade of orange reminds you of the fall, it’s safe to call it autumnal.

If you’ve ever included orange zest (finely grated fresh orange peel) in a recipe, you know that this zingy ingredient is aptly named. Some shades of orange embody the energetic character of orange zest, so why not describe them as “zesty”?

62. Cantaloupe

What color do you picture when you imagine cantaloupe orange? This energetic color is somewhere between pumpkin orange and sherbet orange.

Golden yellow could be considered an earth tone — it’s about the color of the leaves of aspen trees in autumn. If you want to describe a shade of rich, slightly muted yellow, this is a great word to use.

When you’re describing colors, it can be fun to come up with unique adjectives. But sometimes, you just want to describe a classic shade — like the bright yellow of a lemon peel.

The sun has traditionally been portrayed as being yellow. There’s no singular shade of sunny yellow, but it’s usually a bright, energetic color close to lemon yellow.

66. Highlighter

Everyone’s familiar with highlighter yellow — “highlighter” is the perfect adjective for neon or fluorescent yellow.

67. Saffron

Saffron, one of the world’s most expensive spices, comes from the dried-out stigmas of saffron crocus flowers. These stigmas are usually a rich red color. However, when you add even a touch of powdered saffron to rice or another dish, you’ll see a vivid shade of yellow that’s somewhere between lemon yellow and golden yellow.

If you describe a shade of yellow as “ochre,” you’re referencing one of the world’s oldest pigments. Yellow ochre, a pigment made of various kinds of iron oxides, has been made and used by humans for around 300,000 years.

But what type of yellow could accurately be described as “ochre”? This shade is muted and slightly dusty, much like mustard yellow.

69. Gamboge

Gamboge is a rich, golden yellow with orangish undertones. It gets its name from a pigment made from tree sap from trees in the Garcinia genus. The toxic pigment has largely been replaced by artificial alternatives, but “gamboge” can still be used to describe rich shades of golden yellow.

70. Daffodil

Daffodils are some of the most recognizable yellow flowers. They come in many shades of yellow, so you could refer to a number of bright, springlike yellow shades as “daffodil yellow.”

71. Mustard

Mustard yellow is usually dark and slightly muted. It’s named after the condiment, but it’s typically closer to the gold hue of Dijon mustard than the extremely bright yellow of traditional mustard.

This might sound like an odd adjective for any shade of yellow. After all, amber is usually a honey-like color that sits somewhere between brown and yellow.

However, a shade of yellow with a rich, golden cast could also be described as “amber.” Yellow traffic lights are a great example — they’re officially called “amber” in color.

73. School Bus

The best adjectives let someone instantly picture the exact color you mean. And few color descriptors are as vivid and specific as school bus yellow!

Canary yellow is the color of a canary’s bright yellow plumage. It’s a cheerful, sunny color that might just make you think of this little bird’s sweet song.

75. Xanthous

Looking for a memorable way to describe a shade of yellow? “Xanthous” describes the distinct, yellow-orange color of an egg yolk. It comes from the Greek word “xanthos,” meaning “yellow.”

76. Buttery

Buttery yellow (sometimes just called butter yellow) is a light, warmish shade that’s a bit more yellow than cream. It’s a beautiful color for adding some cheer to interiors!

In Japanese, “mikado” translates to “emperor.” Mikado yellow is a rich, golden shade once worn by emperors to show their royal status.

78.  Dandelion

Yellow might not be the most common color in nature, but when it appears in the form of flowers, it creates an effect that’s nothing short of joyous. If you spot an intense shade of yellow that has the velvety glow of this common (but beloved!) weed, you could appropriately call it dandelion yellow.

79. Lemonade

The adjectives you use to describe colors have a profound effect on how other people see them. For instance, when asked, people love a color called “mocha,” but they don’t like a color called “brown” — even though the two colors are exactly the same!

Likewise, you might describe a pale shade of yellow as “lemonade yellow.” “Lemonade yellow” and “butter yellow” can be used to describe similar (or even identical) shades, but “lemonade yellow” has a lighter, more refreshing connotation. “Butter yellow” is more likely to make an audience think of warmth and coziness.

80. Goldfinch

As you’ve seen so far, many colors can be described using the names of different birds as adjectives. “Canary yellow” is a color name so common that it’s become a cliche.

If you like bird-name descriptors but want to sound more original, try describing a color as “goldfinch yellow.” American goldfinches are bright little birds whose color is close to lemon yellow.

81. Verdant

Verdant green is the color of lush, fresh vegetation. If you spot a shade of deep, rich green that makes you think of a rainforest or a jungle, you could accurately describe it as “verdant.”

“Leafy” is a shade of green that’s pretty close to verdant. In practice, it sometimes refers to a slightly lighter, springlike shade.

Spring green isn’t really a specific shade. It usually refers to a light green similar to that of new leaf buds. Most spring greens are fairly light, but not so light they’d be considered pastels.

Most people know hunter green as a classic shade of dark green. However, a significant number of people also incorrectly use it interchangeably with forest green. Both are dark greens, but hunter green is closer to true green. Forest green has more blue undertones.

Jade green gets its name from the gemstone jade. Not everyone knows that jade comes in several different shades, including blue, black, red, lavender, brown, and white. It’s most commonly a light yellowish green — the shade most people mean when they describe something as “jade green.”

As mentioned above, shades of green described as “forest” are dark with cool blue undertones.

Pears come in a number of different colors. However, most shades of green described as “pear” are a pretty shade of yellow green. That being said, they’re more grassy than yellow — celery green is a similar color, but it has more of a yellow undertone than pear green does.

If you describe a shade of green as “lime,” you probably mean a mega-energetic shade of light green with a little bit of yellow. Larger stretches of lime green can get overwhelming pretty quickly, so in both digital and interior design, it’s commonly used only as an accent color.

Looking for an adjective to describe a bright, true green? You might be looking for the word “kelly.” Kelly green is a shade that sits exactly between blue and yellow on the color wheel.

Pine green evokes the fresh, unmistakable scent of pine trees in winter. Thanks to its generally positive connotations, it’s a great word to describe shades of dark green.

However, it can be a challenge to figure out what shades of green could properly be described as “pine green.” Just as different pine trees have differently-colored needles, there’s no singular hex code for pine green. Most people will tell you it sits between hunter green and forest green, though.

Reptiles come in all kinds of wonderful colors. Iguanas aren’t the absolute brightest, but many of them are an intense green like you see in the picture. If you’re looking for a new way to describe an energetic, kelly-like shade of green, try “iguana green.”

When someone describes foliage (usually grass) as “lush,” they usually mean it’s thick, abundant, and a rich shade of green. This is a word that could be used to describe a number of different shades, much like “verdant.”

There are more than 7,500 varieties of apples, so “apple green” could technically be used to describe seemingly endless colors! However, it’s almost always used to describe the light yellow green color of a Granny Smith apple.

94. Chartreuse

“Chartreuse” sounds like a sophisticated way to describe a color. It refers to a bright, energetic shade of light yellow green, and the word itself comes from an herbal, slightly sweet French liqueur.

95. Honeydew

Looking for a word to describe a light, pastel green that isn’t quite mint? Try “honeydew.” This sweet, juicy melon usually has a color that’s light green with a slightly bluish undertone (but not as bluish as the undertones in mint green!).

“Olive” probably isn’t the most original word you could use to describe a shade of green. But if you need someone to understand exactly what color you mean, it’s a smart choice — it refers to the color of a green olive.

On a related note, you might have also heard of the color “olive drab” — this is a duller, more brown version of olive green.

97. Celadon

Celadon is a beautifully exquisite green that originated as the color of a pottery glaze from ancient China. This glaze created a light, jade-like color by changing the ferric iron in iron oxide to ferrous iron. Before it got the name it goes by today, the ancient Chinese called it mi se , or “mysterious color.”

“Celadon” is a modifier for a fairly specific color. But if you want to describe a shade of light green that sits roughly between jade green and tea green, it’s a beautiful and original choice of adjective.

98. Emerald

Emerald is an appropriate adjective for a deep, jewel-toned shade of green. As you might have noticed, there’s some variation in the colors people describe as “emerald.” Some use it to mean a bold, almost true green like that of the emerald crystals in the picture. Others use “emerald” to mean a darker, bluish shade closer to forest green.

So which color does “emerald” truly describe? As it turns out, either one is technically correct. There’s a lot of variation in the colors of emeralds — some are so bluish they’re even described as teal.

Tea green is a color based on the color of green tea once it’s been brewed. More specifically, it’s a pale, even pastel yellowish green. If you see a pastel green that looks like mint green’s yellower counterpart, “tea green” might be an appropriate name for it.

You’re almost certainly already familiar with mint green. Like “olive,” “mint” isn’t the most original word you could use to describe a color. But if you use it, almost anyone will know what you mean.

101. Clover

In many parts of the world, clover blankets the ground in spring and summer. “Clover” describes a shade of green that is bright and rich, much like a slightly deeper and darker kelly green.

Pea green is usually a muted, slightly yellowish green. Actual peas tend to be a little bit greener, but most people use “pea green” to describe a color like that of pea soup.

Of all shades of green, sage might just be the trendiest. It’s light yet earthy — a rare combination, but a useful one for interiors. You can use “sage” to describe light green shades that match the herb itself. More often than not, they’re slightly muted with silvery undertones.

104. Celery

Celery isn’t most people’s favorite vegetable, so it might not sound like an especially appealing shade of green. However, this shade has become fairly trendy in recent years, especially in the world of interiors. If you want to sound like you’re up-to-date on current design trends, “celery” is a good descriptor to use for a yellow-leaning light green.

105. Pistachio

If you spot a shade of green that reminds you of a pistachio nut, this is a great adjective to use. Pistachio green is somewhat similar to sage — it’s just a little more yellow.

What color is grass green? The exact shade might vary depending on personal opinion, but “grass” typically describes a light, medium green.

107. Powder

Powder blue is one of the most recognizable shades of blue. Of course, there’s no exact definition, but if you need to describe a pale and slightly grayish blue, “powder” is a recognizable adjective to help you do so.

Like powder blue, royal blue is another well-known shade. It’s deep, but it’s much lighter than navy. It comes close to what many people imagine when they picture a “true” shade of blue.

109. Cerulean

Cerulean is a beautifully intense blue that’s a little darker than deep sky blue. A pigment by the same name was originally made using cobalt. Today, the exact color of cerulean varies depending on who you ask. For instance, Pantone’s version is fairly pale, and Crayola’s is greener than most.

110. Caribbean

Whether you’ve been on a Caribbean vacation or have just seen its beautiful beaches in photographs, you probably have an idea of what someone means if they describe a color as “Caribbean blue.” More often than not, it describes the turquoise-like shade you see in the picture above.

As one of the best-known shades of blue, navy doesn’t really need an introduction. It’s an apt descriptor for several different shades of dark blue.

