descriptive essay on the color red

How to Describe the Color Red? A Complete Guide!

Describing the color red involves understanding its multiple shades and variations, its emotional and cultural significances, and its role in nature, art, and communication.

Red is a complex color that carries different meanings and signals in various contexts.

For instance, it can symbolize love, danger, power, or passion. In nature, red often signifies ripe fruits or caution, while in art and design, it can draw attention and stir emotions.

To describe red effectively:

In terms of describing red, one must consider its multifaceted nature, taking into account its shades, emotional resonance, and cultural symbolism.

Table of Contents

Key Takeaway

The symbolism of red.

The symbolism of red’s associations with passion, power, and danger has been widely recognized across cultures and throughout history.

In fashion, the color red is often used to convey boldness, confidence, and sensuality.
Red garments are commonly worn to make a powerful statement and evoke strong emotions.
The psychological effects of red are intriguing; it can increase heart rate and create a sense of urgency, making it an attention-grabbing color. Moreover, red can also stimulate appetite and encourage action.
Its symbolism in fashion extends beyond clothing, influencing accessories, makeup, and even branding.

Understanding the psychological impact of red allows for innovative and strategic use of the color in various industries, harnessing its power to captivate and provoke desired responses from individuals.

Shades and Variations of Red

Amidst the myriad of shades and variations of red, from crimson to scarlet, each hue evokes distinct emotions and carries unique cultural associations.

Differentiating hues of red can be crucial in understanding their various impacts.
The variations in tones, from deep burgundy to vibrant cherry, play a significant role in red color psychology.
For instance, darker reds tend to convey a sense of power and elegance, while brighter reds exude energy and passion.
Furthermore, cultural connotations associated with red can differ widely. In some cultures, red symbolizes luck and prosperity, while in others, it may signify danger or revolution.
Understanding the nuances of these variations is essential in effectively leveraging the emotional impact of red in diverse contexts.

Emotional Impact of Red

Exploring the emotional impact of red reveals its profound influence on human perception and behavior.

When delving into this topic, it becomes evident that the color red evokes a range of psychological effects and physiological reactions.

Its symbolic associations and cultural meanings further contribute to its powerful influence.

The emotional impact of red can be characterized by:

Eliciting feelings of passion and intensity
Increasing heart rate and raising blood pressure
Symbolizing love, anger, and courage
Stimulating appetite and portraying danger
Signifying luck, prosperity, and happiness in various cultures

Understanding the profound emotional impact of red provides insights into its significance in art, design, and human interaction. This paves the way for an exploration of its cultural and historical significance.

Cultural and Historical Significance

The color red holds immense cultural and historical significance. It is particularly notable for its symbolism in art, its role in various rituals, and its use in historical red dyes.

In art, the color red has been used to represent passion and love. It has also been a symbol of danger and power. Throughout different cultures and time periods, red has played a pivotal role in artistic expression.
Similarly, red has been an integral part of various rituals and ceremonies. It signifies different meanings and emotions in different societies.
Whether it is used to represent purity, vitality, or spirituality, red holds a significant place in religious and cultural practices.
Furthermore, the historical significance of red dyes and pigments sheds light on the practical and symbolic importance of this color throughout human history.

Red dyes were highly sought after and used for a variety of purposes, from clothing and textiles to decorative arts.

Symbolism in Art

Symbolism in art has long played a crucial role in conveying cultural and historical significance through the use of color, including the color red.

When it comes to the representation of the color red in paintings, the following aspects are worth noting:

Passion and Love: Red often symbolizes intense emotions such as love, passion, and desire.
Power and Strength: In many cultures, red represents power, strength, and vitality.
Danger and Warning: The color red is commonly used to convey danger and warning in art.
Revolution and Change : Red has been historically associated with revolution, rebellion, and societal change.
Spirituality and Religion : In various religious and spiritual contexts, red symbolizes sacredness and divine energy.

Understanding the symbolism of red in art provides insight into the depth and complexity of cultural and historical narratives. This significance transitions seamlessly into exploring the role of red in rituals.

Red in Rituals

With a rich cultural and historical significance, the color red holds a prominent role in various rituals across different societies and time periods.

Red is commonly associated with weddings, symbolizing love, passion, and good fortune in many cultures. In spirituality, red holds different meanings, often symbolizing energy, strength, and vitality.

Below is a table highlighting the significance of the color red in different rituals:

The color red plays a vital role in rituals, portraying deep cultural and historical meanings that continue to influence societies worldwide.

Historical Red Dyes

Red dyes have held significant cultural and historical importance throughout various civilizations and time periods. The use of natural pigments to dye ancient textiles has left a lasting impact on human history.

Here are five key points showcasing the historical significance of red dyes:

Ancient Egyptian use of madder root for red dye
The vibrant red hues in traditional Chinese silk production
The extraction of red dye from cochineal insects in Central and South America
The use of lac insects in India to produce crimson red dyes
The historical significance of Tyrian purple dye derived from sea snails in ancient Mediterranean civilizations

These natural dyes have not only adorned textiles but also played a pivotal role in cultural expression and commerce.

Describing Red in Nature

The vibrant hue of red can be found in the petals of roses, the plumage of cardinals, and the ripened skins of apples.

Nature’s red palette extends beyond these familiar examples. Vibrant flowers like poppies and tulips boast striking red petals that captivate the eye. Fiery sunsets paint the sky with shades of crimson, creating a mesmerizing spectacle.

Below is a table showcasing additional instances of red in nature:

These examples underscore the diverse and captivating presence of red in the natural world, inspiring awe and wonder.

Red in Art and Design

An array of vibrant red hues is prominent in various artistic and design expressions, adding depth and intensity to visual compositions.

Red in art and design is not only visually striking but also holds significant meaning and impact.

Color psychology : Explore the psychological effects of using red in art and design, from evoking passion and energy to creating a sense of urgency and excitement.
Color associations : Delve into the cultural and historical associations of red, from its representation of love and romance to power and courage.
Innovative use of red : Discover how contemporary artists and designers are pushing boundaries with the use of red, creating provocative and thought-provoking pieces.
Red in branding : Understand the strategic use of red in branding and marketing to convey strength, passion, and vitality.
Red in interior design : Learn how red can be used to create dynamic and stimulating spaces, from accent pieces to bold, statement walls.

Using Red in Communication

A powerful tool in conveying emotions and messages, the color red is strategically utilized in various forms of communication, from advertising to visual storytelling.

Red marketing is a technique that leverages the psychological impact of the color red to evoke strong emotions such as passion, excitement, and urgency.
In branding, red is often used to create a bold and dynamic visual identity, drawing attention and creating a memorable impression.
Its association with energy and power makes it a popular choice for logos and marketing materials.

Whether used sparingly to highlight important elements or as the dominant color to command attention, red in communication serves to captivate and engage audiences, leaving a lasting impact on the viewer’s perception of the brand or message.

The color red holds deep symbolism, emotional impact, and cultural significance. It is found in nature, art, and design, and is used in communication to evoke strong emotions.

Understanding the various shades and variations of red can provide insight into its diverse meanings and associations across different cultures and historical contexts.

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An Essay on My Favourite Colour Red [PDF]

Hello readers, I hope you are doing well, today we came with new essay presentation named essay on red color.

Essay on My Favourite Colour Red feature image

Strong. Power. Anger.

