Adjectives for Body Shapes

Adjectives for Body Shapes

OK. Let’s start with some adjectives to describe someone’s general body shape.

By the way, we have a few words for body shape: “figure,” “physique” and “build” are the most common ones.

Other Words for “Fat” or “Large”

Overweight
This simply means “heavier than is healthy.”

Obese
It means very overweight. Sometimes it can be quite dangerous 

Stout
Maybe slightly fat but strong or solid looking. Usually quite short.

Stocky
Short with a wide body.

Paunchy
You know how some men gain weight?

They don’t just get fat everywhere — just the stomach.

That’s paunchy.

Though we don’t usually say “He’s paunchy.” Go for “He has a paunch.”

Pot-bellied
The same as “paunchy.”

Big-boned
With a large body structure.

We also use this adjective as a euphemism (a way of saying something negative indirectly).

If you call someone big-boned, it’s usually just another way of saying that they’re fat.

Chubby
A little bit fat. Slightly overweight. But only a bit.

Think about cherubs. You know, these guys:

Plump

The same as “chubby.”

Podgy
Also the same as “chubby.”

Why do we have so many words for “chubby?” Maybe we just really like cherubs?

Let’s look at some more cherubs:

Curvy

This can be used in two ways.

Sometimes, it describes a woman with a thin waist and wide hips.

And sometimes, it’s used as a euphemism to mean “fat.”

But it’s nicer to say “curvy,” right?

Or better yet, just don’t mention it.

Flabby
We usually use this to describe a part of someone’s body, not the person as a whole.

So someone might have flabby arms or a flabby stomach.

It means they have a lot of loose fat (or skin) that kind of shakes and wobbles when they move around.

Other Words for “Thin” or “Small”

Slender
Thin, in a pretty or elegant kind of way.

Slim
A positive word for “thin.”

You can use this to compliment people:

“Hey, you’re looking slim these days. Have you been working out?”

Lanky
Tall and thin. But in an awkward kind of way.

Skinny

Very thin, possibly too thin.

Like someone who doesn’t eat enough.

Slight
You know those people who are so thin that it looks like they might break into pieces if they fall down? That’s slight.

But be careful: We don’t usually say “She’s slight.” We usually say “She’s got a slight build.”

Petite
This is French for “small.”

In English it also means “small,” but we tend to use it to describe short women.

Other Words for “Muscular”

Beefy
Someone with a lot of muscles. This is informal and usually used for men.

Try to push him over. I bet you can’t.

Buff
In good physical shape. Probably with visible muscle action going on.

Burly
Strong, heavy.

Like a warrior.

Or an ox.

But a guy.

Broad
“Broad” actually means “wide.”

Imagine a wide person — one of those big guys or girls.

Well-built
Big. Strong.

Ripped
What’s the big cliché of the gym?

It’s the 6-pack, right? You know, when your stomach looks like this:

This is what I think of when I think of “ripped” — muscular and in good shape.

And happy to show it off, probably.

I think I would.

Wouldn’t you?

Other Body Shape Adjectives

Gangly
You know those tall, lanky people who never look comfortable?

They move around looking uncomfortable.

When they sit down, they look uncomfortable and awkward.

They’re gangly.

Stooped
Someone who walks around as if they’re walking through a low doorway — but all the time.

The opposite of standing up straight.

Pigeon-toed
Standing with your feet facing each other, like this:

Adjectives for Attractiveness

We have a lot of positive words for attractiveness. But look! Only three negative ones.

I think that says a lot of good things about humans.

Other Words for Beautiful

Attractive
Nice to look at.

You’d happily look at this person for hours if it wasn’t socially unacceptable.

Handsome
It’s like beautiful but usually for men.

More masculine and manly. Grrr.

Pretty
Not as strong as beautiful, but still positive. Usually used for women (and my cat).

Stunning

Extremely attractive. Even stronger than “beautiful.”

Gorgeous
A more informal way of saying “beautiful” or “handsome.”

Good-looking
Er… he (or she) looks … good.