If you’ve done any work with the CMYK model of subtractive color, you’re probably already familiar with cyan. Even though “cyan” refers to a very specific shade, many people use this word to describe a handful of shades of bright blue-green.

113. Peacock

If you’ve ever seen a male peacock in person, you’re familiar with the magnificent fan of green feathers with their eye-like markings. But you’ve also seen the bird’s bright blue body with magnificently iridescent feathers. This color — a shade similar to royal blue, but a little darker — is best described as “peacock blue.”

114. Cobalt

Cobalt is a remarkable blue shade that’s lighter than royal blue but darker than sky blue. The original color came from a pigment made from the cobalt mineral. If you spot a shade of blue that’s both medium and bright, chances are good that you could accurately describe it as “cobalt.”

Sky blue is easily one of the most famous shades of blue. The color “sky” describes is pretty self-explanatory — just take a look at the sky on a clear day!

Is teal a shade of blue or green? This shade does a great job of straddling the line between the two, although slightly differing shades of teal might technically fall into different categories. Either way, if you describe a color as “teal,” anyone will know that you mean this rich, deep blend of cool colors.

117. Turquoise

Many people errantly mix up turquoise and teal. Both are shades of blue-green, but the similarities end there. Turquoise is bright, vivid, and light, just like the stone it’s named after.

118. Sapphire

Sapphire blue is an intensely colored jewel tone. It’s both bright and saturated, and it really makes a statement. You might already know that sapphires come in many colors. But because blue is far and away the most common, just about anyone will know that if you describe something as being “sapphire” in color, you mean that it’s blue.

What color is ice? You might say it’s clear, and you wouldn’t be wrong. But just like water, ice looks blue if you look through enough of it. Usually, designers depict this color as being a very dilute cyan or cornflower blue.

120. Piercing

There isn’t really a color known as “piercing blue.” Rather, “piercing” is an interesting adjective sometimes used to describe blue. It tends to only be used to describe blue eyes.

The ocean can be a number of different colors depending on where you are in the world. That means that if you use “ocean” to describe a shade of blue, you could mean any number of different colors. But usually, if “ocean” is used to describe blue, it refers to some version of blue green.

122. Ultramarine

Ultramarine blue is a shade that is incredibly saturated and leans toward violet. Like many classic blues, ultramarine originated as a pigment. It was made with finely ground lapis lazuli, and because the process of grinding it was so lengthy and complicated, the pigment was roughly ten times the cost of the stone it came from!

123. Midnight

You might think that any shade of blue described as “midnight” could also be described as “navy.” However, in general, “midnight” refers to a blue that is so dark it could almost be mistaken for black.

124. Watery

Some of the descriptors on our list are meant to describe a specific shade. Others are more general. This one falls into the latter category. Several paint companies have offered their interpretations of “watery blue,” and many of them are pale, muted shades of blue with greenish undertones.

125. Lapis Lazuli

You saw above that ultramarine pigment was originally made from ground lapis lazuli, so you might think you can use these terms interchangeably when describing colors. However, ultramarine is more intense and saturated. If you see an object colored like the lapis lazuli stone shown above, you could describe it as being “lapis lazuli blue.”

Need to describe something that’s approximately the color of the sky? “Azure” might be the adjective you need. It describes a color that sits right between cyan and blue on the color wheel.

This is a pretty self-explanatory one — if you spot something that’s about the color of blue jeans, you could describe it as being denim blue!

Both royal blue and royal purple are relatively well-known colors. If you want to indicate that something is royal purple but would rather use a word that’s not quite as common, try describing it as a shade of “regal purple” instead.

129. Tyrian

Tyrian purple, a reddish-purple dye, was first produced by the Phoenicians by grinding up shellfish. Because clothing colored with this dye was so expensive, Tyrian purple was also known as “royal purple” and “imperial purple.” If you want to use an interesting adjective while showing off your knowledge of history, don’t miss this one.

130. Lavender

Lavender is a color that can be extracted from the lavender plant. Even people with a minimal understanding of color theory are familiar with it — it’s a soft, quiet shade of purple that leans more blue than red.

On a side note, some people mistakenly describe lavender objects as being “lilac” in color. “Lilac” refers to another color inspired by a flower. Lilacs are pinkish to purplish, although the purple ones lean more red than blue.

131. Burgundy

Some people describe burgundy as being more red than purple. However, it looks a lot like a dark purple with more red than average. Usually, if something is about the color of red wine (but with a little extra hint of purple), you can correctly describe it as being burgundy.

132. Aubergine

As a color name or color descriptor, “aubergine” sounds mysterious and sophisticated. However, it’s simply the French word for “eggplant.” Darker shades of aubergine can look almost black, and even light versions are shades of deep, commanding purple.

133. Violet

Some people regard violet as its own color. Others think it’s more accurately categorized as a shade of purple. Either way, if you spot something that’s a deep, blue-leaning purple, you could describe it as “violet.”

Plum is a popular purple shade that often pops up in winter color palettes. Actual plums are often very dark, but the color generally called “plum” tends to be more of a reddish purple with a hint of brown.

135. Electric

Purple is a cool color, so you might not think of it as being particularly bright or energetic. But “electric purple” describes an ultra-bright, near-neon shade. It’s a fun adjective to add to your color vocabulary!

136. Mulberry

Mulberries are sweet blackberry lookalikes. But if you try to look up which colors could be correctly described as being “mulberry,” you’ll see that there’s not really a consensus. You could correctly use the word to describe the deep, red-tinged black of the outside. But you also could use it for the deep, rich purple-red cast of mulberry juice or jam.

137. Imperial

As you saw above, imperial purple is yet another option you have for describing royal purple or Tyrian purple.

138. Orchid

Orchids come in all sorts of colors, so it might seem odd that one of these is called “orchid purple.” This color usually denotes a pretty shade of light purple that almost looks pink — a fairly common color among orchids.

139. Amaranthine

If you describe a color as “amaranthine,” you mean that it’s colored like an amaranth. These distinctive plants come in different colors, many of which are some version of red, purple, or reddish-purple. The unusual color of the amaranths in the picture above is hard to describe, so it’s a good thing you have an adjective like amaranthine to capture it!

140. Heliotrope

Heliotrope flowers can bring clusters of rich purple and sweet aromas to your garden. But their typical color is something truly unique: it’s a bold and red-leaning purple, but it’s not quite the same as royal purple.

141. Amethyst

Aside from being a beautiful-sounding word in its own right, amethyst describes a particular, delicate purple. You occasionally see clouds of this color around sunsets, so you might refer to a sky like this as having an amethyst-edged sunset.

“Perse” is an uncommon word indicating a deep shade of either blue-gray or purple. Because of the dual meanings, this might be a confusing descriptor to use with no context. However, if your audience already knows that the object in question is some shade of purple, describing it as “perse” can indicate the fact that the color is incredibly deep.

143. Periwinkle

This whimsically-named color gets its name from a flowering plant called the lesser periwinkle. Depending on the exact makeup of the color you’re looking at, you might describe it as “periwinkle blue” or “periwinkle purple.” Having periwinkle as a descriptor is pretty helpful — without it, you might need to explain exactly how much blue and purple make up the color you’re referencing.

144. Bubblegum

This one is probably one of the first words many people would think of if asked to come up with a shade of pink. After all, gum comes in all kinds of flavors, but pink is the original (and the most recognizable). Even if you describe something as “bubblegum-colored” (without the pink), most people will still understand exactly what you mean.

The word “rose” is frequently used to describe shades of red. But often, if a shade is described as “rosy,” it’s some kind of pink. This is a great word to use if you want to make the color in question seem quiet or delicate.

If you’ve ever looked at the smooth pink shade inside a conch shell, you know exactly the color that “shell pink” describes. If you need to describe a shade of pink that seems to just be barely there, “shell” might be just the word.

147. Watermelon

Watermelons have a good bit of variation between them when it comes to color. Some perfectly ripe ones might be red, but many are a clear shade of energetic pink. If you’re trying to describe a shade of pink in a way that sounds appetizing, invigorating, and refreshing, try using “watermelon” as an adjective.

Everyone’s familiar with hot pink! This mainstay of 1980s fashion is an intense, neon-like pink that’s perfect for crafting designs that command attention.

149. Floral

“Floral” isn’t a word that necessarily describes a specific pink. Instead, you could use it to describe any shade of pink — whether it’s an ultra-pale pastel, a deep, vibrant shade, or something in the middle —  that reminds you of a flower.

A lot of people use “soft” to describe light colors that aren’t quite pastels. A shade of “soft” pink will have a soothing, gentle vibe.

151. Cerise

If you’re looking for an uncommon word to describe a certain pink shade, this might be it! Cerise is French for “cherry,” and it denotes a deep, almost-red pink.

152. Roseate

“Roseate” is a word used to indicate something is rose-colored. It’s a word you often see in the names of birds, like the roseate spoonbill shown above.

153. Salmon

Salmon pink sometimes looks more orange than pink — kind of like some shades of coral. If you’ve ever prepared a fresh salmon filet, you know what it looks like!

Pink (or any color) that appears “dusty” has a slightly grayish or brownish tint. The most famous shade of dusty pink is probably dusty rose, a demure shade that was ubiquitous in the 1990s.

Some people describe candy pink as being a shade close to that of a medium magenta. Other people imagine it as being closer to the color of newly spun cotton candy. Either way, it’s a fitting adjective to use!

Pale shades of reddish pink mimic the look of flushed or blushing cheeks. As a result, they’re often known as shades of blush pink.

157. Carnation

“Carnation pink” usually refers to a shade that is light yet energetic. It’s often fairly similar to shades of rose pink.

You might already know that coral comes in a huge range of colors. But in the world of color, “coral” almost always refers to a vivid shade of pinkish orange. It’s similar to peach, but it has more red than orange (and it’s usually more saturated).

159. Fuchsia

This odd-sounding word describes an especially vivid, bright purplish pink. The name comes from the name of the fuchsia plant, whose flowers are the same color.

160. Magenta

Magenta is a shade of purplish pink. If you’re familiar with additive (RGB) and/or subtractive (CMYK) color models, you might recognize this intense color. In both models, Magenta is shown as being exactly between red and blue.

161. Flamingo

Flamingos vary somewhat in their coloration, so there’s no singular shade of flamingo pink. The birds’ pink color comes from all the beta-carotene in their diet!

“Shiny” might not be the most imaginative word, but it certainly describes most metallic shades!

163. Glossy

Like “shiny,” “glossy” is commonly used to describe metallics — especially highly polished ones.

You already know gold as a precious metal. But practically speaking, “gold” is used to describe anything with a finish that mimics the look of real gold.

165. Antiqued

Old, worn metal has a certain elegance to it. But for those who want that well-worn look right out of the box, many manufacturers of home furnishings offer curtain rods, lamps, and other metal furnishings in “antiqued” finishes. Essentially, these finishes are made to look deliberately tarnished or old.