All these remind me of my favourite colour. Red is the colour of the lava when a volcano erupts. It is the colour that is used to show if something is spicy or when something is hot.

Spotting any red clothes makes some bulls behave in a crazy manner. Red is a primary colour that can be mixed with other colours and used to create other colours. Some think that the people who really like the colour red are leaders, loving, get angry fast, can be shy and they are very strong.

The colour red is used to celebrate in a number of festivals as well. We start our year off with valentine’s day, it is a festival of love and friendship. On Valentine’s day, you can see red-coloured gifts and decorations everywhere.

From red roses to red hearts and red teddy bears to red cards, you have it all. And at the end of our year, we celebrate with Christmas. From Santa Clause’s red and white clothes and the red berries, we find on the mistletoe plant used to decorate to Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, red can be seen everywhere.

In Spain, the towns are painted red every year during the festival of tomatoes, were ripe and unripe tomatoes are smashed and thrown from person to person to celebrate another year of harvest.

Red as a colour has been used a lot around the world in different cultures and kingdoms by the royal families. Red also shows a feeling of pride. While in general red means loss or the colour of blood, in earlier days it was used for special titles and made from natural resources.

In ancient Egypt and ancient Mexico, people used red paint to decorate themselves before any celebration. In ancient Europe, the Greeks and the Romans celebrated after winning wars by painting the bodies of their army generals red to show that they are brave and courageous.

Coming east, Earlier in China, red was the only colour allowed to be used to colour works of pottery and to paint and decorate the royal palaces and special gates in and around China.

During earlier years in France, red was the colour most used to colours the clothes of the rich and royal families. Hence, the colour red could not be used by other people and other families.

After that, around the year 1900, red colour was made out of chemicals, after which the colour red stopped being made out of natural substances. Red as colour shows courage, danger, and sacrifice due to its relation to blood. The colour red is used to show feelings such as Anger, madness, rage, love, confusion, and joy.

Meanwhile, In Asia, countries like India, China, and others, say that red means good fortune and luck and are used in their festivals such as lunar new year and Durga puja with the colour red.

Though I have changed a lot growing up, red remains my favourite colour even after all this time. Growing up, I would see red for bad characters as most of my cartoons and comics showed the villains and demons being red in colour. But I do not think the same thing so my love for the colour stays. Among so many colours, no other colour is as useful and strong as red.

It also means that a person who likes red can be a proud person and they can be rude also. Though some people think it is not a nice colour, it describes me as a person perfectly.

Having grown up with red cars and red watches to now owning red shoes and red caps. Though every other part of my life may change, I will love réd forever. As a child, I always dreamed about using a red pen that is used by teachers.

Some people say it is a bad colour, some say it is a good colour. But for me, it is my all-time favourite colour.

How was the essay on Colour Red? I hope you enjoyed reading the essay if so do comment your thoughts below in the comment section.

Read More Essay on My Favourite Color Pink Essay on My Favourite Color Orange

Meaning of the Color Red Essay

Introduction.

Color is a mark that gives the expression of anything that is seen by our physical eyes. In the ancient times, color was used to pass a message to the public since this was the only way people could express their identity due to lack of some factors like education. Color means a lot many people. Some colors are used to pass across messages to the public hence making it one of the most important marks in life.

According to me, color plays a great role in displaying my personality. Wearing a fabric that has my favorite color makes me feel complete. Anytime I fail to display my favorite color, I always feel incomplete. Color in general is the outlook of something that conveys a message to the viewers. A particular color can be used to carry across a certain message or have a specific meaning. An example is the red color, which for a long time has been used to symbolize different occurrences in life.

One particular thing that the red color red is associated with is demonstrating emotions. It is for this reason that you find red color used in places like restaurants as it is perceived to motivate and add appetite to people. Red color is also associated with showing affection. People associate red color with love hence the reason why many roses are red. It is also associated with war and therefore you find red color used to simplify the blood shed during times of war. Since human blood is in this color, we can confidently say that red depicts procreation.

In many cultures, red color is really recognized by some people as they believe that red is power. For this reason, they grant their celebrities and VIPs anything red as a symbol of honor. This color also stands for hazard and emergency and therefore you find it used by drivers for stop lights. These red lights bring about awareness and observant to the drivers incase of any danger.

In other cultures, red is used to stand for joy, donate transparency, and merriment. Red color brings about joy and prosperity in various countries like China. The Chinese people therefore put the color in some places to depict good luck. Red is frequently the color for the brides in the East as well as a color for mourners in South Africa.

A red flag was also used by the Russia when overthrowing the Tsar. Because of this, red became associated with socialism. Many countries use color red in their flags as it signifies the blood of the people. According to Christianity, red stands for the blood that was shed by Jesus on the cross in order to receive the peace and salvation they enjoy today.

Colors have great significance in the lives of many people. A particular color can be associated with certain things in different parts of the world. One color that has been outstanding is the color red. From love to royalty, the color red is significant to almost each one of us. Although this color has different meanings to different people, one thing that stands out is that the color is used to depict good things in life. Due to this, it has become one of the most popular colors in history.

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Seeing Red: What Writers Should Know About Color

Colorful painting of a small road by a bunch of trees

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.

About Author

Annie Weatherwax graduated from Rhode Island School of Design and earned a living sculpting superheroes and cartoon characters for Nickelodeon, DC Comics, Pixar and others. She has written on the link between visual art and literature including for Publishers Weekly and The New York Times. Winner of the Robert Olen Butler Prize for fiction, her short stories have appeared in The Sun Magazine, The Southern Review, and elsewhere. Her debut novel, All We Had, was published by Scribner. Now a major motion picture from Tribeca Films, All We Had was directed by and stars Katie Holmes.

Essays About Colors: Top 5 Examples Plus Prompts

Color allows us to see the world in all its natural beauty. If you are writing essays about colors, you can start by reading some essay examples.

Almost everyone has gotten a glimpse of the wonders of colors, but what are they? To be precise, color is scientifically defined as “ the aspect of things that is caused by differing qualities of light being reflected or emitted by them .” When light shines on objects, it reflects, producing different shades of light and allowing us to see and differentiate colors.

Colors are powerful tools that can make or break how we view things. They are essential factors in inspiring the solitude of a small forest, the intimidation that a volcano provokes, and the sheer mystery of the deep ocean. They help us know when to “stop” and “go” on the road and which plants and animals are toxic. Most cannot imagine a world without color because of its near-essential role in our lives.

To start writing essays about colors, look at some of our top essay examples below.

1. An Essay on Color by Melih Mert

2. the wonder of nature’s colors by kelly johnson, 3. the power of color by kerry nash.

4. World without colour by Ella Gray
5. The Meaning Behind the Many Colors of India’s Holi Festival by Victoria Finlay

1. Favorite Colors

2. colour blindness: what is it and how does it affect people, 3. how does color impact perception, 4. the use of color in culture and religion, 5. art and colors.

“Each color conceals a story. Some virtuous and sensitive eyes see the truth through them, while others see rage, anger, and all the evils dictated by the alter ego. Colors carry such feelings as anger and hope, and symbolize such concepts as sinfulness and innocence. They are abused or sacrificed, and widely preferred or despised.”

This essay gives readers a brief overview of color, starting with a basic definition. Next, Mert discusses human responses to colors, the meaning of colors in different cultures, and the use of colors in different religions, governments, and organizations. To an extent, different colors evoke different emotions and qualities and can be used to control people’s perceptions.

