Descriptive Words

When writing, sometimes you need descriptive words and have a difficult time thinking of just the right word. Use this handy list of descriptive words and see if it gives you any ideas (almost 1,000 descriptive words are listed). Remember, Sinclair Design Studio offers content writing services for your website, blog or promotional materials which can contribute to your content marketing. Happy writing!

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Need design verbiage? Check out our page of descriptive design-related words and our list of design terms and descriptions.

Best List of Descriptive Words

abnormal
abrupt
absorbing
abstract
absurd
abundant
academic
acceptable
accessible
accommodating
active
adept
adorned
advanced
affecting
affectionate
ageless
aggressive
alien
allegorical
alluring
altered
alternative
amazing
ambiguous
ambitious
amicable
analogous
ancestral
ancient
animated
annoying
anomalous
anonymous
anticlimactic
antihumanist
antithetical
appalling
appropriate
appropriated
aqueous
arbitrary
arcane
architectural
arousing
arresting
artificial
artistic
astigmatic
astonishing
astounding
atmospheric
attentive
attenuated
attractive
audacious
auspicious
austere
authentic
authoritative
automatic
awful
axial
bad
baffling
balanced
balletic
banal
baroque
basic
beautiful
benign
bigoted
billowing
biographical
biomorphic
bitter
bizarre
blank
blatant
bleached
bleak
blinding
blissful
bloody
blurry
bombastic
boring
boundless
bourgeois
boyish
brash
breathtaking
bright
brilliant
brisk
brittle
bucolic
bulky
buoyant
burgeoning
busy
calculated
calligraphic
calm
camerate
canonical
capitalistic
capricious
captivating
careful
careless
casual
cerebral
ceremonial
challenging
chaotic
charismatic
cheap
chilling
classic
clean
clinched
clinical
coarse
cockled
collaborative
collectable
colorful
comforting
commanding
commercial
committed
commonplace
comparable
compartmentalized
compelling
competent
complementary
complex
composed
comprehensive
compulsive
conceptual
conclusive
confidential
confrontational
confusing
congruous
connotative
conservative
consistent
constrained
contagious
contemplative
contemporary
contiguous
contradictory
contrary
contrasty
controlled
cool
corrosive
corrupted
cosmopolitan
cracked
crazy
creased
credible
criminal
critical
crucial
crushing
crusty
cryptic
cultivated
curious
current
curved
curvilinear
cute
dangerous
dappled
daring
dated
dazzling
deadpan
decipherable
decorative
dedicated
deep
definitive
defunct
deliberate
delicate
delicious
delightful
demeaning
democratic
demonstrative
dense
depressing
derivative
desensitized
detailed
developed
devoid
devoted
diaphanous
diaristic
difficult
diffused
digital
dignified
diluted
dim
dimensional
diminutive
dimorphic
diplomatic
direct
directorial
direful
dirty
disappointing
disarming
disastrous
discolored
discrete
disgusting
disingenuous
disjointed
disjunctive
dismissive
disquieting
distant
distinctive
disturbing
diverse
divine
documentary
dogmatic
doubtful
draining
dramatic
drastic
dreamy
dualistic
dull
dumb
durable
dynamic
dysfunctional
earnest
earthy
economic
ecstatic
educational
effacious
egregious
elastic
electric
elegant
elemental
elliptical
elusive
emotional
emphatic
emulsified
endemic
endless
enduring
engrossing
enigmatic
enigmatic
enticing
enunciable
environmental
ephemeral
ephochal
epoliticized
erogenous
erotic
esoteric
eternal
ethereal
ethical
ethnographic
evanescent
evil
exaggerated
excessive
exemplary
exhaustive
existential
exotic
expansive
explicit
exploitative
expressionistic
expressive
expressive
extinct
extraordinary
extremist
ezquisite
fabricated
faded
faithful
fake
fallacious
fancy
farinaceous
fascinating
fascist
fashionable
fatal
feasible
featureless
fecund
feminine
feminist
fertile
fervent
fictitious
fierce
fiery
figurative
filmic
final
fine
fixed
flamboyant
flashy
flat
flawless
fluid
fluorescent
focused
foliate
forceful
foreign
formal
formless
formulaic
forthcoming
foxed
fractioned
fragile
fragmented
framed
frank
frantic
fraudulent
freakish
free
frenzied
frontal
frustrating
fundamental
funny
fussy
futuristic
gargantuan
garish
gawky
generative
generic
gentle
genuine
geodetic
geographic
geometric
gesticulant
gestural
ghastly
ghostly
gigantic
gilded
glamorous
glary
glaucous
glimmering
global
globoid
glorious
glossy
glum
glutinous
golden
gorgeous
gory
graceful
gradual
grainy
grand
grandiloquent
graphic
gritty
groovy
grotesque
grounded
gruesome
guided
gusty
handsome
harmless
harmonious
haunting
hideous
hilarious
hipshot
historical
hollow
honest
honorable
hopeless
horizontal
hostile
hot
hued
huge
humane
humanistic
humble
hybrid
hyperbolic
iconographic
ideal
idealistic
ideological
idiosyncratic
illiterate
illustrative
imaginary
imaginative
imbued
immaculate
immense
immortal
immune
implicit
important
imposing
impossible
impoverished
impressionistic
impressive
improper
impulsive
inadequate
inanimate
inaugural
incalculable
incarnate
inchoate
inclusive
incogitant
inconsequential
indecent
indelible
independent
indispensable
indulgent
industrial
inept
infantile
infectious
influential
inimitable
innocuous
insightful
inspirational
inspired
instinctive
instructive
insular
insulting
integrated
intelligent
intense
interactive
interesting
international
intimate
intrepid
introspective
intuitive
inveterate
invigorating
invisible
ironic
irrational
irregular
irresistible
irreverent
judicious
juxtaposed
keen
kinetic
knowledgeable
lackluster
large
lasting
lavish
layered
legendary
legitimate
lewd
liberal
lifeless
lifelike
light
limited
linear
listless
lively
loaded
lucid
luminous
lurid
lyrical
macabre
macho
magical
mailable
mainstream
majestic
major
malevolent
manipulative
mannered
manufactured
marketable
masculine
massive
masterful
mat
matchless
mathematical
mature
meandrous
meaningful
mechanistic
meditative
melancholic
melancholy
melodious
melodramatic
memorable
memorializing
menacing
mesmerizing
metallic
metaphysical
methodological
microscopic
militant
minimal
modern
modernist
modest
modified
modulated
momentous
monastic
monochromatic
monographic
monotone
monumental
moody
morbid
moving
multiple
multitudinous
multivalent
mundane
mysterious
mythic
mythological
naked
narrative
narrow
natural
negligent
neutral
new
nice
noble
nocturnal
nondescript
nontraditional
normal
nostalgic
notable
novel
numbing
numerical
objective
oblique
oblivious
obnoxious
obscure
observed
obsessive
obsolete
obsolete
obtrusive
obtuse
obvious
odd
offbeat
offensive
official
ominous
opaque
open
optimistic
opulent
orderly
ordinary
organized
original
ornate
ostentatious
otherworldly
outlandish
outmoded
outstanding
overwhelming
overwrought
painful
painterly
panoramic
paradoxical
parallel
parenthetical
passionate
pathetic
patients
peculiar
peculiar
pedestrian
perceptible
perfect
peripheral
permanent
perplexing
personal
pessimistic
petty
phallic
phenomenal
philosophical
physical
pictographic
pictorial
picturesque
piercing
pigeonholed
pioneering
piquant
pitchy
pitiful
plaintive
plausible
playful
pleasing
pleasurable
pleonastic
plushy
poetic
poignant
poignant
pointed
polar
polished
political
ponderous
popular
pornographic
postmodernist
potent
powerful
prankish
precious
precise
preeminent
premature
preserved
presumable
pretentious
primal
primary
primitive
pristine
private
probing
procedural
prodigious
profane
profound
progressive
prominent
prophetic
proportional
prosaic
provocative
psychic
psychological
public
publicized
punk
puritanical
puzzling
quaint
quintessential
quirky
quirky
quite
racial
radiant
radical
radioactive
rapacious
rare
raucous
raw
realistic
reasonable
rebellious
recognizable
recommendable
reconstituted
recycled
redemptive
refined
reflective
regal
regal
regimented
region
regrettable
rejuvenating
religious
remarkable
reminiscent
remote
renewing
renowned
repetitious
replete
reposed
reprehensible
representational
repugnant
repulsive
resourceful
responsible
restless
restrained
restrictive
reticulated
retulgent
revelatory
revisionist
revolutionary
revolutionary
rewarding
rhetorical
rhythmic
rich
rich
rigid
rippling
ritualistic
riveting
robotic
robust
romantic
rudimentary
sacred
sacrilegious
sacrosanct
sanctimonious
sane
sapient
sarcastic
satirical
saturated
scandalous
scatological
scholarly
sculptured
seamless
seasonal
secretive
sedate
seductive
seethetic
selective
semiotic
sensible
sensitive
sensuous
sequential
serial
severe
sexual
shaggy
shameful
sharp
sheer
shocking
sightly
silvery
sinister
sinuous
skeptical
slippery
sly
small
smug
socialist
sociological
solipsistic
solitary
somber
soothfast
sophisticated