166. Shimmering

This adjective even sounds beautiful! If you’re describing a metallic color that’s shiny in a delicate way, “shimmering” is a great word to pick.

167. Silvery

You can use this word to describe cooler metallic shades, but it’s also a great choice for describing colors that are almost metallic, but not quite. For instance, you sometimes see shades of cool, gray-tinged white described as “silvery.”

168. Pewter

To the untrained eye, pewter might look a lot like silver. The colors are similar, but pewter (a metal alloy consisting mostly of tin, antimony, and copper) tends to have bluer undertones. It’s also not quite as shiny as silver.

169. Rose Gold

If you describe a color as “rose gold,” just about anyone will know what you mean. Rose gold (the metal) is a pretty alloy of copper and gold, and it has quite a distinctive glow. In the right context, “rose gold” could be used to describe non-metallics of a similar color. For example, pinkish clouds at sunset sometimes have a color similar to rose gold.

170. Chrome

Need a word to describe a metallic that looks like an even brighter version of silver? “Chrome” is perfect. The word itself is short for “chromium.” When chromium is used to plate metal, it creates a silver-like finish that reflects light almost like a mirror.

171. Oil-Rubbed

If you’re familiar with the various types of finishes used on metal hardware, you’ve likely come across a unique color called oil-rubbed bronze. This finish is usually created by oxidizing brass, but the end result makes it look like older metal that has gotten a patina over the years. If you need a word to describe a dark metallic that gives off vintage vibes, this might be it!

The main thing setting metallic shades apart from other colors is their luster. That said, some metallics are shinier than others. If you’re describing a metallic finish whose luster is more of a soft glow, “satin” might be an appropriate adjective.

173. Nickel

Nickel is a metal that looks a bit like silver. However, it has a slight tinge of gold, so it leans a little warmer. Just like with the terms “gold” and “silver,” you can describe an object colored this way as “nickel,” even if it isn’t actually made of the metal itself.

174. Brushed

Metals of any color can have a brushed finish. This type of finish adds a distinctive texture while slightly muting the shine.

175. Glimmering

This is an adjective that sounds a lot like “shimmering.” It has a similar meaning, too. A glimmering metal is shiny, but the light it reflects is somewhat weak and inconsistent.

176. Copper

Many metals — like silver, pewter, chrome, nickel, etc. — are very similar in color. But copper has a unique, reddish-orange-gold glow all its own. Ever wondered why copper has the striking color that it does? The metal primarily absorbs blue and green wavelengths of light, so it mostly reflects orange (complementary color of blue) and red (complementary color of green) light.

177. Almond

Especially in the world of interior design, beige never really seems to go out of style. However, in order to differentiate the never-ending shades, paint manufacturers and others who work with color have come up with interesting and inventive names. “Almond” describes a soft, yellow-leaning beige that’s roughly the color of the inside of an almond.

“Hazel” is a pretty-sounding modifier, but it can lead to some confusion. In the world of design, it usually means a shade of medium brown with reddish undertones. But if you’re using it to describe the color of someone’s eyes, it usually means a distinctive mixture of green, brown, and gold.

179. Earthy

Shades of earthy brown are the kinds of colors that make you think of soil. But soil can look dramatically different depending on where you are in the world, so “earthy” can describe several different colors. Usually, earthy browns are medium to dark shades of grayish, chocolate-like shades.

Like soil, sand comes in a range of different colors, from black to tan to pinkish white. However, if a shade of beige is characterized as “sandy,” it’s usually a light, tawny color, much like your average beach sand or play sand.

Neutrals described as being “clay” or “clay-like” in color are typically a rusty, reddish brown, like the color of red clay soil.

182. Mahogany

“Mahogany” as a color descriptor comes from the hardwood of the same name. Mahogany wood is commonly used to make furniture and musical instruments, so many people are familiar with it. Usually, it’s a deep shade of reddish brown.

183. Chocolate

This beloved confection comes in a range of brown shades. But practically speaking, most people seem to use the adjective “chocolate” to describe a color that sits somewhere in between that of milk chocolate and dark chocolate.

184. Desert

This apt descriptor is based on the color of most desert landscapes. It usually denotes a light shade of red-leaning brown or tan.

This unusual-sounding word means “unbleached” in French, and it was traditionally used to describe the color of unbleached linen. However, at least in English, it has come to describe a distinctive grayish yellow with undertones of brown (and sometimes even green).

186. Russet

Technically speaking, russet is the color you get when you mix exactly equal amounts of orange and purple. It’s a rich, reddish brown similar to mahogany.

Many people’s first exposure to the word is at the grocery store, where they run into russet potatoes. The skin of these potatoes might be somewhat reddish brown, but it’s a lot more muted than what most designers think of as russet.

187. Chestnut

This shade of brown is named after the nut of the chestnut tree. It’s medium and reddish, although it usually includes a good bit more red than mahogany does. You might sometimes hear chestnut referred to as “castaneous.” That’s because chestnut trees are from the genus Castanea .

188. Caramel

If you’ve ever enjoyed the sweet, buttery candy that goes by the same name, you know what color “caramel” describes. In the world of interior design, this color has become somewhat popular to describe light-colored leather furniture.

“Camel” is a word often used to describe light, sandy brownish shades. If you have an interest in fashion, you’ve almost certainly run into this color before. “Camel coats” are soft, warm coats traditionally made from the hair of the Bactrian camel, although they also may be made out of dyed sheep’s wool and other materials, too.

Tawny colors are shades of light brown that lean either yellow or orange. These colors might also be described as “sandy” or “buff.”

Taupe is a color that sits between brown and gray. Shades described this way often have a refined, dignified look. The word “taupe” itself comes from the French word for “mole.”

Buff colors are shades of light yellowish brown. The hen above — a Buff Orpington — illustrates the color beautifully! The word “buff” was first used centuries ago to describe tanned ox leather because the Latin term for ox is bufalus .

As you’ve seen so far, many of the words on our list can be used to describe very similar colors. Fawn is pretty similar to buff, and it usually refers to a pale, yellowish tan. It’s often used in breed standards to describe a dog’s coat color.

If you’re a painter, you’ve probably run across umber. This common paint color originally came from one of the oldest known pigments in the world.

Umber (the pigment) is a mixture of manganese oxide and iron oxide. Its color can vary significantly, so “umber” can be used to describe neutrals ranging from very dark browns to lighter, more yellow-leaning browns.

195. Coffee

Depending on how you take your coffee, this massively popular beverage can appear to be many different colors. However, most of the time, colors described as “coffee” are closer to the dark shade of a roasted coffee bean than they are to the lighter color of brewed coffee with cream.

As adjectives go, “tan” might sound kind of dull and unimaginative. But like some of the other straightforward words on the list, it’s an effective way to make sure the person you’re talking to knows what color you’re talking about!

Have you ever stopped to wonder where the word itself came from? “Tanning” is the process of turning hide into leather, so “tan” came to describe the light color of new leather. The name of the process comes from the fact that chemical compounds called “tannins” were traditionally used.

If you’ve ever bought a pair of khaki pants, you know that “khaki” can be used to describe a surprising range of neutral shades. It usually refers to a pale shade of tan with yellow undertones. However, some shades described as “khaki” also have olive-like undertones.

198. Oatmeal

Most people have a good idea of what oatmeal looks like. But how do you break down this delicious shade? While “oatmeal” can describe several similar colors, it’s usually used to mean a light shade of beige with faintly gray undertones.

Sepia ink — whether it’s used for writing, photographs, or illustrations — has a certain unmistakable beauty. The ink came to be called “sepia” because it traditionally came from the ink of cuttlefish in the Sepia genus. Although sepia ink isn’t used too often now, the word “sepia” is still used to describe shades of rich, red-tinged brown.

200. Sienna

Like umber, sienna is a natural earth pigment whose name has been widely used as a color name. However, if you want to describe something as being “sienna” in color, you should clarify whether it looks like raw sienna (a yellowish-brown shade) or burnt sienna (a darker, reddish-brown shade).

A mocha is a drink made with chocolate, milk, and espresso. So as you might have guessed, something that’s the color of coffee with milk could be correctly described as “mocha” in color.

If you’re familiar with horses, you know that bay is one of the most common coat colors across multiple breeds. Bay horses have brown bodies and black manes, tails, and lower legs.

On a bay horse, the exact color of brown can vary. But in the design world, “bay brown” usually refers to a rich red-brown similar to the color of the bay horse in the picture.

203. Auburn

“Auburn” refers to a deep shade of reddish brown. It’s usually used to describe a human hair color that sits between red and brunette.

You might be familiar with the henna dye used for body art. The dye comes from the henna tree ( Lawsonia inermis ), and when it’s first applied, it’s bright orange. But when you see a color described as “henna,” it’s typically the darker, reddish-brown shade that the dye turns as it oxidizes.

The word “sable” can be used to describe several different brown shades, but all of them are browns tinged with gray or black. That’s because in dogs and some other animals, “sable” describes a coat color where each hair is fawn or brown at the root and black at the tip. The Belgian Malinois above is a great example of a sable-colored dog.

206. Bistre

If you’re looking for an uncommon word to describe a shade of dark brown, try “bistre.” Traditionally, bistre was a pigment that was made from the soot of burned beechwood trees, so you might expect it to be black. However, it’s actually more of a grayish brown with a slight touch of yellow — kind of like sepia.

207. Champagne

Want to describe a glamorous shade of beige? Designers and manufacturers alike often use “champagne” to describe very pale beige shades with a little touch of yellow. In interior design, it’s a common name for pale beige fabrics with a satiny finish.

Pearls come in all kinds of colors, but “pearl white” usually describes a warmish off-white. It’s an especially apt descriptor for whites with a satiny, almost metallic sheen similar to that of an actual pearl.

209. Alabaster

If you’re looking for an ornate-sounding adjective to describe a shade of warmish white, “alabaster” is perfect. Traditionally, alabaster is a stone used for carvings or for powdering into plaster. In the design and paint industries, it usually describes a shade of off-white with yellowish undertones (but much fainter than the undertones found in cream and similar shades).

210. Creamy

Cream or creamy shades of white are warm whites with pronounced yellow undertones. “Creamy” can describe a range of shades from pale warm whites to colors reminiscent of butter.

Lots of people mix up cream and ivory, but these are two very different shades. Both are off-white, but ivory tends to be closer to white (meaning there’s less yellow added). You can also make ivory by adding a little bit of peach or light brown to white.

There isn’t really a specific white shade called “ghost,” but this is an interesting and inventive word you can use to describe the color. Stark or cool-leaning whites (or those with a little touch of blue or gray) are fitting choices.

213. Eggshell

Just about every company offering interior colors makes some kind of eggshell white — a classic choice for anyone who wants white walls but doesn’t want them to be too stark. Eggshell white is usually a slightly warmish white, although it often has undertones of both yellow and green.