“Mother Nature’s palette is one of the most magical because it is perfectly suited to every circumstance. It is beautifully ever-changing, with the seasons, time of day, and geographic region. A bright yellow flower signals insects to come pollinate, while a bright red flower attracts hummingbirds. A blue sky tells us no need for an umbrella, while green grass tempts us to remove our shoes and enjoy the cool softness. The mysterious power of color affects every aspect of this bio-diverse world.”

Johnson opens a children’s outdoor activity tutorial with this essay, in which she discusses how colors contribute to nature’s beauty. Color affects our mood, so it is no surprise that nature’s bright, satisfying color palette is perfect for kids to enjoy. She also briefly explains the importance of introducing children to color- it sparks creativity and increases their awareness.

“In conclusion, color is life and as matter of fact, it is everything. It determines the mood anyone could have within those inner rooms. Therefore, it is imperative that while trying to set up either of your living room, bedroom, kitchen or dining room, the right color combinations are used. These will not only make those rooms attractive, but also determine the level of productivity that could occur there.”

In Nash’s essay, she elaborates on the importance of color choice, particularly in interior design. Specific colors make a room feel more spacious, relaxing, and luxurious, and different colors work well for different rooms. Nash suggests some color combinations and their supposed effects on humans and reminds us that color choices can “make or break” a house.

4. World without colour by Ella Gray

“We’d lose all sight for which was which, basically normal organisms wouldn’t be able to tell the difference from one thing to another resulting in chaos. Emotionally and Mentally: Our world would seem depressing and very dark and disturbing. Some would enjoy this, while others would not because a world without colors means a world with no life. We basically need colors to help us get through the day and without them…life would be sad.”

Gray speculates on what the world would be like if we could not see colors- we would not be able to distinguish objects from one another as well. She also gives several examples of the beauty of color, including in landscapes, animals, cosmetics, and clothing. Her essay reveals how we take our ability to see color for granted, as we do not realize how depressing a world without color would be.

5. The Meaning Behind the Many Colors of India’s Holi Festival by Victoria Finlay

“You might say something similar about how colors work in India. On the surface, they provide pleasure as well as useful signals of tradition and ritual. But if we’re attentive, colors in India also remind us of that which is easy to forget: the evasive nature of matter, and of our own special relationship with light, whatever that light may be.”

In her essay, Finlay reflects on the Indian festival of Holi and its prominent use of color. She describes the beauty she encounters as she watches the festival and explains the religious context of the festival. She explains the different colors used, such as yellow, blue, and indigo, and their meanings in Indian culture. Colors are significant in Indian culture and remind us of light, whether actual light or the “light” of the divine entities the Indians honor.

Writing Prompts On Essays about Colors

Plain and simple, you can write your essay about your favorite color. Explain why it is your favorite, what it means to you, and how you feel when you see it- perhaps you associate it with specific memories or people. Your essay should include personal anecdotes based on your own opinion.

Color blindness is a phenomenon in which people have difficulty telling the difference between specific colors. Do some research on the topic and discuss the impacts that color blindness has on people. If you are color blind, reflect on how you see color, but if you are not, you must base your essay on the online experiences of color blind people.

From room interiors to clothing to animals, color can make a striking difference in the way we perceive things. Think of examples in which something’s color impacts your impressions of it, and explain how other colors or combinations may change your perception. You can give either one example or multiple, but be sure to explain it in sufficient detail.

For your essay, write about a cultural or religious tradition involving color. It can be an art form, festival, ritual, or anything else you can find, including Holi, the festival discussed in Finlay’s essay. Write about the cultural significance of colors in this tradition; you can also include a brief reflection on the tradition and colors.

Similarly, you can write about the impact color has on a work of art. Choose a painting, photograph, film, or anything else, and analyze the color choices. Write about the role color plays in work- explain its effect on the viewers and how it could make them feel.

For help with this topic, read our guide explaining “what is persuasive writing ?”

Tip: If writing an essay sounds like a lot of work, simplify it. Write a simple 5 paragraph essay instead.

Martin is an avid writer specializing in editing and proofreading. He also enjoys literary analysis and writing about food and travel.

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Beloved — The Symbolism of The Red Color in “Beloved”

The Symbolism of The Red Color in "Beloved"

Categories: Beloved Symbolism

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10 of the Best Poems about the Colour Red

Selected by Dr Oliver Tearle

Previously, we offered a selection of the best green poems . Green is the colour of spring, of new shoots and lush leaves: the colour of nature. But there’s another side to nature – nature ‘red in tooth and claw’ as Tennyson memorably put it – so it comes as little surprise to find that there are many fine poems about the colour red, that colour of passion, violence, lust, love, and much else. Here are ten of the very best red poems.

William Blake, ‘ The Sick Rose ’. All is not well in paradise: addressing the red rose, Blake (1757-1827) tells the flower that the ‘invisible worm’ has ‘found out thy bed / Of crimson joy: / And his dark secret love /Does thy life destroy.’ What the ‘dark secret love’ of this worm is precisely, Blake doesn’t say, leaving us with a richly symbolic poem where ‘crimson joy’ has a range of connotations.

Robert Burns, ‘ A Red, Red Rose ’.

O my Luve is like a red, red rose That’s newly sprung in June; O my Luve is like the melody That’s sweetly played in tune …

Possibly based on a traditional lyric, this poem – also sometimes called ‘My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose’ – is one of the most widely anthologised love poems in English. Bob Dylan called it his single biggest inspiration . And did the final two lines inspire The Proclaimers to write ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’? One cannot choose but wonder. Unlike the Blake poem above, it’s not about an actual red rose, but instead compares the poet’s sweetheart to the beautiful red flower.

Now sleeps the crimson petal, now the white; Nor waves the cypress in the palace walk; Nor winks the gold fin in the porphyry font. The firefly wakens; waken thou with me …

This short fourteen-line song from Tennyson’s long narrative poem or ‘medley’, The Princess , is a (loose) version of the Persial ghazal form, and earns its place on this list not least thanks to its images of passion and lust, beginning with that summoning of the ‘crimson petal’. Here, Tennyson offers a sensual, even erotic love poem whose ‘fire-fly’ evokes the burning passion of the speaker, while the reference to Danaë suggests sexual union through its reference to Zeus’s coupling with Danaë, with the Greek god disguised as a shower of gold.

Emily Dickinson, ‘ A Lady red – amid the Hill ’.

A Lady red – amid the Hill Her annual secret keeps! A Lady white, within the Field In placid Lily sleeps!

The tidy Breezes, with their Brooms— Sweep vale—and hill—and tree! Prithee, My pretty Housewives! Who may expected be …

Did Emily Dickinson anticipate Chris de Burgh? Here we have not a lady in red but a red lady – but what does the red and white symbolism mean in this cryptic poem? That ‘Lily’ provides a clue: the ‘Lady red’ is the tulip, while the ‘Lady white’ is the lily. This is a poem about the coming of spring , using these two flowers as a focal point.

Rainer Maria Rilke, ‘ Child in Red ’. The Bohemian-Austrian writer Rilke was much possessed by childhood. ‘Child in Red’ is about a girl in a red dress whose movements as she walks and runs through the town attract the delight of everyone who sees her. No matter what happens in her future life, Rilke tenderly reflects, she will remember this happiness and this moment in her red dress.