Cute
We actually often use this for things like kittens.

Kittens are weird — they make us change our voice and say stupid things like “You’re a kitty, aren’t you? What are you? You’re a kitty!”

That’s because kittens are cute.

But we can also use “cute” to mean attractive.

Hot
More or less the same as “sexy.”

Other Words for Ugly

Rough
This is actually quite rude, so be careful with this one.

But it’s there. And it’s used.

It means “very ugly.”

Also, it’s very British.

Plain
This is another euphemism.

We use it when we want to say that someone has nothing about them that’s attractive.

They’re not ugly. Just … boring … plain … even forgettable.

Adjectives for Hair

One of the things that really makes us look different from each other is that weird stuff that grows on the top of our heads: our hair!

I mean, really think about it. Isn’t it strange that we have it?

Adjectives for Hair Type

Curly
Like this:Wavy

More like this:

Straight
Last one:

Remember — all of these are used to describe hair, not people.

So say, “He’s got curly hair.”

Not “He’s curly.” That just sounds very weird.

Adjectives for Hair Length

Bald
No hair at all.

It’s all gone.

You’re getting old, mate.

Use this with the person as the subject:

“You’re bald, man! Deal with it!”

Closely-cropped
Very short hair.

So short that you almost look bald.

“He’s got closely-cropped hair. It doesn’t suit him at all.”

Shaved
No hair at all.

But this time by choice. Because you shaved it off.

We use this with “have” or “have got”:

“Since he joined the army, he’s had a shaved head.”

Balding
Not bald. But you will be soon!

Like with “bald,” the person is the subject here: “He’s balding.”

Shoulder-length
Hair down to your shoulders.

We can also have waist-length hair and even knee-length hair.

This one is used with “have” or “have got,” too:

“When I was a kid, I had knee-length hair. I kept falling on it. Very annoying.”

Adjectives for Hair Styles

Dreaded
In a lot of languages, the word for this is “rasta.” Think of Bob Marley.  Just so you know, it’s more common to use the noun:

“She’s got dreads.”

Afro
Very thick, very curly hair in a rounded shape.

Very popular in the 1970s, but I’ve noticed it’s becoming popular again.

Here’s a good dose of afro:

Gelled
When you add gel to your hair.

You know, that sticky stuff that you can use to style your hair.

Slicked-back
When you use gel or oil to comb your hair back.

Parted
When you’ve divided the hair into two parts. You can have a centre parting or a side parting (or “part” in U.S. English).

Spiky
When your hair is gelled up into spikes. Easy to draw. So I did:

Adjectives for Hair Colour

Dyed (red, green, etc.)
Maybe you don’t like your hair colour?

Well, no problem — go out, buy some dye and dye your hair.

You can have dyed green hair, dyed red hair or just dyed black hair.

And why not?

Bleached
Or maybe you want something brighter?

Bleach your hair!

This is when you use peroxide to lighten it.

Maybe you’ll end up looking like Courtney Love. Maybe not:

Highlighted
Perhaps you don’t want to bleach all of it?

Maybe you just want some of it bleached — in lines (or “streaks”).

Then get it highlighted.

Greying
We have to face the truth!

Sooner or later our hair goes grey.

I’m happy with that.

But that bit in the middle? When it’s half grey, half not grey?

That’s a bit annoying. That’s greying hair.

Ginger
“Ginger” is a way of describing people with naturally orange (“red”) hair.

Strawberry blonde
Light red.

But usually a euphemism for ginger.

Mousy brown
A sort of brown, but a sort of pale brown. Like this:

Adjectives for Hair Condition

Greasy
You know when someone hasn’t washed their hair for a long time?

You run your fingers through it, and you need to wash your hands immediately.

Eugh. Greasy.

Shiny
Hair that reflects lots of light.

You know those unrealistically shiny people with unrealistically shiny teeth and unrealistically shiny hair on shampoo adverts? That.

Adjectives for Age

We can’t deny it. We’re all getting older.