sordid
spacious
spare
special
speculative
spellbinding
spent
spirited
spiritual
spontaneous
spotless
spotted
square
stable
staged
staggering
stammering
stark
starting
static
stellar
stereotypical
sterile
sticky
still
stimulating
straightforward
strange
strategic
stressful
striking
strong
stunning
stupid
stylistic
sublime
subliminal
successful
succinct
superb
superficial
superimposed
superior
surprising
surreal
suspect
swollen
symbiotic
symbolic
systematic
tacky
tangible
tantalizing
tasteful
tasty
technical
technological
telltale
temperate
temporary
tender
terrifying
textured
theatrical
thematic
thick
thoughtful
threatening
thrilling
tight
timeless
timid
tiny
toned
tough
traditional
tranquil
transcendent
transferred
transformed
transitional
transparent
triangular
trite
triumphant
trivial
troublesome
troubling
trustworthy
truthful
turbulent
turgid
twisted
typical
ubiquitous
ugly
unabashed
unadulterated
unbelievable
uncanny
uncomfortable
uncompromising
unconstrained
understanding
understated
undiminished
undisclosed
unencumbered
unequalled
unfailing
unfeigned
unfinished
unforgettable
uninhibited
universal
unoriginal
unorthodox
unprecedented
unpredictable
unpretentious
unsavory
unsettling
unstilted
unstudied
unusual
unveiled
upsetting
urban
useful
varnished
veiled
venerable
vertical
vertiginous
vexing
vibrant
viciferous
vignetted
vigorous
vintage
violent
virtual
virtuous
visceral
visionary
visual
vital
vociferous
voluminous
voluptuous
voyeuristic
vulnerable
warm
watery
waxy
wet
whimsical
wild
wired
wise
witty
wizardly
wonder
wondrous
xenophobic
zany