William Carlos Williams, ‘ The Red Wheelbarrow ’. It may be just sixteen words long, and consist of eight short lines, but ‘The Red Wheelbarrow’ by William Carlos Williams has generated more commentary than many longer twentieth-century poems . Quite what Williams meant the poem to ‘mean’ – is this even the right way of framing it? – has eluded critics for nearly a century, but it can be read as a poem about redness: the redness of the wheelbarrow, the way the light glints on it at a particular moment, being filled with significance which only the poet notices.

Robert Graves, ‘ Double Red Daisies ’. In the First World War, during the Battle of the Somme, Robert Graves was declared dead. He was, thankfully, still alive, and went on to live until 1985. After the end of the war, Graves published Fairies and Fusiliers , a collection of poems written during the war. This light poem about red daisies is songlike, childlike, and a world away from the grim and tragic horrors symbolised by the red poppies of No Man’s Land.

Claude McKay, ‘ A Red Flower ’.

Your lips are like a southern lily red, Wet with the soft rain-kisses of the night, In which the brown bee buries deep its head, When still the dawn’s a silver sea of light.

Your lips betray the secret of your soul, The dark delicious essence that is you, A mystery of life, the flaming goal I seek through mazy pathways strange and new …

McKay (1889-1948) was a Jamaican poet who was an important part of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s. In this poem, McKay offers an altogether more sensuous take on a woman’s red lips than Burns’s more innocent song from over a century before: ‘Your lips are like a southern lily red, / Wet with the soft rain-kisses of the night, / In which the brown bee buries deep its head, / When still the dawn’s a silver sea of light …’

Wilfred Owen, ‘ Greater Love ’.

Red lips are not so red As the stained stones kissed by the English dead. Kindness of wooed and wooer Seems shame to their love pure …

This classic war poem earns its place on this list for two reasons: one, for the redness of its unsettling opening lines (‘Red lips are not so red / As the stained stones kissed by the English dead’), and two, for being a moving poem about the sacrifice so many men made in the First World War, and a brilliant technical accomplishment. Unlike Graves’ poem above, this is a war poem, red in tooth and claw (and lips). Filled with, in Owen’s words, ‘the Pity of war’.

Sylvia Plath, ‘ Tulips ’. Written in March 1961, apparently after Plath was admitted to hospital for an appendectomy. The view of the world Plath describes in ‘Tulips’ is based around ideas of blankness and emptiness: Plath has, she tells us, given up her clothes to the nurses, her history to the anaesthetist, and her body to the surgeons. Running through the poem is the image of the tulips, which are ‘too red’.

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How to write a descriptive essay | Example & tips

How to Write a Descriptive Essay | Example & Tips

Published on July 30, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on August 14, 2023.

A descriptive essay gives a vivid, detailed description of something—generally a place or object, but possibly something more abstract like an emotion. This type of essay , like the narrative essay , is more creative than most academic writing .

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Descriptive essay topics, tips for writing descriptively, descriptive essay example, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about descriptive essays.

When you are assigned a descriptive essay, you’ll normally be given a specific prompt or choice of prompts. They will often ask you to describe something from your own experience.

Describe a place you love to spend time in.
Describe an object that has sentimental value for you.

You might also be asked to describe something outside your own experience, in which case you’ll have to use your imagination.

Describe the experience of a soldier in the trenches of World War I.
Describe what it might be like to live on another planet.

Sometimes you’ll be asked to describe something more abstract, like an emotion.

If you’re not given a specific prompt, try to think of something you feel confident describing in detail. Think of objects and places you know well, that provoke specific feelings or sensations, and that you can describe in an interesting way.

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The key to writing an effective descriptive essay is to find ways of bringing your subject to life for the reader. You’re not limited to providing a literal description as you would be in more formal essay types.

Make use of figurative language, sensory details, and strong word choices to create a memorable description.

Use figurative language

Figurative language consists of devices like metaphor and simile that use words in non-literal ways to create a memorable effect. This is essential in a descriptive essay; it’s what gives your writing its creative edge and makes your description unique.

Take the following description of a park.

This tells us something about the place, but it’s a bit too literal and not likely to be memorable.

If we want to make the description more likely to stick in the reader’s mind, we can use some figurative language.

Here we have used a simile to compare the park to a face and the trees to facial hair. This is memorable because it’s not what the reader expects; it makes them look at the park from a different angle.

You don’t have to fill every sentence with figurative language, but using these devices in an original way at various points throughout your essay will keep the reader engaged and convey your unique perspective on your subject.

Use your senses

Another key aspect of descriptive writing is the use of sensory details. This means referring not only to what something looks like, but also to smell, sound, touch, and taste.

Obviously not all senses will apply to every subject, but it’s always a good idea to explore what’s interesting about your subject beyond just what it looks like.

Even when your subject is more abstract, you might find a way to incorporate the senses more metaphorically, as in this descriptive essay about fear.

Choose the right words

Writing descriptively involves choosing your words carefully. The use of effective adjectives is important, but so is your choice of adverbs , verbs , and even nouns.

It’s easy to end up using clichéd phrases—“cold as ice,” “free as a bird”—but try to reflect further and make more precise, original word choices. Clichés provide conventional ways of describing things, but they don’t tell the reader anything about your unique perspective on what you’re describing.

Try looking over your sentences to find places where a different word would convey your impression more precisely or vividly. Using a thesaurus can help you find alternative word choices.

My cat runs across the garden quickly and jumps onto the fence to watch it from above.
My cat crosses the garden nimbly and leaps onto the fence to survey it from above.

However, exercise care in your choices; don’t just look for the most impressive-looking synonym you can find for every word. Overuse of a thesaurus can result in ridiculous sentences like this one:

My feline perambulates the allotment proficiently and capers atop the palisade to regard it from aloft.

An example of a short descriptive essay, written in response to the prompt “Describe a place you love to spend time in,” is shown below.

Hover over different parts of the text to see how a descriptive essay works.

On Sunday afternoons I like to spend my time in the garden behind my house. The garden is narrow but long, a corridor of green extending from the back of the house, and I sit on a lawn chair at the far end to read and relax. I am in my small peaceful paradise: the shade of the tree, the feel of the grass on my feet, the gentle activity of the fish in the pond beside me.

My cat crosses the garden nimbly and leaps onto the fence to survey it from above. From his perch he can watch over his little kingdom and keep an eye on the neighbours. He does this until the barking of next door’s dog scares him from his post and he bolts for the cat flap to govern from the safety of the kitchen.

With that, I am left alone with the fish, whose whole world is the pond by my feet. The fish explore the pond every day as if for the first time, prodding and inspecting every stone. I sometimes feel the same about sitting here in the garden; I know the place better than anyone, but whenever I return I still feel compelled to pay attention to all its details and novelties—a new bird perched in the tree, the growth of the grass, and the movement of the insects it shelters…

Sitting out in the garden, I feel serene. I feel at home. And yet I always feel there is more to discover. The bounds of my garden may be small, but there is a whole world contained within it, and it is one I will never get tired of inhabiting.

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The key difference is that a narrative essay is designed to tell a complete story, while a descriptive essay is meant to convey an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.

Narrative and descriptive essays both allow you to write more personally and creatively than other kinds of essays , and similar writing skills can apply to both.

If you’re not given a specific prompt for your descriptive essay , think about places and objects you know well, that you can think of interesting ways to describe, or that have strong personal significance for you.