Thirtyish
About thirty. You can do the same with other ages: “sixtyish,” “sixteenish.” In fact, while we’re here, you can do this with times, too: “Let’s meet at Wimbledon at ten-ish.”

Young
You know this, right? But when do you stop being young? This is quite subjective I guess. My answer is NEVER!

Youngish
This is a great way to describe someone who’s sort of young, but maybe hitting middle age. Hard to tell. Youngish!

Middle-aged
It surprises me how different everyone’s answers are to this. Personally, I think it’s 40. From 40, you’re middle-aged. There you go — I’ve just decided for everyone.

Old
But when does middle age end and “old” begin? I don’t know. You’ll have to ask someone older than me.

Elderly
It’s not very polite to describe people as “old.” So we invented this nice, polite, respectful word.

In his early 40s
OK. This is a neat trick to describe people’s ages when you don’t know exactly how old they are. There’s a simple formula for this:

“Jerry? Oh, he’s in his mid-sixties.”

“You know that guy in the office in his early twenties? He just quit.”

“She’s pregnant? I thought she was in her fifties!”

Other Appearance Adjectives

There are a few adjectives to describe appearance that don’t really fit into any category, but I couldn’t just leave them out as they’re pretty useful.

Here they are!

Spotty
You know those red spots many unfortunate teenagers get on their face? Technically the condition is called acne, but we usually just say “spots.” I was one of those unfortunate teenagers.

Clean-shaven
Without a beard. But for a guy, not a woman.

Pierced
We usually use this word to describe someone who has a noticeably large number of piercings.

Tattooed
Someone with a lot of tattoos.

Hairy
Lots of hair! Everywhere! Even on the back and the back of the hands!

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Hooray! 72 adjectives to describe appearance!

So let’s have fun with these.

Think about your best friend.

Done that? Good. Now tell me — what does (s)he look like?

Answers in the comments! Best description gets a free virtual cake.

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Different Ways of Describing People in English

Why Describe Someone?

We describe people all the time. For example, you might tell your friends what your boss is like. You might tell your sister what that cute guy you saw looks like.

Even outside of everyday conversations, it’s very useful to know how to describe people. Descriptions are used a lot in books, in articles and in other kinds of communication in English. Reading or hearing a description of someone can give you a better idea of what they look like or act like.

What Are the Different Ways to Describe People?

Let’s say you want to describe a friend, a family member or a boss. You will probably use a few kinds of information.

Appearance is what someone looks like on the outside.

Mannerisms are the ways that someone acts or behaves.

Character traits are the little things that make someone who they are. In other words, they make up someone’s personality.

Emotions are what someone feels at a certain time.

In this post, we’ll go over useful vocabulary for describing all of these.

You will see this vocabulary used a lot in conversations and online.

But first…

Being Polite

Some ways of describing people are polite and respectful. Other ways can be considered rude.

For example, saying someone is full-bodied or curvy is nicer than saying that they are fat. However, if you have to think of a nicer way to say something, maybe it’s better not to say it at all.

Use judgment and common sense. Think about how you would feel if you heard someone using the same words to describe you.

4 Useful Ways of Describing People in English

1. Describing someone’s appearance

To describe someone’s appearance, you will often use adjectives. An adjective is a kind of word that describes a noun (a person, place or thing).

Here are some words and phrases you can use to describe a person’s appearance.

Some of them are synonyms, or words that mean almost or exactly the same thing. Knowing more than one way of saying something is very helpful when describing people.

·         To describe someone’s height, you can say they are tall or short. Tall people are higher than short people. Someone who is thin and tall can be called lanky. To say someone is short and also small, you can say they are petite. If you’re talking about a child, they might be pint-sized.

·         Someone who weighs more than average can be curvy, well-built, full-bodied or heavy. (Curvy is usually only used to describe women.) You might also say someone has some meat on their bones. This is a casual way of saying they are overweight, and it might seem rude to someone sensitive. The opposite of overweight can be thin, slim or skinny.