As a side note, at least in the paint world, “eggshell” doesn’t only describe a color — it also denotes a specific type of paint (in any color) that has a very slight shine, much like the shell of an actual egg.

If you’ve experienced the striking look of the sun glinting off a snowy landscape, you know the invigorating feeling of being surrounded by vibrant, icy white. Fittingly, you can describe many different shades of cool white as being “snow white” or “snowy white.”

Plain table salt usually looks bright white. But if you’ve ever looked closely at sea salt, you might have noticed a very faint grayish cast. Fittingly, “salt white” is an interesting way to describe any white shade with a little bit of a gray undertone.

There’s a vast category of off-white shades that many people just characterize as “warm.” But if you want to get a little more specific with your descriptions, “linen” is a great word to have in your vocabulary. It usually describes a warmish white shade with undertones of both brown and yellow.

217. Porcelain

Porcelain is a ceramic material made from heated kaolin (a type of clay) and sometimes bone ash. Depending on the individual materials used to make it, it can lean slightly cool or slightly warm. Oddly enough, porcelain (the material) is slightly translucent, so porcelain (the adjective) is an especially evocative way to describe delicate shades of white.

218. Parchment

Parchment is an especially popular shade of off-white. It typically mimics the look of aged parchment paper, so different shades may have yellow, yellow-green, sepia, or umber undertones.

This is a fairly classic adjective used to describe a shade of off-white. Because bones tend to yellow slightly as they age, “bone white” is normally a white shade with yellowish undertones. However, it typically has touches of green and/or gray.

You might think that frost white would be the same color as snow white. However, at least in most contexts, frost white has slightly chilly gray undertones.

As you can see in the image above, white chalk is a cool, brilliantly clean white. If you’re mixing this shade yourself, you can do so by adding a small amount of slate blue. And if you’re just looking for an interesting way to describe a refreshing, cool white, you can accurately use the word “chalk.”

222. Flaxen

Depending on who you ask, flaxen might be a yellowish white, a grayish white, or even a very pale grayish yellow. It’s about the color of white-blonde hair — a slightly warmer version of platinum.

223. Vanilla

This appetizing adjective is perfect for describing anything with the slightly yellowish white of vanilla ice cream!

Nearly everyone is familiar with the cheerful daisy, a flower whose vivid yellow center and white petals can brighten anyone’s day. You might describe a similarly bright white as “daisy white.” But confusingly enough, many paint companies offer colors called “daisy white” that lean a whole lot warmer than the petals of actual daisies.

Like milk itself, milk as a color is a pale, cool-leaning shade. “Milk” is also a great descriptor to use for white shades that are translucent or close to it.

226. Starlight

Starlight white is about the color of the silvery glow of stars in the night sky. “Starlight” isn’t a cliched (or even common) way to describe a color, so it’s a great word to choose if you need an unusual adjective.

227. Charcoal

“Charcoal” might be the most common word used to describe shades of gray. You’ll find it used in fashion design, interior design, and more.

Think of the last time you saw mist floating over a forest or field. The mist itself probably looked whitish, but when you take a look at the overall cast of a misty sky, you see a faint, barely-there gray — a color you could accurately describe as misty gray.

At first, it might seem like iron and charcoal are the same color. However, if a shade of dark gray has greenish undertones instead of bluish ones, it would be more aptly described as “iron.”

230. Shadowy

You could probably use “shadowy” as an adjective for almost any gray shade. It’s a great word to use if you need a descriptor that’s both vague and evocative.

Like shadowy, “smoky” can be used to describe a wide range of gray shades. However, many people characterize smoky gray as a shade with blue and/or violet undertones.

232. Dolphin

Dolphin gray is one of the quieter marine-inspired colors out there. You could describe many cool-leaning shades of gray as “dolphin gray.”

“Slate” usually describes the deep, bluish-gray shade of natural slate. However, you sometimes see it used as “slate blue” to describe a similar shade with much more blue.

Shades of “wolf gray” are typically deep, blue-green-leaning, brown-tinged grays. However, wolves themselves have so much color variation that you could describe any color that reminds you of a wolf’s coat as “wolf gray.”

235. Gunmetal

Despite the fact that a huge portion of guns are black in color, “gunmetal” is a fairly popular word to describe shades of charcoal-like gray, whether they have a metallic sheen or not.

236. Graphite

As you likely already know, “graphite” is a gray shade that’s the color of a pencil tip. It’s a dark shade with clear blue undertones.

“Stone” is a word that can be used to describe all manner of gray shades. However, it seems to be used most commonly to describe shades of light, medium gray. After all, stones can be found in an endless array of colors!

238. Battleship

This shade of gray is modeled after the color of military ships. “Battleship” is usually used to describe deep, blue-leaning shades of medium gray.

239. Glaucous

This odd word can be used to describe shades of blue-gray. You might recognize it from the names of certain birds like the glaucous gull and glaucous tanager. Botanists also use “glaucous” to describe plants that have a dust-like, bluish-gray coating on the leaves.

240. Marengo

If you’re a history buff, you might recognize this color as the name of Napoleon’s horse. However, the emperor’s small warhorse was named after the Battle of Marengo, not the color. The color denotes a very dark, bluish-blackish gray like the color of wet asphalt.

You could probably use “cloud” to describe several shades of both white and gray. But usually, when someone says “cloud gray” or “cloudy gray,” they mean a pale, mist-like shade, often with periwinkle-like undertones.

242. Cinereous

You don’t hear “cinereous” used to describe color too often! Since it sounds so similar to “cinders,” you might already have guessed that “cinereous” describes a color that’s somehow related to fire. It denotes a shade of gray like that of ashes — medium in intensity and with prominent undertones of coppery brown.

“Ash” can of course also be used to describe the color of ashes. However, “ash gray” often doesn’t include the brown undertones you see in cinereous.

244. Mineral

“Mineral” can sometimes be used to describe shades of gray, but there doesn’t seem to be a consensus on what “mineral gray” actually looks like. For instance, many paint companies offer “mineral gray” colors that are close to slate blue. Ford has an automobile finish called “Mineral Gray” that’s lighter and has dusty brown undertones.

245. Eigengrau

This distinctive color name means “intrinsic gray” in German. The name is fitting enough — eigengrau is the name for the color most people see when they close their eyes in total darkness. It might look like a shade of black at first, but it’s really a shade of very dark gray.

Ask a group of people to tell you the color of outer space, and most of them will probably say it’s black. However, “space gray” can describe a shade of very dark gray with decided blue undertones. It’s a name popularly used by Apple to describe the color of some of its products.

Cadet gray is a color name that gives a nod to military uniforms. You could correctly describe anything with a light, bluish-gray color as being cadet gray.

248. Carbon

Manufacturers of a wide variety of different items (including Porsche cars!) offer a color called carbon gray.  Usually, shades of gray described as “carbon” are dark and somewhat bluish, much like slate.

Earlier, we mentioned that “cloud gray” usually indicates a light, misty type of gray. But if you want to describe something that’s more the color of storm clouds, “storm gray” works beautifully.

As you’ve seen, plenty of gray shades are named after metals. Steel gray is a color that sits between silver and gunmetal.

251. Gainsboro

If you want to describe a shade of gray in a way that shows off your knowledge of color history, try describing a light, balanced shade of gray as “Gainsboro.” This gray shade was added to the X11 list of colors in 1989. Paul Raveling, who added Gainsboro to the list, said it was based on a Sinclair Paints color with the same name.

Like a pool of ink, inky black is an incredibly dark shade. Like most types of ink, it also has undertones that are reddish and/or purplish.

Faded black has the look of black paint that has lost its intensity. For instance, a black outdoor fence that hasn’t been repainted for decades would likely be faded black in color.

Typically, coal black is an incredibly dark shade. “Coal” is a great alternative to “jet” if you want to describe a very, very dark color.

“Jet” is a familiar adjective that many people use to describe extremely dark shades of black. You might think the name comes from some kind of airplane, but it actually comes from a deep black gemstone called jet.

256. Obsidian

Obsidian is an ultra-dark volcanic glass. So naturally, “obsidian” is a somewhat common adjective to describe intense black. It tends to have bluish undertones that make it a cooler black than most.

Sooty shades of black are the dark color of soot, and they typically have cool, bluish undertones. That might sound similar to obsidian, and it is. However, “obsidian” is more appropriate for describing sleeker, glossier shades of black. Soot’s matte finish (and general dustiness) makes it a better choice for describing black shades that aren’t glossy.

Like “jet,” “pitch” is often used to describe ultra-dark blacks. The word comes from the pasty black coal tar residue that’s often used by roofers.

This is yet another word great for describing super-dark shades of black. Its name comes from the ebony tree, a South Asian tree with extremely dark wood.

Describing any black shade as “raven” instantly gives it an air of mystery. Like the often-sunbleached feathers of the bird it’s named for, raven black tends to have a faded cast that might sometimes make it look like a very, very dark gray.

Onyx is a beautiful, banded stone that’s typically a variety of chalcedony. Most of the time, it’s a deep black with greenish undertones, and it features lines or bands of pure, cool white. If you’re describing a shade of black that seems unusually deep, “onyx” might be the right word to help you do so.

262. Licorice

Black licorice might not be everyone’s favorite candy. But like it or not, you’ve got to admit it has strikingly rich coloration! “Licorice black” would make a great name for a dark shade of black with purple undertones.

263. Vantablack

Vantablack isn’t so much a color as it is a specialized coating. Developed by a company called Surrey Nanosystems, Vantablack is made of tiny carbon tubes that absorb almost all light. This color is so non-reflective that if you coat a piece of wrinkled aluminum foil with it, the foil will look like it’s a completely flat sheet of black!

264. Raisin

“Raisin black” is a shade of black that, much like raisins themselves, has reddish undertones. It’s close to being a shade of very dark reddish brown.

The Right Adjectives Open Up a Whole New World of Color

Whether you’re a creative writer, a product designer, or just someone who wants to be able to better describe color, using the right words can make all the difference. Why just describe a sweater as “green” when you can more accurately call it “verdant” or “emerald”?

Always remember that you don’t have to stick to conventional adjectives. Some of the best descriptions of color are completely original!

Now you know the right words to describe colors. If you’re creating a design and need to find the right colors, here’s a list of 550 color names and hex codes .

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BRYN DONOVAN

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Master List of Physical Description for Writers

I created this list of ways to describe people

because physical description, when done well, helps the readers see characters in their minds. But sometimes when you’re in the middle of writing, it can be hard to think of physical adjectives and distinguishing features for characters. I find that describing facial features can be especially tricky!

This long list of physical characteristics is kind of like a character description generator, and it’ll help you when you’re trying to think of how to describe a character’s appearance.

Eyes – General

 For all the words about describing facial features, I’m focusing more on physical descriptions rather than emotional expressions, though there’s a little crossover! You can also check out my long list of facial expressions.

heavy-lidded

fringed with long lashes

with sweeping eyelashes

with thick eyelashes

By the way, this post on how to describe (and not describe) the eyes of an Asian character  is really great. Check it out.