The best kind of object for a descriptive essay is one specific enough that you can describe its particular features in detail—don’t choose something too vague or general.

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What is a Descriptive Essay? How to Write It (with Examples)

A descriptive essay is a type of creative writing that uses specific language to depict a person, object, experience, or event. The idea is to use illustrative language to show readers what the writer wants to convey – it could be as simple as a peaceful view from the top of a hill or as horrific as living in a war zone. By using descriptive language, authors can evoke a mental image in the readers’ minds, engaging readers and leaving a lasting impression, instead of just providing a play-by-play narrative.

Note that a description and descriptive essay are not the same thing. A descriptive essay typically consists of five or more well-written paragraphs with vivid imagery that can help readers visualize the content, as opposed to a description, which is typically one or more plain paragraphs with no particular structure or appeal. If you are still unsure about how to write a compelling descriptive essay, continue reading!

What is a descriptive essay, types of descriptive essay topics.

Characteristics of descriptive essays

How to write a descriptive essay using a structured outline

Frequently asked questions.

A simple descriptive essay definition is that it is a piece of writing that gives a thorough and vivid description of an object, person, experience, or situation. It is sometimes focused more on the emotional aspect of the topic rather than the specifics. The author’s intention when writing a descriptive essay is to help readers visualize the subject at hand. Generally, students are asked to write a descriptive essay to test their ability to recreate a rich experience with artistic flair. Here are a few key points to consider when you begin writing these.

Look for a fascinating subject

You might be assigned a topic for your descriptive essay, but if not, you must think of a subject that interests you and about which you know enough facts. It might be about an emotion, place, event, or situation that you might have experienced.

Acquire specific details about the topic

The next task is to collect relevant information about the topic of your choice. You should focus on including details that make the descriptive essay stand out and have a long-lasting impression on the readers. To put it simply, your aim is to make the reader feel as though they were a part of the experience in the first place, rather than merely describing the subject.

Be playful with your writing

To make the descriptive essay memorable, use figurative writing and imagery to lay emphasis on the specific aspect of the topic. The goal is to make sure that the reader experiences the content visually, so it must be captivating and colorful. Generally speaking, “don’t tell, show”! This can be accomplished by choosing phrases that evoke strong emotions and engage a variety of senses. Making use of metaphors and similes will enable you to compare different things. We will learn about them in the upcoming sections.

Capture all the different senses

Unlike other academic articles, descriptive essay writing uses sensory elements in addition to the main idea. In this type of essay writing, the topic is described by using sensory details such as smell, taste, feel, and touch. Example “ Mahira feels most at home when the lavender scent fills her senses as she lays on her bed after a long, tiring day at work . As the candle melts , so do her worries” . It is crucial to provide sensory details to make the character more nuanced and build intrigue to keep the reader hooked. Metaphors can also be employed to explain abstract concepts; for instance, “ A small act of kindness creates ripples that transcend oceans .” Here the writer used a metaphor to convey the emotion that even the smallest act of kindness can have a larger impact.

Maintain harmony between flavor and flow

The descriptive essay format is one that can be customized according to the topic. However, like other types of essays, it must have an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The number of body paragraphs can vary depending on the topic and available information.

It is crucial to remember that a descriptive essay should have a specific topic and goal, such as sharing personal experiences or expressing emotions like the satisfaction of a good meal. This is accomplished by employing exact language, imagery, and figurative language to illustrate concrete features. These language devices allow the writer to craft a descriptive essay that effectively transmits a particular mood, feeling, or incident to readers while also conjuring up strong mental imagery. A descriptive essay may be creative, or it may be based on the author’s own experiences. Below is a description of a few descriptive essay examples that fit into these categories.

Personal descriptive essay example

A personal essay can look like a descriptive account of your favorite activity, a place in your neighborhood, or an object that you value. Example: “ As I step out of the front door, the crisp morning air greets me with a gentle embrace; the big chestnut tree in front, sways in the wind as if saying hello to me. The world unfolds in a symphony of awakening colors, promising a day filled with untold possibilities that make me feel alive and grateful to be born again”.

Imaginative descriptive essay example

You may occasionally be required to write descriptive essays based on your imagination or on subjects unrelated to your own experiences. The prompts for these kinds of creative essays could be to describe the experience of someone going through heartbreak or to write about a day in the life of a barista. Imaginative descriptive essays also allow you to describe different emotions. Example, the feelings a parent experiences on holding their child for the first time.

Characteristics of descriptive essay s

The aim of a descriptive essay is to provide a detailed and vivid description of a person, place, object, event, or experience. The main goal is to create a sensory experience for the reader. Through a descriptive essay, the reader may be able to experience foods, locations, activities, or feelings that they might not otherwise be able to. Additionally, it gives the writer a way to relate to the readers by sharing a personal story. The following is a list of the essential elements of a descriptive essay:

Sensory details
Clear, succinct language
Organized structure
Thesis statement
Appeal to emotion

How to write a descriptive essay, with examples

Writing an engaging descriptive essay is all about bringing the subject matter to life for the reader so they can experience it with their senses—smells, tastes, and textures. The upside of writing a descriptive essay is you don’t have to stick to the confinements of formal essay writing, rather you are free to use a figurative language, with sensory details, and clever word choices that can breathe life to your descriptive essay. Let’s take a closer look at how you can use these components to develop a descriptive essay that will stand out, using examples.

Figurative language

Have you ever heard the expression “shooting for the stars”? It refers to pushing someone to strive higher or establish lofty goals, but it does not actually mean shooting for the stars. This is an example of using figurative language for conveying strong motivational emotions. In a descriptive essay, figurative language is employed to grab attention and emphasize points by creatively drawing comparisons and exaggerations. But why should descriptive essays use metaphorical language? One it adds to the topic’s interest and humor; two, it facilitates the reader’s increased connection to the subject.

These are the five most often used figurative language techniques: personification, metaphor, simile, hyperbole, and allusion.

Simile: A simile is a figure of speech that is used to compare two things while emphasizing and enhancing the description using terms such as “like or as.”

Example: Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving – Albert Einstein

Metaphor: A metaphor are also used to draw similarities, but without using direct or literal comparisons like done in similes.

Example: Books are the mirrors of the soul – Virginia Woolf, Between the acts

Personification: This is the process of giving nonhuman or abstract objects human traits. Any human quality, including an emotional component, a physical attribute, or an action, can be personified.

Example: Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world – Louis Pasteur

Hyperbole: This is an extreme form of exaggeration, frequently impractical, and usually employed to emphasize a point or idea. It gives the character more nuance and complexity.

Example: The force will be with you, always – Star Wars

Allusion: This is when you reference a person, work, or event without specifically mentioning them; this leaves room for the reader’s creativity.

Example: In the text below, Robert Frost uses the biblical Garden of Eden as an example to highlight the idea that nothing, not even paradise, endures forever.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay

– Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost (1923)

Descriptive essays need a combination of figurative language and strong sensory details to make the essay more memorable. This is when authors describe the subject matter employing senses like smell, sound, touch, and taste so that the reader can relate to it better.

Example of a sensory-based descriptive essay: The earthy fragrance of freshly roasted chestnuts and the sight of bright pink, red, orange fallen leaves on the street reminded her that winter was around the corner.