·         Light, yellowish hair can be described as blonde. But you can also call a person who has that kind of hair a blonde. (This means blonde can be used as a noun or an adjective.) A person with dark hair can be called a brunette. Someone with red hair can be called a redhead. 

·         Besides what color someone’s hair is, you also can say they are short-haired or long-haired. You can say they have curly, straight or wavy hair. Sometimes hair can also be frizzy, which is when it looks puffy with small, tight curls. If someone has no hair at all on their head, they are bald.

·         Men sometimes have hair on their faces. Hair that covers the chin and cheeks is called a beard. When there’s hair only above the lips it’s a moustache. A beard that’s only on the chin can be called a goatee. None of these are adjectives. They are all nouns. To describe someone with a beard, you would say, “He has a beard.”

·         How does a person look overall? If you think a woman is attractive, you can say she is beautiful, pretty or maybe even gorgeous (very beautiful). You can call an attractive man handsome. Both men and women can be good-looking. If you’re speaking very casually, good-looking men or women can be hot. To say someone is not very good-looking, you can say they are not much to look at. This is not a nice way to describe someone, but it’s better than ugly.

·         If someone dresses well, they are smartly dressed or they look smart. You can also just say they are well-dressed. If someone dresses fashionably, they are stylish or trendy. If someone has bad taste in clothes, you can say they’re unfashionable. A less nice way to say this is frumpy.

2. Describing someone’s mannerisms

Someone’s mannerisms are the way they act or speak. When you speak, do you move your arms a lot? Do you touch your hair or bite your lip? All these things are mannerisms.

Since mannerisms are usually actions, they are often described by phrases with verbs (action words).

Here are some common mannerisms you might use to describe people:

·         Many people have mannerisms that appear when they’re feeling negative (bad) emotions. If someone feels nervous or impatient, for example, they might tap their fingers, crack their knuckles, bite their fingernails or chew the tips of their pencils.

·         Sometimes people don’t even notice that they twirl their hair around their finger. Other times mannerisms are deliberate (on purpose). For example, someone might roll their eyes to show that they’re being sarcastic (not serious).

·         When a person thinks hard about something, they sometimes tilt their head to the side or even stick out their tongue.

·         You can sometimes tell someone is annoyed if they rub the back of their neck, sigh a lot or clench their hands.

3. Describing someone’s character

A person’s character is their personality, who they are on the inside. When you talk about someone, you might mention what they are like as a person.

Here are some ways to do that:

·         We all know people who are nice and kind. They are a pleasure to be with and always seem to be smiling. These people are usually also friendly and generous. People who are generous like to help others by giving them things. Someone who is the opposite of nice is mean. Mean people can be unpleasant, nasty or vicious. Hopefully you don’t know anyone like this!

·         Some people always show respect to others, which makes them polite and well-mannered. Someone who doesn’t care about other’s feelings or rules is rude and impolite. If they use bad language, you can say they are vulgar or obscene.

·         Someone smart is intelligent or clever. If they are smart because of age or experience, they can be called wise. Someone who is not very intelligent could be dumb or slow, but a slightly nicer way to say that is that they’re not too bright.

·         How does the person you’re describing deal with difficult situations? Some people get angry easily. They are hot-headed. Others are calmand sensible and look at everything in a relaxed way. Others go right from being calm to being mad. They are moody.

·         To describe a person who does not like to go out or be with people much, you can use the word introvert. If that person doesn’t talk a lot and doesn’t seem comfortable around others, they might be shy. People who love company and parties are extroverts. They are often easy-going, meaning not much bothers them.

·         Someone who tries hard to do big things is ambitious. They might also be resourceful. Resourceful people use everything they can to help them reach a goal. Someone who is happy with what they have can be called content or fulfilled. None of these are bad things to be.

·         If a person is good at making people laugh, they are funny. If they’re funny in a clever (smart) way, they’re witty. Some people don’t like to laugh a lot, and are very serious instead. Sometimes serious people can seem boring.