Eyes – Color

Brown is the most common eye color by far. Green is quite rare.

chocolate brown

cocoa brown

coffee brown

sienna brown

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cornflower blue

Arctic blue

glacial blue

crystal blue

electric blue

slate blue / slate gray

storm blue / storm gray

silver / silver gray

concrete gray

gunmetal gray

Skin – Color

Josh Roby made a great chart of skin tones and descriptor words, and I got a lot of these words from him. You can get that here .

The quote from N.K. Jemisin interested me: “I get really tired of seeing African-descended characters described in terms of the goods that drove, and still drive, the slave trade—coffee, chocolate, brown sugar. There’s some weird psychosocial baggage attached to that.” 

cream / creamy

rose / rosy

Skin – General

Some of these are better for the face, and some are better for other parts of the body.

translucent

luminescent

with large pores

weather-beaten

Face – Structure

heart-shaped

high forehead

broad forehead

prominent brow ridge

protruding brow bone

sharp cheekbones

high cheekbones

angular cheekbones

hollow cheeks

jutting chin

pointed chin

receding chin

double chin

dimple in chin

visible Adam’s apple

People don’t write much about noses, but they can be distinguishing features for characters!

Cupid’s bow

straight teeth

gap between teeth

gleaming white teeth

Facial Hair (or lack thereof)

clean-shaven

smooth-shaven

mutton-chop sideburns

a few days’ growth of beard

five o’ clock shadow

Hair – General

I threw a few hairstyles in here, though not many.

shoulder-length

neatly combed

slicked down / slicked back

buzzed / buzz cut

widow’s peak

Hair – Color

There are some repeats here from the eye color section!

salt and pepper

charcoal gray

brown sugar

tawny brown

toffee brown

Titian-haired

strawberry blonde

butterscotch

sandy blond

fair-haired

Body Type – General

average height

barrel-chested

heavy / heavy-set

pot-bellied

full-figured

leggy / long-legged

broad-shouldered

sloping shoulders

stubby fingers

long fingers

ragged nails

grimy fingernails

ink-stained

This list and many more are in my book Master Lists for Writers: Thesauruses, Plot Ideas, Character Traits, Names, and More . Check it out if you’re interested!

And if you don’t want to miss future writing posts, follow the blog, if you aren’t already — there’s a place to sign up on the lefthand side of the blog. Thanks for stopping by, and happy writing!

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127 thoughts on “ master list of physical description for writers ”.

Thanks, Bryn! This list has sparked a spark in my brain. I haven’t seen one of those for a while. I was getting worried I’d lost my flint!

I’m so glad you like it!

I love this, do you mind if we share on our blog WritersLife.org ?

Thanks for the positive feedback! You can’t reproduce it on your blog, but you can share an excerpt of 200 words or less plus a link to my site.

As a new novel writer all I can say is thank very much for sharing with us this wonderful list.

Ah you’re welcome! Thanks for visiting!

This is amazing! Thank you very much!

Thanks for the kind words–glad it seems helpful!

Reblogged this on looselyjournalying.

Reblogged this on Of Fancy & Creativity .

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Aw thank you for this it helped so much! I’m 15 and I’m trying to write a novel and this was sooooo helpful so thank you a billion 🙂 Best wishes.

Ah you’re welcome! Thanks for stopping by. Good for you for working on a novel, and good luck–I bet it will go great!

Hi, Bryn Thank you for doing these lists. They helped me a lot. Can you make a list on how to describe emotions like sadness or anger.

It’s funny you should ask 🙂 There’s a list like that in my book MASTER LISTS FOR WRITERS coming out this fall! I haven’t officially announced it yet, but hey 🙂

You can get a free copy when it comes out if you agree to give it an honest review. SIgn up for my newsletter if you’re interested!

Reblogged this on Kalynn Bayron and commented: Yes! This is great!

Was just looking for this type of lists.Great work.

This is so helpful.

I love your blog, btw. Your posts are informative and/or inspirational.

Are you on any social medial where I can follow you?

Oh, thank you so much! I just checked out your blog — I love the dream casting post! http://sbhadleywilson.com/blog/pull-ideal-cast-2/

I’m @BrynDonovan on Twitter, just followed you!

VERY helpful. I need to get basic descriptions of people done and out of the way to move on with plot. This quickens any details that might have taken me a long time to think through, or strain a sentence. Yuck. I know my females characters would pay attention to lots of physical details. not so with the males. Thanks!

Oh, so glad it’s helpful! That’s always what I’m trying to do with my lists — speed things up. I hate getting stuck on a detail and losing my momentum 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!

godsent list! Bryn, I wish you more brains.

Reblogged this on Jessica Louis and commented: This list is beyond helpful. Who knew there were so many eye colors!?

Thanks Bryn your list was amazing. I’m an aspiring writer and it really helped me a lot. When I can I’m going to get a copy of your book. I think it would help me become a better writer. My genre of choice is erotic, but it is so hard to get out there, but I’m hopeful one day I will. It’s what I love to do and I’m going to keep trying.

Hi Beth! Thank you so much for the kind words. If you do get the book, I hope you like it! And good luck on writing erotica — I’m doing a “WIP Wednesday” this Wednesday where you can share a bit of your work in progress, if you like 🙂

That would be great. I have some short stories publish on a site called Literotica. I have some editing issues that I’m trying to work out, nothing a few classes wouldn’t help. How do I share my work.

I am so sorry! I missed this comment before. The next WIP Wednesday on the blog is Dec. 2… if you’re following the blog you’ll see the post! (The follow button is on the righthand side of this page.) Hope your writing’s going well 🙂

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Reblogged this on PRINCE CHARMING ISN'T HERE and commented: what an amazing list! I always have a hard time describing features! words sometimes fail me!

i loved this list! thank you so much for making it! 🙂

So glad it was helpful!

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Thank you! This is so helpful to have for reference. Occasionally I’ll have a particular word in mind and can’t think of it, and I can usually pop over here and find it right away!

I absolutely love your master lists. They have helped me so much in diversifying the words I use when I’m writing. 🙂

Ohhh thank you! That is so great to hear. 🙂 Hope your writing projects are going great!

Thank you, and they are. I’m just about to publish a works I’ve been working on for the past couple of months, which is so exciting. XD Hope all your writing projects are going great as well. 🙂

What a wonderful and thorough list Bryn. Thanks for sharing it! I will at some point ‘link back’ to this fabulous article (I’ll let you know when I do.) I’m new to your site, but will certainly be back for more! I’m fascinated to learn that you’re also a home-grown KC girl. =0) Although, I remarried and moved to California 9 years ago, KC still tugs my heart-strings.

Hey, so glad you like it! Yeah, Kansas City is a special place. Come visit anytime 🙂 And thanks for visiting my blog! — I LOVE your username, by the way. Made me smile.

thanks for following my blog!

Reblogged this on A Bundle of Cute.

Reblogged this on A Blissful Garden and commented: I find this very important!

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Reblogged this on Insideamoronsbrain and commented: Wow!!

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Thanks for sharing this list! It is amazing and so helpful !

I’m going to save this as a favorite. You always provide great information Bryn. Continue with your success.

Oh, thank you so much, Christopher! I really appreciate the kind words. So glad you like this!

This list is so complete! I haven’t worked on fiction in a long while, but lately I’ve been wanting to get back into it. I know this is going to be a great help when i sit down to create my characters!

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This is absolutely perfect for aspiring writers so that we don’t have to use Microsoft Word synonyms that tend to nit have what we’re searching for. Your introductory paragraph about readers falling in love with characters’ personalities and not theit physical attributes was spot on. Thank you thank you, thank you!

Chunny! Thank you so very much for the kind words. I’m so glad you found it helpful!!

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This is amazing! Thank you! I hope it’s alright if I use this as a reference in a blog post for character development.

Hi Jacquelyn! So glad you like it. That’s fine, just please link to the post!

I read this over and over, thank you for creating this! Can I just ask, when thinking of clothing and how to describe it, what are some things you would put? (I’m making a book draft and have never needed clothing described to me as much as now)

Thank you! It’s so important that we don’t reuse the same words too often, so this will help a lot with that problem.

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Thanks for helping me. It really made a big difference of helping me come up with something.

Hi Joseph! Sorry for the delayed reply! I’m so glad you liked it. Thanks for the kind words!

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Your book “Master Lists for Writers” has helped me incredibly. I’ve always wanted to be a romance writer but didn’t have the nerve until now. I am currently working on a short story about a college girl who is assaulted by a classmate. It was based on a dream I had a few nights ago. I haven’t developed how she gets her revenge on him. I know the story line seems dark but the dream stuck with me so much, I felt the urge to turn it into a story. Thank you again for your awesome book. What a great resource

Rhonda! Thank you so much for the kind words. I am so happy that the book is helpful, and even gladder that you’re going for it and writing! Sending you best wishes on your story!

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Great advice in this post, Bryn! Thank you.

Used this for school! It was really helpful!

Oh yay! So glad it was helpful!

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This is a great list! So comprehensive, and just what I was looking for. I struggle with physical descriptions of people and have a tendency to write the same kins of attributes. So this list is fab!

This is great!

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keep up the good work

Hey thanks 🙂

This is so helpful!!!!!

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Tiptoeing out there to publish my first book (I’ve been writing a long time). This post helped so much. Thanks!

oh my gosh, thank you! You have put a lot of effort in this list. I def appreciate it 🙂

Thank you I´m always using this when I´m creating new characters.

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Incredibly helpful! Thanks a lot :3

Thank you for sharing this!

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More extensive than my general list. My wizened goatee and elder Fu Manchu thank you for sharing your time and devotion to the craft.

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Very useful for ready reference. Thank you very much.

Thanks, Mohan! So glad you liked it!

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I’ve been writing for a while, mostly for fun, but this was the one thing I could never get down, but this list is great! all around solid, and incredibly useful, I see myself using it every time I need to make a new character, good job!

You’re a legend! This is fantastic, thank you!

Hahaha, thanks for the kind words! 🙂 Glad it’s helpful!

I am following your prompts and valuable advice for writing a fantasy teen fiction novel. I think you are amazing. You might not know it but I was able to clear hundreds of my doubts through your help. Please keep up the good work and providing your valuable support to all of us upcoming writers.

Hey, thank you so much for the kind words—you made my day! It’s wonderful to hear that you’re working on YA fantasy. I’m so glad I could help, and I wish you every success!

I honestly would not recommend this as good writing advice. The focus is too much on describing someone’s physical features using analogies for food. That is not a good thing, it becomes trite and overdone. If used sparsely it’s okay but almost every word in this list is food related.

Hi, Larissa! Thanks for taking your valuable time to share your opinion.

You have done a great job preparing this Master List. Those who think such precise words for describing someone hurt their sensibilities, move on to another URL. I appreciate every bit of your effort.