Word choice

Word choice is everything in a descriptive essay. For the description to be enchanting, it is essential to utilize the right adjectives and to carefully consider the verbs, nouns, and adverbs. Use unusual terms and phrases that offer a new viewpoint on your topic matter instead of overusing clichés like “fast as the wind” or “lost track of time,” which can make your descriptive essay seem uninteresting and unoriginal.

See the following examples:

Bad word choice: I was so happy because the sunset was really cool.

Good word choice: I experienced immense joy as the sunset captivated me with its remarkable colors and breathtaking beauty.

Descriptive essay format and outline

Descriptive essay writing does not have to be disorganized, it is advisable to use a structured format to organize your thoughts and ensure coherent flow in your writing. Here is a list of components that should be a part of your descriptive essay outline:

Introduction
Opening/hook sentence
Topic sentence
Body paragraphs
Concrete details
Clincher statement

Introduction:

Hook: An opening statement that captures attention while introducing the subject.
Background: Includes a brief overview of the topic the descriptive essay is based on.
Thesis statement: Clearly states the main point or purpose of the descriptive essay.

Body paragraphs: Each paragraph should have

Topic sentence: Introduce the first aspect or feature you will describe. It informs the reader about what is coming next.
Sensory details: Use emphatic language to appeal to the reader’s senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell).
Concrete details: These are actual details needed to understand the context of the descriptive essay.
Supporting details: Include relevant information or examples to improve the description.

Conclusion:

Summarize key points: Here you revisit the main features or aspects of the subject.
Restate thesis statement: Reinforce the central impression or emotion.
Clincher statement: Conclude with a statement that summarizes the entire essay and serve as the last words with a powerful message.

Revision and editing:

Go over your essay to make sure it is coherent, clear, and consistent.
Check for logical paragraph transitions by proofreading the content.
Examine text to ensure correct grammar, punctuation, and style.
Use the thesaurus or AI paraphrasing tools to find the right words.

A descriptive essay often consists of three body paragraphs or more, an introduction that concludes with a thesis statement, and a conclusion that summarizes the subject and leaves a lasting impression on readers.

A descriptive essay’s primary goal is to captivate the reader by writing a thorough and vivid explanation of the subject matter, while appealing to their various senses. A list of additional goals is as follows: – Spark feeling and imagination – Create a vivid experience – Paint a mental picture – Pique curiosity – Convey a mood or atmosphere – Highlight specific details

Although they both fall within the creative writing category, narrative essays and descriptive essays have different storytelling focuses. While the main goal of a narrative essay is to tell a story based on a real-life experience or a made-up event, the main goal of a descriptive essay is to vividly describe a person, location, event, or emotion.

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The Red and The Real: An Essay on Color Ontology

Jonathan Cohen, The Red and The Real: An Essay on Color Ontology , Oxford UP, 2009, 260pp., $75.00 (hbk), ISBN 9780199556168.

Reviewed by Adam Pautz, University of Texas at Austin

1 See Jackson and Pargetter (1987) and McLaughlin (2003). There is a difference between these authors and Cohen. They are realizer functionalists about color. By contrast, Cohen’s view is unique in that it is role functionalist (184) — something that was not so clear in some of his earlier work. However, realizer and role functionalists agree on the truth-conditions of whole color predications; they only disagree about the referents of color nouns. The dispute might appear trivial. (Indeed, Lewis (1994, 420) says the analogous realizer-role dispute in the mental case is ‘superficial’.) But it is related to interesting modal issues, as Cohen discusses (195, 198).

2 Tye 2006 and Byrne and Hilbert 2007 begin with this argument. Cohen might reply that the conflict intuition is dubious on the grounds that a survey conducted by Cohen and Nichols (reported by Cohen at p. 148) shows that many do not share this intuition. Cohen and Nichols presented undergraduate students with a case of variation and gave them three options: (i) variant 1 is right and variant 2 is wrong, (ii) variant 2 is right and variant 1 is wrong, (iii) there is no (absolute) fact of the matter. Cohen and Nichols found that some students chose (iii). But, even if students have conflict intuition, they are unlikely to choose (i) or (ii), given the symmetry of the evidence and the absence of an ‘independent test’ for color. In addition, (iii) is extremely vague: while it can be taken to express relationalism, it can also be taken to express an eliminativist or non-factualist attitude quite consistent with the conflict intuition. Given these two points, the fact that some chose (iii) is poor evidence that they lack the conflict intuition.

3 For the supervenience answer, see Byrne and Hilbert 2007, 88-89 (though they do not use this name).

4 As Cohen notes (47), Byrne and Hilbert try to defend inegalitarianism by saying that cases like the John-Jane case are similar to a case involving miscalibrated thermometers in which inegalitarianism seems like the right verdict. Cohen replies (52) that it is not obvious that the cases are similar. Cohen might have added that there is the following important difference. In the thermometer case, inegalitarianism is only plausible if some thermometers are miscalibrated or operating in non-optimal conditions. By contrast, neither John nor Jane is miscalibrated or operating in non-optimal conditions. So, whereas a plausible reductive psychosemantic theory might be consistent with inegalitarianism in the thermometer case, no reductive psychosemantic theory is consistent with inegalitarianism in the John-Jane case. The reductive inegalitarian might object against Cohen that the problem merely concerns providing a reductive theory of the representation of fine-grained colors (Byrne and Hilbert 2007, 90). In fact, this is not the problem Cohen stresses. Indeed, a simple tracking theory provides such a theory: as we saw, it entails that the fine-grained colors which John and Jane represent are identical with highly overlapping but distinct reflectance-types, in favor of (non-relational) pluralism and against inegalitarianism. The problem for reductive inegalitarians like Byrne and Hilbert is how to devise a (different) reductive account of the situation compatible with their inegalitarianism .

5 For a strong statement of anti-Mooreanism, see Sider (forthcoming).

6 For different versions of conciliatory eliminativism, see Jackson 1977, 128 and Chalmers 2006, 92.

7 Byrne and Hilbert (1997, 223) and Kalderon (2007, 583) describe non-relational pluralism as a possibility. Kalderon also is responsible for the metaphor of ‘selection’. But they admit that they do not have an argument for non-relational pluralism. (More recently, Byrne and Hilbert (2004, 2007) side with inegalitarianism.) However, as noted in the text (and as discussed at the end of this review), it might be that tracking theories and other naturalistic theories of representation provide a kind of psychosemantic argument for non-relational pluralism, so that Cohen must consider it a particularly serious rival to his relational pluralism. By contrast, as we have seen, inegalitarianism actually seems to conflict with reductive psychosemantics, making the reductive inegalitarianism of Tye and Byrne and Hilbert an inconsistent position. So, non-relational pluralism would be a natural retreat for reductive inegalitarians, even if it violates the conflict intuition motivating their inegalitarianism.

8 Tye and Bradley 2001, 482.

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Descriptive Essay

Descriptive Essay Writing

Last updated on: Feb 9, 2023

How To Write An Impactful Descriptive Essay?

By: Cathy A.

12 min read

Reviewed By: Melisa C.

Published on: Dec 17, 2019

Wondering how to write an impressive descriptive essay? Writing a descriptive essay is both fun and challenging. You need to describe the main topic in detail and by engaging the five senses of the readers.

Students usually get this type of essay in high school and college. Writing a descriptive essay is different from other essays.

You need to focus on describing a certain person, place, or event.

Luckily for you, the following blog post will provide some helpful tips on how to create an engaging essay.

Continue reading to learn how to write an A-worthy descriptive essay.