·         Arrogant, conceited people are not fun to be around because they act like they are better than you. They can be show-offs, meaning they try to make you see how great they are. Modest people don’t show off how great they are, even if they’re awesome!

4. Describing someone’s feelings

People’s feelings are always changing. You can be happy one moment, and then hear some bad news and become sad.

You always know how you feel, but it isn’t always easy to tell how someone else is feeling. You can look at how someone is speaking or even how they’re sitting to understand how they feel. When you’re not sure how someone feels, you can say they might be feeling something. You can also say someone looks like they’re feeling a certain way. These phrases show that you might be wrong.

For example, you can say, “I’m mad” when you’re talking about yourself. But you might say “He looks mad,” when you’re talking about another person. This makes sense if this person is yelling into his phone with his face red and his fists clenched (all signs that someone is mad!).

You can use these words to talk about how someone is feeling, how they were feeling before or how they might feel in the future.

·         There are so many ways to say that someone is happy! They can be elated, exuberant, cheerful, delighted or even ecstatic (very, very happy). Someone sad might be described as melancholy, miserable (very sad) or out of sorts.

·         When something makes a person mad, they become angry or fed up. Someone very angry is furious or livid. Stay away from those people!

·         We all feel like we have too much to deal with sometimes. This can make us stressed and anxious. New or scary things can make us nervous. Once that stress is gone, you can feel tranquil or serene, which are other ways of saying relaxed.

·         Did the person you’re describing get enough sleep last night? If not, they might look tired or worn out. If they look extremely tired, they might be exhausted. Sleeping well makes a person look well-rested.

·         If someone looks like they’re not interested in what’s going on around them, they might seem bored. If they’re very interested, you might say they’re enthusiastic.

If you’re ever stuck trying to think of a different way to say a word, look it up in a thesaurus like this one!

A thesaurus lists both synonyms and antonyms (words that have an opposite meaning). It’s a great way to discover new words and more ways of describing people. Another especially good thesaurus resource is Visual Thesaurus, which is like a thesaurus that’s also a map. It shows you the connections between related words. This is great for helping you choose the very best adjective to describe someone.

So, how would you describe yourself?

 

How to describe objects(ACADEMIC WRITING SKILLS)

How to describe objects

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Learning English means hearing many new words you've never come across before. When you talking to someone and say a word you don't know it's important for you to find out what it is. Here's how we can ask for the meaning of a noun and how we can describe objects. This exercise will help you learn a few useful expressions as well as reviewing your vocabulary. How many of these objects do you know?

What's a pen? It's something we use to write with.

What's a balloon? It's a brightly coloured rubber bag that gets bigger when filled with air or gas. They are used as party decorations.

What's a spoon? It's the thing we use to stir your coffee / it's the thing we use to eat soup with.

What's a telescope? It's the tube shaped object we use to see the stars or things that are far away.

What's a lawn-mover? It's the thing we use to cut grass.

What's a giraffe? It's an African animal that has a very long neck.

Is there an objects that is unique to your country or culture that native English-speakers might not know. What is it's name and what is it used for? Write a sentence describing this object in the comments area.

Now read through these questions and decide which objects are being described:

·         1) What's a stamp?

It's the object you wear on your wrist that shows you the time.
It's the small piece of paper we put on letters before we send them.
It's the thing you wear around our waists to keep our trousers up.

·         2) It's the spicy, dark powder that's made from crushed seeds we use to flavour food.

What's sugar
What's pepper?
What's salt?

·         3) It's the school subject where you learn about the past.

What's biology
What's history?
What's geography?

·         4) What's a plate?

It's the coloured liquid we use to change the colour of walls.
It's the flying vehicle that has an engine and wings.
It's the flat round object we put food on.

·         5) Scissors are the things we use to ___.

glue paper
fold paper
cut paper

·         6) A ___ a small creature with a long , soft body and a round shell.

shark
spider
snail
snake

·         7) A stethoscope is the thing a doctor uses to ____.

listen to your heart
check your weight
look inside your ears