Hi, Pradeep! I am so glad you like the list. Thanks so much for commenting!

Bryn, I love your master list book and use it all the time!

Ohh, thank you so much! I’m so glad it’s helpful!

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This is a godsend. I owe you my soul.

I work 20 hours per day, (regular business and writing the memoir). Just ordered the Master List–seems like having my own research assistant. I may be able to get 5 hours sleep now. Thanks

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No jaw descriptions? ;(

You saved my day with your wonderful, descriptive words! Now I’ve found the perfect features for my handsome male character. Thank you!

That is a lot of hours for books but I guess if you keep pushing it will happen.

Survêtement OM 2020, Survêtement PSG 2020 ou Survêtement France 2020, fais ton choix parmi la plus grande gamme de survêtement de football disponible sur internet et c’est seulement chez Foot Dealer, ta boutique 100% football !

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Hi Bryn, thanks so much for this information! I always appreciate your lists because I like comprehensive material all in one location as a reference (then if I decide to break the rules, at least I know what the rules are “supposed to be” first!). Have you considered making comprehensive lists of creative writing genre conventions (tropes, archetypes, settings, devices, etc.)?

Hello, and thank you for the valuable and useful information. I agree with Eleanore regarding the list of genre conventions. I’m more than pleased I found you website.

Thank u so much ❤️ that was so helpful

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Word lists, cheat sheets, and sometimes irreverent reviews of writing rules. kathy steinemann is the author of the writer's lexicon series..

Ways to Say “Blush” in Writing: A Word List for Writers

Why Do People Blush?

Writers should know their characters’ motivations. Then, readers should be shown the cause of each blush. Occasional flushes, reddening of the cheeks, or flaming faces serve a function. However, overuse of these or any other physiological responses will aggravate readers.

Emotion Beats and Physical Manifestations

Actions speak louder than blushes. A blush could be caused by:

adulation, arousal, embarrassment , fear, insecurity, receiving a compliment, remorse, repressed hatred, shame, shyness

A well-placed gesture or action draws readers into narrative. Here are a few ways to show motivation without a single blush.

Adulation parted lips enlarged pupils hanging on every word spoken by subject complimenting the subject of adulation

Arousal sparkling eyes flirtatious dialogue running tongue over one’s lips heavy breathing, accompanied by racing pulse

Embarrassment trembling shuffling feet biting fingernails fidgeting or picking fluff off one’s clothing

Fear pacing trembling hands holding one’s breath accelerated breathing

Insecurity slumped posture focusing one’s gaze on floor or toes fidgeting with jewelry or clothing clenching bottom lip between one’s teeth

Receiving a compliment speechlessness expressing thanks verbal denial of self-worthiness flattering the person who bestowed the compliment

Remorse stuttering frequent swallowing nausea and/or minimal appetite looking away from wronged person

Repressed hatred bared teeth folded arms narrowed eyes lips pressed together in a thin line

Shame trembling stooped shoulders minimal eye contact biting one’s fingernails or chewing on pen

Shyness bowed head stammering pinched lips limp handshake

If you need additional beats, consult a body language dictionary . (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

When Is a Blush not a Blush?

A protagonist’s face might be red due to fever, sunburn, windburn, an allergic reaction, or a response to external temperature. But this redness wouldn’t be a true blush. Likewise for a protagonist whose face seethes with red , an appropriate phrase to demonstrate anger .

Analyze motivations as you write or edit. Many blushes may be out of place.

Similes and Metaphors Stimulate the Imagination

You could compare the color in a person’s cheeks or face to one of the following.

A to W an apple, a cardinal, a carnation, a cayenne pepper, a chili pepper, an Elmo doll, fire, flames, ketchup, a ladybug, a lobster, a poppy, raspberries, a rose, a stop sign, strawberries, tabasco sauce, a tomato, a wagon, a watermelon

Find more red objects by searching the internet for things that are red .

Similes usually incorporate as or like :

The toddler rushed toward her mother, her chubby cheeks as red as an Elmo doll . “Mummmy, Mummmy, pwease don’t go.”

When Kristy accused Reynaldo of cheating on her, he pulled at his collar, and his face flared red like the ketchup slathered all over his steak and fries .

Metaphors rely on indirect comparisons. They compare actions or objects that are not normally considered comparable. For instance:

The fire of passion flamed in Elena’s face.

Fire of passion is a tell as well as a metaphor, acceptable if Elena is the POV character. However, anyone interacting with her wouldn’t know her motivation.

It’s Unwise to Make Your POV Character Blush

Pretend you’re embarrassed. Close your eyes and immerse yourself in the situation before reading the next paragraph.

Back in the real world again?

If you blush, you might feel heat spread throughout your chest and into the roots of your hair , but you won’t see your appearance unless you’re looking into a mirror.

Likewise with your POV character.

Let’s Try a Few Edits

When Aaron presented Alicia with the Employee of the Month award, she blushed .

Since Aaron is introduced by just his first name, readers might assume that these two characters have a relationship. But why does Alicia blush?

When Aaron presented Alicia with the Employee of the Month award, she remained speechless .

Alicia is probably speechless because she has no foreknowledge of the award. In context, other reasons might prove valid.

Marian blushed as she stared at Jeremy’s coffee mug. “I’m sorry.”

Why is Marian staring at the mug?

Marian didn’t reciprocate Jeremy’s gaze . “I’m sorry. Give me your mug, and I’ll make you another coffee. Milk. No sugar.”

The second snippet provides a meaningful description. Marian’s dialogue and avoidance of eye contact show that she’s ashamed, maybe even intimidated. We don’t need to stack body language with a blush.

Zane ogled Melissa’s tanned legs , and she blushed .

Ogled is a strong verb that suggests a lecherous intent. Why would Melissa blush?

Maybe she doesn’t like Zane or his attitude:

Zane ogled Melissa’s tanned legs. She pressed her lips into a thin white line .

Now, readers will know that Melissa doesn’t approve of Zane’s attention.

Shawn blushed when Carrie touched his elbow.

Perhaps Shawn has a secret crush on Carrie?

When Carrie touched Shawn’s elbow, his heart raced .

This approach works if Shawn is the POV character. Blushing could be caused by many emotions. A racing heart, however, is a good indication that Shawn has feelings for Carrie.

Carrie touched Shawn’s elbow. He blushed .

Same situation as before, with a slight change in wording, but no clear POV. Let’s revisit from Carrie’s perspective:

Carrie touched Shawn’s elbow . His heavy breathing stirred the tiny hairs on her neck, sending a shiver into every cell of her body.

Carrie’s response shows that she reciprocates Shawn’s affection. Her reaction is direct, rather than filtering through a phrase such as She felt his heavy breathing stirring the tiny hairs on her neck.

Daniel could see Estela blush and fidget with her top button .

Estela’s motivation might be clear in context — insecurity, perhaps? However, could see filters this sentence through Daniel’s sense of sight.

Estela’s face glowed red . She fidgeted with her top button .

Daniel’s name isn’t needed. Since he’s the POV character, readers see through his eyes.

Bonnie blushed to herself whenever she thought of William’s washboard abs.

Yes, some authors sprinkle their writing with phrases like blushed to herself . The last two words are redundant . Everyone can see a blush, and who else would Bonnie blush to? Since she’s the POV character, she can’t see herself.

Whenever Bonnie thought of William’s washboard abs, the heat of desire rushed into her face .

For variety, this sentence changes word order. Heat rushes into Bonnie’s face: a show. The words also tell about her motivation.

Doug blushed scarlet when Ms. Pringle sent him to the principal’s office. He was embarrassed because he had been caught peeking into the girls’ washroom.

A blush of embarrassment might work here, but we’re trying to eliminate an overused word. Besides, Doug is the POV character, and it’s best not to have him blush, especially when the degree of his blush is depicted as scarlet . He can’t see his own color.

A different approach:

Doug trembled when Ms. Pringle sent him to the principal’s office. Why had he allowed himself to be caught peeking into the girls’ washroom?

Doug’s trembling shows his embarrassment, and the second sentence, posed as a question, plants us in the midst of his internal monologue.

Quick Alternatives for Blush

Note subtle connotations in the following list. Tear-soaked cheeks might glisten red. Slight embarrassment could pinken the face and neck.

Wherever the word red appears, it could be replaced with colors such as:

A to V apple-red, baby-pink, beet-red, blood-red, candy-red, cherry-red, coral, crimson, cupid-pink, devil-red, flame-red, hydrant-red, kiss-red, mango-pink, peach-pink, pink, scarlet, siren-red, valentine-red

Choose a shade that suits your character’s personality and circumstances.

Verbs and Verb Phrases to Replace Blush

B to F blaze, blaze red, bloom red, blossom with fire, blossom with red, burn red, color with red, crimson, erupt with red, explode in red, flame, flare red, flash red, flood with red, flush

G to T gleam red, glisten red, glow red, go red, go red in the face, pinken, radiate red, redden, rubify, seethe with red, shine red, suffuse with red, tinge with red, turn red, turn rosy, turn ruddy

Can you edit away all the blushes?

In spite of his efforts to control his emotions, Avery blushed crimson when his name was called by Principal Beck. He shuffled to the front of the auditorium and plodded onto the stage, trying to ignore the catcalls and hisses from other students.

Mr. Beck glared down at him. “This is the second time in three weeks. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Avery blushed . “Um …”

[Uh oh. What has Avery done? We know by the principal’s glare that it’s a no-no. Can you turn this into humor? horror? sci-fi?]

The buzzing stopped. Kyle’s gaze darted around the room, and he blushed , hoping no one would discover his secret. At least not until __________.

Madalyn blushed and turned red from the roots of her hair, to her ears, into her generous cleavage . How could she have let this happen again?

[Can Madalyn see her own blushing? What did she allow to happen? Was it something bad? Good?]

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8 thoughts on “ Ways to Say “Blush” in Writing: A Word List for Writers ”

Thank you so much Kathy for your list and elaboration on describing facial expressions! I am sharing these with my students and they, like, saw the light! Thank you again and God bless!

I’m so glad you found this post useful, Baizah.

Good luck with your students, and please stay safe!

god all of these 100-300+ ways to say articles have helped me so much when writing my new story. It’s so hard to find alternatives to blush, shrug, and raise eyebrows (three things I say A LOT) and so these have been a miricale to find!

I’m so glad you found them helpful, Rosen.

Thanks for stopping by — and stay safe!

I can’t imagine anyone’s face turning as red as ketchup. Even a bad sunburn isn’t that color. I’d stop reading that book as soon as I saw that description.

Same for some of the others descriptors. Striving for uniqueness in your facial descriptions might only serve to pull the reader out of the story, especially if they’re strange.

Thanks for stopping by, Debra.

You raised an excellent point. However, over-the-top comparisons are often made in expressions like as red as a beet . Readers don’t see a beet-red face, but they understand the exaggeration.