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What is a Descriptive Essay?

A descriptive essay is a detailed paper that describes a place, person, situation, object, or emotion. Different people have different points of view and your job is to explain yours in detail.

You may be asked to write a descriptive essay about the beach or forest or about a person or situation. The purpose of this essay is to test the writer’s ability in expressing and explaining their experiences.

Descriptive writing should create a picture in the reader’s mind. You may be required to write a descriptive essay as a high school or college essay assignment.

For a compelling essay, using adjectives and adverbs, details, and figurative language is fundamental. Without proper usage of words, you will not be able to invoke the readers' emotions.

What is the Purpose of a Descriptive Essay?

The purpose of a descriptive essay is to describe a person, place, or personal experience in vivid detail so that the reader can create a picture in his mind.

The descriptive essay is written to get the reader to understand by using descriptive language. It is different from narrative essays, where the writer tells the story about someone else. Usually, it starts with a real-life event and then the content follows the author's imagination.

Descriptive essays are not intended to persuade the reader or show facts and figures to prove something. Descriptive essays are like word paintings that contain personal and descriptive details and these are mostly assigned to students of creative writing.

How to Start a Descriptive Essay

A strong start for your descriptive essay is essential. Analyze your topic from every angle and document the following details:

Analyze the main subjects in detail and observe minute things.

Start with observing all the possible aspects of the subject.
Don't just observe the object but also its surroundings.
Focus on details and features of the subject and develop opinions about them.
Be thoughtful; this first step will be the basis for the essay.

Physical Settings

Describing the physical settings is a must in a descriptive essay. When describing, keep the following points in mind.

Focus on the subject's position and observe nearby objects
Note the time of day and kind of lighting: natural or imitated
Physical settings: all the basic and decorative elements
The position and shape of the objects
Alignment and any other observable information

Physical Features

When describing the physical features of the subject, living or nonliving, consider the following points.

Living or nonliving; describe the features in detail
The subject's skin color, texture, smoothness, expression, and age
The features of inanimate objects in the picture, color, surface, and texture

Create Drama

Storytelling and drama are the life and blood of a good descriptive essay. It turns your essay into an exciting and interesting piece of writing. However, be subtle about adding drama to your sentence structure and add it to complement your story only.

Focus On Your Feelings

Focus on how you feel about the particular topic or person and stick to it. It is easy to get involved when working on the essay. But, focus on your own feelings and write an essay based on them.

Use Of Specific Vocabulary

Vocabulary is important. Select the best words for describing an action or object. Don't always use the first word that comes to mind.

Write slowly and thoughtfully, and use specific words to convey your thoughts.

Psychological Aspects

Writing about a certain situation or behavior of a person focuses on the mental aspects and emotions involved in them.

For Example, describe your emotions when your friend misplaced your notes right before the exam.

You may have had several emotions in that incident. Maybe you were prepared for exams, but this situation put you under pressure and made you feel frustrated and hurt.

Explore those emotions and describe the feelings they aroused. Describe the body language also, if relevant.

Ask Yourself, WHY?

This is the most valuable tip for students. When you are looking at a particular subject, and having difficulty analyzing its aspects, ask yourself "WHY".

Why is the subject the way it is?
Why does the person you are describing have such a deep-set and cold eyes?
Why is the animal so wounded and terrified?
Why is this particular place famous?

It is a good practice and after some time you will do it naturally. Knowing the why is important if you want to describe your topic properly.

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How To Write A Descriptive Essay?

When you write a descriptive essay, you help your readers visualize an event, a person, or a story. It is written to make your readers feel what you feel about the respective subject.

A descriptive essay seeks to appeal to some or all of the audience’s five senses. Some key things to consider are:

Discussing your subject thoroughly
Focusing on details and adding them in your essay
Sharing your personal feelings and experience about the subject
Observing and describing all sensory details of your subject

Here are the steps to write a descriptive essay easily.

1- Choose an Engaging and Focused Essay Topic

An important step that all strong descriptive essays share is having a focused topic. Before you make the outline, identify the purpose of your essay and use it to create an appropriate thesis statement.This type of paper does not require much personal opinion from you. Its main goal should be focusing on information that will make a dominant impression in readers' minds instead.

2- Research and Gather Important Details

When writing a descriptive essay, it is important to make sure you include as many details and sensory information as possible. This helps your reader fully understand the images that are being presented in their mind's eye.You can organize these ideas into categories so they're easy for you to access when needed.

3- Create an Outline of Your Essay

Your essays must be organized by having subheadings that are clear and concise. Group your main points into individual body paragraphs, each of which should only cover one idea or topic at a time.

4- Write your Essay’s Introduction

A good introductory paragraph is much like a road map because it provides direction to your readers.

It provides relevant background information before diving into more specific details related to how something works or why something happens. These could include statistics or stories from real-life scenarios.

5- Write the Main Body Section of Your Essay

Each body paragraph should start with a topic sentence that keeps the reader hooked on what you are saying. Use specific details instead of making generalized statements, and make sure to give examples if necessary.

6- End with a Strong Conclusion

The conclusion of an essay is the final paragraph, and it should summarize all that you have said throughout. It's a good idea to restate the main points and key details from the essay in this section.

It is important so the reader has everything they need for better understanding before ending off on something new.

If necessary be sure not to introduce anything odd or unusual, to avoid any confusion.

7- Proofread and Revise the Essay Carefully

Once you are done writing the essay, proofread and revise it carefully. Make sure that it is free from all kinds of errors.

Descriptive Essay Outline

Like all the other essays, a descriptive essay also follows the usual 5-paragraph essay structure and format.Before starting, it is important to create an outline. Following are the fundamental elements of your descriptive essay outline:

Descriptive Essay Introduction

The introduction sets the footing for the entire essay. Before heading towards the body section, the reader will come across the introduction.

It is the first impression of your work. It is very important to write an engaging introduction so that the readers read the essay till the end.

Start the essay in an easy-to-understand way and language. Provide background information on your topic so they can understand it and its importance.

To make sure the reader feels your emotions and decides to continue reading further, incorporate the following points in your introduction.

The following tips will guide you on how to write a good introduction for a descriptive essay.

Attract the reader's attention with an interesting fact, phrase, or quote
Don't bombard them with information
Go straight to the main pointsInclude enough information to introduce the topic and its significance.
Summarize the argument and the main topic and craft your thesis statement

Descriptive Essay Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is an integral part of your essay. It focuses on the argument and the writer’s main idea, which is to be discussed in the essay.

This statement also provides the writer with a chance of explaining the purpose and scope of the topic. It is intriguing and engaging.

A thesis statement is written at the end of the introduction, it is mainly a single sentence that describes the essay objective. The thesis statement should act as a guide to the reader on what to expect in the essay body. It is like a table of contents of a book, to the reader on contents you will get an idea of what the book is all about so you get to understand it better.

It is like a table of contents of a book. By reading it, you will get an idea of what the book is all about.

A good thesis should contain the following things:

Define the essay scope - it should narrow down all the points to clarify its purpose.
Avoid using common words - you should be creative with your choice of words.
Create suspense - it should attract the reader to the body paragraphs of the essay.

For further information on how to write a thesis for a descriptive essay, check out the following examples.

Descriptive essay example about a Place

“Even though monarchy is long gone, Buckingham Palace is here to remind us of the aesthetic beauty of that era.”