My pleasure, David!

Set Your Words Aflame With 16 Fiery Words For The Color Red

Red is one of nature’s most eye-catching colors. It symbolizes love, heat, danger, and even death. With all of its many shades and meanings, there is no reason to stick with the single word red .

There are dozens of words that describe types of red, from amaranth to vermilion . You might even find that the terms themselves are as beautiful as the shades of red that they describe.

The color crimson is one of the most popular shades of red. Crimson is a “deep purplish-red.” An archaic word for crimson is cramoisy [ kram -oi-zee ], and both terms come from the Arabic qirmizī . This is the Arabic word for the red dye made from small insects known as kermes .

Learn about other familiar and common words that originated from Arabic.

The color scarlet is a particular stand-out. It is “a bright-red color inclining toward orange.” While the origins of the word are disputed, scarlet was first used in English to describe rich, luxurious cloth. Scarlet was often, but not always, red in the Middle Ages. Later, scarlet came to particularly describe clothes of this color and finally came to refer to this luxurious red itself.

Vermilion is “a brilliant scarlet red.” Believe it or not, like crimson , this word can trace its origins back to the kermes beetle that was dried and crushed to make red dye in the ancient world. Vermilion ultimately comes from the Latin vermiculus meaning “kermes (insect and dye).” This is how vermilion shares a root with the zoological term vermicule , meaning “a small, wormlike structure.”

Another shade of red related to dyes made from insects is carmine , “a crimson or purplish-red color.” Carmine pigment or dye was made from the small red cochineal insect . The word carmine itself is thought to ultimately come from the same root as crimson .

Burgundy is a shade of red closely associated with wine. Burgundy is “a grayish red-brown to dark blackish-purple color.” The name ultimately comes from the French wine-growing region of Bourgogne , known for its deep red wines. The dish boeuf bourguignon also comes from this region—the name literally names “Burgundian beef.”

The French also brought us the most coveted snack food of all: French fries. Let’s look at how they are enjoyed across the world.

The word oxblood is one of the most vivid terms for a shade of red. Oxblood is “a deep dull-red color.” Naturally enough, the word is a reference to the color of the blood of an ox. Sometimes, oxblood is mistaken for burgundy, because the two colors are close in hue. Oxblood  is particularly suited to describing the colors of leather and porcelain glazes.

Another bloody shade of red is sanguine , “reddish, ruddy.” The word sanguine comes from the Latin sanguineus , meaning “bloody.” Sanguine can also be used figuratively to mean “cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confident.” This meaning of sanguine is connected to a belief in the pseudoscience of humorism , where blood was associated with the life force or spirit.

In Ancient Greek mythology, the amaranth was a mythic, “undying flower” that symbolized immortality. The name itself comes from the Greek amáranton , meaning “unfading flower.” These days, amaranth is also known as a reddish-pink color. The name is a reference to the real amaranth plant, also known as pigweed , which has reddish-pink flowers.

Another flower that is a brilliant shade of red is safflower , which has an orangey-red color. (There is also a yellow safflower used to make dye). Red safflower has been used to dye silk or linen for thousands of years. The safflower looks like a thistle , and its seeds are harvested to make safflower oil , which has a wide range of uses.

One of the sweetest shades of red is blush . You are likely familiar with this word as a verb meaning “to redden, as from embarrassment or shame.” But blush can also be used as a noun meaning “rosy or pinkish tinge.” For example:

• The bride looked stunning in her blush wedding dress and sophisticated updo.

Make someone you know blush by showering them with these positive words.

If you spend too long in the sun, you might end up with a rubicund complexion. The word rubicund means “red or reddish, ruddy.” It is particularly used to describe someone’s face or complexion. Rubicund is one of the jolliest terms for red. Describing someone as rubicund signals that they like to live life to the fullest—particularly eating and drinking well.

Shades of red come not only from crushed up insects, blushing faces, or flowers. Words for red colors also come from precious gemstones like the ruby . Ruby is “a deep red, carmine.” The word ruby ultimately comes from the Latin ruber meaning “red.” (That’s how closely associated it is with the color.)

Another gemstone-inspired shade of red is garnet , “a deep-red color.” Garnets actually come in a wide variety of colors, but there is a deep-red variety that is particularly popular as a gemstone. The word garnet ultimately comes from the Old French grenat , from the expression pome grenate or … pomegranate , a fruit with tiny, tasty red gems inside.

A sophisticated near-synonym for red is roseate , an adjective meaning “tinged with rose, rosy.” For example:

• Despite the need to make camp, we stopped to admire the roseate sky at sunset.

The term roseate is also used figuratively to mean “bright or promising.”

Our next synonym for red is less commonly used, but it may sound familiar nonetheless. Rufous [ roo -f uh s ] is an adjective meaning “reddish; tinged with red; brownish red.” If rufous seems familiar, that’s probably because it sounds like the male first name Rufus . The name Rufus comes from the Latin for “red-headed” and shares a common root with rufous .

Another shade of red that is closely associated with hair is russet , meaning “yellowish brown, light brown, or reddish brown.” In contrast with the luxurious scarlet clothes we learned about at the top of this slideshow, russet -colored clothes were associated with the rough fabric worn by peasants. The earliest use of the term in English was in the sense of “a coarse reddish-brown or brownish homespun cloth formerly used for clothing.”

We haven’t covered all of the shades of red in this slideshow. You can find even more at our entry for red here . To review the 16 shades we did cover, check out our handy word list here . And, finally, if you feel confident you can distinguish between russet , blush , and vermilion , test your knowledge with our shades of red quiz here.

Did these words heat you up? Put your vocab on ice with our cool words for the color blue.

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How to Describe Eyes in Writing (21 Best Tips + Examples)

Eyes are often hailed as the “windows to the soul,” capable of conveying complex emotions without uttering a single word.

As writers, mastering the art of describing eyes can elevate your storytelling.

Here is how to describe eyes in writing:

Describe eyes in writing by focusing on color, shape, and emotional depth. Use descriptive words like “captivating” or “luminous.” Phrases like “windows to the soul” add layers. Consider eyelids, lashes, and blinking for subtle emotional cues.

In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to describe eyes in writing.

1. The Color Palette: More Than Just Blue and Brown

Table of Contents

Color is usually the first attribute that comes to mind when describing eyes.

Going beyond the cliché blue and brown can bring your characters to life in vivid detail.

Try unconventional colors and make comparisons to set a mood.

For example, instead of saying, “She had green eyes,” you might say, “Her eyes were the color of freshly mown grass, evoking an undeniable feeling of rebirth.”

Different colors can invoke various emotions or suggest specific character traits.

“Eyes as gray as a stormy sea” could symbolize a tumultuous spirit or an adventurous soul.

Therefore, use colors not just as factual descriptions but as emotional or character-driven statements.

You can even mix colors for added depth, “His eyes were a mix of gold and brown, like a forest floor dappled in autumn sunlight.”

2. The Light Dance: Luminosity Unveiled

The way eyes catch light can describe more than just the setting sun or dim room.

It can tell your reader about the emotional landscape of your characters.

For example, eyes that “gleam like polished stones catching the midday sun” could portray a character in a state of clarity or revelation.

The luminosity of the eyes can also serve as a narrative device, enhancing the emotional undercurrents of a scene.

“Her eyes dimmed, mirroring the dwindling campfire, as she heard the sad tale” can infuse additional layers of emotion into the situation.

This can help the reader feel the gravity of the story along with the character.

3. Shape-Shifting: The Geometry of Gaze

The shape of a character’s eyes can be a playground for creativity.

From almond-shaped to round, the geometry of eyes can offer readers clues about a character’s disposition.

For instance, “Her oval eyes always had a dreamy look, as if she were perpetually lost in thought” can say a lot about the character’s daydreaming nature or thoughtful demeanor.

Don’t forget that eye shape can be dynamic, changing with emotional states or circumstances.

You might describe a normally cheerful character as having “eyes that narrowed into cold slivers when he heard the disparaging comment.”

This not only gives your characters depth but also builds a stronger emotional connection with the reader.

4. Blink Back the Emotions

Never underestimate the power of a blink in conveying emotional subtlety.

A quick blink can express surprise.

While slow, measured blinks could imply a character is deeply contemplating a decision.

For example, “She blinked rapidly, as if trying to ward off the tears that threatened to spill,” succinctly captures a moment of emotional vulnerability.

A single blink can also serve as a pivotal moment in the story.

“He blinked once, slowly, as if imprinting the scene onto his soul” not only adds emotional weight but also signals a significant moment.

5. Mirrors and Windows: Emotional Portals

Eyes can act as mirrors reflecting internal emotions or windows offering a glimpse into the soul.

A character’s gaze can speak volumes, revealing underlying feelings or thoughts.

“His eyes were impenetrable mirrors, reflecting nothing but deflecting everything,” suggests a stoic or guarded individual.

In contrast, eyes can serve as open windows, giving readers insight into a character’s emotional state.

“Her eyes were open windows to her joy, sparkling like stars on a clear night,” indirectly reveals the depth of her happiness.

Using this technique can convey complex emotions in a show-don’t-tell fashion.

6. Crinkles and Lines: The Etchings of Experience

The skin surrounding the eyes can be a treasure trove of storytelling.

Whether it’s laugh lines or weary creases, these “etchings” can reveal a character’s history or emotional state.

For example, “Her eyes were framed by lines that spoke of decades filled with laughter and resilience” provides a wealth of information about a character’s life experiences.

On the flip side, you can use the absence of these lines to highlight a different set of experiences or qualities.

“His eyes were alarmingly smooth, devoid of the wrinkles that often accompany age, as if time itself hesitated to mark him.”

This could signify a range of possibilities—from a sheltered life to a mysterious, age-defying character.

7. The Focus Factor: Where the Gaze Lands

Where a character focuses their eyes can indicate interest, discomfort, or even deceit.

“She couldn’t maintain eye contact and her gaze kept drifting to the floor,” could suggest a lack of confidence or that she’s hiding something.

Here’s another example: “His eyes locked onto the painting, absorbing every brushstroke as if trying to capture its essence.”

The focus of the gaze is telling of the character’s artistic interest.

Or perhaps a deeper emotional connection to the artwork.

Employ focus intentionally to add another layer of complexity to your characters.

8. The Invisible Force: Magnetic Attraction or Repulsion

Sometimes eyes don’t just look; they draw in or push away.

Describing this invisible force can add an ethereal quality to your characters.

“Her eyes seemed to pull him in, a gravitational force he couldn’t resist,” not only describes attraction but also gives it a nearly magical, irresistible quality.

Alternatively, eyes can repel, emitting an almost palpable energy that keeps people at bay.

“People avoided looking into his eyes, as if a simple glance could cast a dark shadow over their day.”

This can set the mood quickly and establish a character as menacing or tragically solitary.

9. Eye-talk: Silent Conversations

Eyes can often communicate messages that words fail to capture.

Describing these “silent conversations” can create emotionally charged scenes between characters.

For instance, “Their eyes met, and in that brief moment, a flurry of unspoken apologies and forgiveness exchanged.”

In a more humorous scenario, you might write, “A roll of her eyes spoke louder than words, a whole paragraph on why the joke was painfully unfunny.”

Use eye-talk to demonstrate the depth of understanding or the lack thereof between characters.

By doing so, you enrichen the personal dynamics in your story.

10. Motion and Emotion: The Kinetics of Eye Movement

The movement of eyes—darting, sweeping, flicking—can indicate a variety of emotions or thoughts.

“Her eyes darted around the room, like a hummingbird seeking nectar, but finding none,” could indicate anxiety or a feeling trapped.

Movement can also be slow and calculated: “His eyes slowly scanned the crowd until they landed on her. It was as though he had found what he was unconsciously searching for all evening.”

Here, the eyes act almost like a compass, guided by emotion or instinct to find a person in a crowd.

11. Veils and Shields: The Role of Eyelids and Lashes

Eyelids and eyelashes do more than just frame the eyes.

They act as veils or shields, expressing vulnerability or defense.

For example, “Her eyelashes were a curtain that she dropped quickly, hiding the turmoil that had briefly flickered in her eyes,” could indicate a momentary lapse in an otherwise strong facade.

On the other hand, “His eyelids lifted slowly, as if reluctantly allowing access to the secrets hidden in his gaze,” paints a vivid image of a guarded individual.

With eyelids acting as gatekeepers and eyelashes as intricate curtains, your description gains a theatrical quality.

12. Icy Stares and Fiery Glances: Temperature Imagery

Using temperature as imagery can add another layer of emotional context.

“Her gaze was icy, freezing everyone it touched, making even a crowded room feel lonely,” effectively conveys detachment and emotional coldness.

Alternatively, “His eyes burned with a fire that could ignite even the most dampened spirits,” suggests passion.

By assigning a “temperature” to your characters’ eyes, you’re doing more than describing.

You’re setting the emotional climate of your story.

13. Twin Moons: Symmetry and Asymmetry

Our eyes are often assumed to be symmetrical.

But describing a character with slightly asymmetrical eyes can add an interesting twist.

“Her right eye was noticeably larger than her left, as if it had seen more of the world and expanded with wisdom,” can introduce an element of uniqueness and intrigue.

Conversely, perfect symmetry can be used to highlight otherworldly beauty or artificiality.

“His eyes were symmetrically perfect, each a mirror image of the other, making him appear almost too flawless, like a sculpture.”

14. Distance and Depth: Proximity of Emotional Connection

The physical space between eyes can symbolize emotional distance or closeness.

“Her closely set eyes, like parallel lines that never meet, made it hard to decipher her emotions,” suggests a character who might be emotionally inaccessible.

On the flip side, consider: “His wide-set eyes seemed to embrace the world, absorbing its myriad colors and nuances.”

This description could indicate a more open, emotionally available individual.

The space between eyes can become a metaphorical playground for writers.

15. Transient Hues: Changing Colors

Some eyes change colors depending on the lighting or the character’s mood.

Describing this can add a mystical or unpredictable quality.

“Her eyes shifted from a deep blue to an oceanic green when she was lost in thought,” opens up a realm of questions and adds an element of unpredictability to the character.

Or you might write, “As he grew angrier, the brown of his eyes seemed to darken, like clouds gathering before a storm.”

Changing colors can make your character seem complex and intriguing, demanding the reader’s attention.

16. Windows or Walls: Transparency and Opacity

The eyes can be either transparent windows to the soul or impenetrable walls.

For example, “Looking into her eyes was like staring into a clear pond, where even the smallest pebble on the bottom was visible,” indicates transparency and vulnerability.

Contrastingly, “His eyes were like tinted windows—no matter how hard you looked, you couldn’t see inside.”

The latter communicates a sense of emotional fortification.

Transparency and opacity serve as tools to indicate how approachable or aloof a character is as a person.

17. Spotlighting: Single Eye Focus

Most descriptions involve both eyes, but focusing on just one can create an arresting image.

“Her left eye seemed to flicker with an inner light, commanding attention and distracting from her otherwise placid face,” can indicate a multifaceted character with hidden depths or asymmetrical qualities.

Or perhaps, “His right eye twitched involuntarily, belying the calm he otherwise projected.”

A focus on a single eye can serve to amplify emotion, make a character more memorable, or highlight an incongruity in their personality.

18. Eye Accessories: Glasses and Contacts

Glasses or contact lenses can be more than just functional.

They can offer insights into a character.

“Her thick glasses magnified her eyes to an impossible size, giving her an air of constant astonishment,” shows how glasses can be used to amplify a character trait.

Accessories become an extension of the character, revealing their choices, desires, or insecurities.

19. A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words: Artistic Imagery

Sometimes, describing eyes as artworks can be exceptionally evocative.

“Her eyes were like a Jackson Pollock painting, a chaotic blend of colors that somehow made sense,” can indicate a complex and unpredictable character.

Or perhaps, “His eyes resembled a Van Gogh sky, swirling with depth and endless hues of blue and yellow.”

Artistic comparisons not only make the description more vivid.

But can also provide an intellectual backdrop to your character’s emotional landscape.

20. The Art of Avoidance: When Eyes Are Hidden

There can be significant impact in moments where a character’s eyes are hidden—by hair, a hat, or even their own hand.

“His eyes were obscured by a mess of unruly hair, as if he was deliberately hiding from the world,” can suggest a character who is emotionally unavailable or in a state of internal chaos.

Conversely, “She covered her eyes with a hand, as if blocking out the reality before her,” could indicate denial.

Or, perhaps, a reluctance to face the truth.

The absence or obstruction of eyes can speak volumes, adding a layer of complexity to the narrative.

21. The Blink Code: The Tempo of Eye Movement

The rhythm and tempo of blinking can subtly express a character’s emotional state or intentions.

Rapid blinking might reveal nervousness, excitement, or distress.

Slow, deliberate blinks could convey thoughtfulness or calm.

The blink can be as revealing as any other aspect of eye description, acting as a silent Morse code that conveys underlying emotional states.

For example, “Her eyelids shut tightly and reopened slowly, as though she was steeling herself for what was to come. Each blink seemed to be a word in a private language of courage.”

Here is a good video about how to describe eyes in writing:

10 Elements of Eyes to Describe in Writing

To summarize, here are 10 elements (or traits) of eyes that you can describe:

• Color : The most obvious characteristic, but it can say a lot about a character. Blues, browns, greens, and grays each have their own set of associated traits and emotions.
• Shape : The shape of the eyes can lend personality cues. Almond-shaped, round, or narrow eyes can make a character seem mysterious, innocent, or intense.
• Size : Describing the size of the eyes can also give hints about a character’s personality. Large eyes might convey innocence or openness, while small eyes could suggest cunning or secrecy.
• Luminosity/Brightness : How bright or dull the eyes appear can reflect the character’s emotional state or overall personality. Luminous eyes might signify vitality or a strong spirit.
• Transparency : This refers to how “readable” the eyes are. Are they the proverbial “window to the soul,” or are they more like impenetrable walls?
• Intensity : The power of a gaze can say a lot. An intense stare may show determination, while a lack of intensity could signal disinterest or fatigue.
• Texture : While not immediately visible from a distance, up close the eyes may have specks, flecks, or distinct patterns that could add uniqueness to a character.
• Direction : Where a character is looking—averting their gaze, staring straight ahead, or looking down—can show their emotional state and add context to dialogue and actions.
• Movement : This includes blinking, winking, or any other eye movements. Rapid blinking might indicate stress, while slow blinking could indicate thoughtfulness or calm.
• Surrounding Features : Eyebrows, eyelashes, and even the skin around the eyes can contribute to the overall impression. Bushy eyebrows, long lashes, or dark circles can add depth to your description.

30 Best Words to Describe Eyes in Writing

Here is a list of words to help you describe eyes in your stories:

• Melancholic
• Almond-shaped
• Calculating

30 Best Phrases to Describe Eyes in Writing

When a single word won’t do, you’ll need phrases for describing eyes.

Check out this curated list of phrases for how to describe eyes in writing:

• Eyes like saucers
• Windows to the soul
• A storm brewing in his eyes
• Eyes bright with unshed tears
• A twinkle in her eye
• Eyes darker than midnight
• Eyes that held galaxies
• Deep pools of emotion
• Eyes like open books
• Eyes narrowed in suspicion
• Eyes as cold as ice
• An unreadable gaze
• Pools of molten gold
• A piercing gaze
• Eyes dancing with mischief
• Eyes filled with wonder
• A guarded look
• Eyes aflame with passion
• A faraway look
• An inviting gaze
• Eyes shimmering like the ocean
• A gaze that could cut glass
• Eyes soft with compassion
• A lingering look
• A flirtatious glance
• Eyes clouded with doubt
• Eyes gleaming with intelligence
• An intense stare
• Eyes that defy description
• Eyes closed in contemplation

3 Full Examples of Describing Eyes in Different Genres

Let’s learn how to describe eyes in writing by looking at full examples in various fiction genres.

In the dimly lit room, his eyes caught hers, and it felt as though time stood still.

They were deep pools of chocolate, rich and warm, promising sweet secrets and hidden depths. A soft light seemed to emanate from them, casting a gentle glow that could melt the iciest of hearts. It was as though his soul was laid bare, and she felt herself drawn into his gaze, an irresistible force pulling her closer to the love she’d been seeking all her life.

As she walked through the enchanted forest, her eyes changed to mirror her surroundings.

Normally a plain brown, they turned into a swirling mix of emerald and gold, as if her irises were tiny galaxies with stars twinkling within. The transformation was spellbinding, making her appear not just of this realm, but a creature of otherworldly beauty.

Those eyes held power—power to unlock realms and unleash spells, a mysterious allure that could not be ignored.

His eyes were like shards of ice, a piercing blue that seemed to cut through the dim light of the interrogation room.

Each glance was calculated, devoid of emotion, revealing nothing yet seeing everything. It was a look that had unnerved many—a gaze that had stared down threats and seen horrors that would break most men.

His eyes were the epitome of a human lie detector, missing nothing, ever vigilant, and deeply unsettling.

Final Thoughts: How To Describe Eyes in Writing

The best way to describe eyes is blending the tips, words, and phrases.

Also, connect the bigger plot and theme to your eye descriptions.

Of course, there is much more than eyes to describe in your story. Read the other guides on our site to learn how to describe, people, places, and scenes in your story.

Read This Next:

• How to Describe a Greedy Person in Writing (21 Best Tips)
• How to Describe Nervousness in Writing (23 Tips + Examples)
• How to Describe a Hug in Writing (21 Best Tips + Examples)
• How to Describe a Smile in Writing (700 Ways & Examples)