Descriptive essay example about a Person

“One of the characteristics of Spider-Man is his youthfulness, and the fact that he talks to himself more than Hamlet.”

Descriptive essay example about an Emotion

“For numerous reasons, the dark forest is my greatest fear, though not a fear which is necessarily smart to face.”

Descriptive Essay Body Paragraphs

Body paragraphs of the essay come next after the introduction and thesis statement. It is the main part that continues your essay.

Usually, an essay consists of three body paragraphs but you can add more if needed.

Don't add more than one central idea in one paragraph. Fusing different ideas will confuse the reader.

Build your paragraphs according to the thesis and introduction.

Start each body paragraph with the main sentence
Use transitions to move between paragraphs smoothly
Each paragraph should be five to six sentences long

Descriptive Essay Conclusion

The concluding paragraph is the last part of an essay, and probably your last chance to impress your reader.

The last part that the reader can keep in mind is the conclusion, which is as important as the rest of the essay.

To make it interesting and thought-provoking, include the following points:

Restate the thesis statement
Summarize the main points
Add an intriguing closing statement

After writing the conclusion, make a review of your essay, identify the mistakes and maintain a good tone throughout the essay.

Descriptive Essay Format Sample

Here is the descriptive essay format to help you understand how you can write a winning descriptive essay.

DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY FORMAT (PDF)

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Descriptive Essay Topics Ideas

Descriptive essay topics are often related to physical settings, locations, living beings, and objects.

Make sure that your essay includes the five senses, touch, taste, smell, sight, hearing, or at least one of them. It depends on the topic and the kind of feeling that you want to arouse.

Below are some descriptive essay ideas and ways to achieve them.

Living Beings

When you want to write about a person like a family member, consider the following elements:

Gender, age, complexion, and expressions
Physical features
Height, body type, and approximate weight
Kind of clothes

These details will add depth to the description and your readers will actually see your narrative.

When animals are the subject, you can add the above points plus the following details:

Species and animal
Size, weight, color
Behavior patterns
Temperament
Trained or wild?
Real or fictional?

Inanimate Subjects

Geographic locations and structures.

When your subject is a place or a building, add the following points:

Research about the place and its historical background
The color and the building's type
A famous place or landmark to draw a comparison and inspire interest

Human behavior and psychology is a compelling descriptive essay subject. When writing about it:

Describe the consequences of a particular behavior
Discuss the emotional dimension of the topic and how you perceive it personally

Event Or Travel Experience

A travel experience makes a good descriptive essay since you have experienced the event first hand.

Give a detailed description of the place, people at the venue, and the atmosphere of the location.

Idea, Concept, or Occupation

When writing on such topics, focus on how an idea or concept affects society and its different aspects.

Example Descriptive Essay Topics for Students

Choosing a topic for your descriptive essay is quite interesting. You get to choose something that you have an emotional connection with.

When writing a descriptive essay about a person or place, adding their personal traits will be helpful.

Some examples of descriptive essay topics include:

Compose a detailed descriptive essay about your best friend.
Describe a fancy place that you have created.
Describe your dream vacation destination.
Describe your favorite mall or store.
Describe your childhood home.
Descriptive essay about nature.
Descriptive essay about a place you visited.
Describe the personality of your Maths teacher.
Discuss the main characters of your favorite movie.
Descriptive essay about chocolate.
Write an essay using unique Words to describe yourself.
What makes me unique?
My first love.

Descriptive Essay Examples

Study these descriptive essay examples and sample papers to understand the main idea, structure, and purpose of descriptive essays.

DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY ON MARKET (PDF)

DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY EXAMPLE PERSON (PDF)

To help you understand how to write a great descriptive essay, we have a whole blog post dedicated to it. We know that talking about something is one thing and demonstrating it is completely different.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the features of a descriptive essay.

A descriptive essay provides a perfect opportunity for writers to express their feelings on any subject. Descriptive writing has rich sensory details which appeal to all of your senses.

How do you start a descriptive essay introduction?

The introduction to the descriptive essay should set the scene and introduce the main topic. You can use these sensory details to get a sense of what the essay is all about.

What are the two types of descriptive essays?

There are two types of descriptive essays. The first type deals with people, and the second one is about objects.

What are the elements of a descriptive essay?

Here are the key elements of a descriptive essay.

Sensory details
Figurative language
Central and main theme
Precise and clear language
Proper organization of ideas

What makes good descriptive writing?

Good and effective descriptive writing consists of vivid sensory details that appeal to all senses including the sense of sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste. Moreover, these essays also explain people’s feelings in writing.

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Descriptive Essay Examples - 8 Examples To Help You Write Better

Descriptive Essays

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The Modes of Discourse—Exposition, Description, Narration, Argumentation (EDNA)—are common paper assignments you may encounter in your writing classes. Although these genres have been criticized by some composition scholars, the Purdue OWL recognizes the wide spread use of these approaches and students’ need to understand and produce them.

What is a descriptive essay?

The descriptive essay is a genre of essay that asks the student to describe something—object, person, place, experience, emotion, situation, etc. This genre encourages the student’s ability to create a written account of a particular experience. What is more, this genre allows for a great deal of artistic freedom (the goal of which is to paint an image that is vivid and moving in the mind of the reader).

One might benefit from keeping in mind this simple maxim: If the reader is unable to clearly form an impression of the thing that you are describing, try, try again!

Here are some guidelines for writing a descriptive essay.

Take time to brainstorm

If your instructor asks you to describe your favorite food, make sure that you jot down some ideas before you begin describing it. For instance, if you choose pizza, you might start by writing down a few words: sauce, cheese, crust, pepperoni, sausage, spices, hot, melted, etc. Once you have written down some words, you can begin by compiling descriptive lists for each one.

Use clear and concise language.

This means that words are chosen carefully, particularly for their relevancy in relation to that which you are intending to describe.

Choose vivid language.

Why use horse when you can choose stallion ? Why not use tempestuous instead of violent ? Or why not miserly in place of cheap ? Such choices form a firmer image in the mind of the reader and often times offer nuanced meanings that serve better one’s purpose.

Use your senses!

Remember, if you are describing something, you need to be appealing to the senses of the reader. Explain how the thing smelled, felt, sounded, tasted, or looked. Embellish the moment with senses.

What were you thinking?!

If you can describe emotions or feelings related to your topic, you will connect with the reader on a deeper level. Many have felt crushing loss in their lives, or ecstatic joy, or mild complacency. Tap into this emotional reservoir in order to achieve your full descriptive potential.

Leave the reader with a clear impression.

One of your goals is to evoke a strong sense of familiarity and appreciation in the reader. If your reader can walk away from the essay craving the very pizza you just described, you are on your way to writing effective descriptive essays.

Be organized!

It is easy to fall into an incoherent rambling of emotions and senses when writing a descriptive essay. However, you must strive to present an organized and logical description if the reader is to come away from the essay with a cogent sense of what it is you are attempting to describe.

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1000+ Ways to Describe Colors: A Word List for Writers

Why Is Color in Writing So Important?

Pablo Picasso said , “Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions.” Picasso was an artist who evoked emotion with colorful pigments. As a writer, you can do the same with colorful words.

Note the different pictures painted by the following two paragraphs.

Ned gazed at the calypso-orange horizon. A lapis-blue speck sparkled above it in the deepening violet of a new night sky — Planet Vorton, home.

Ned gaped at the corpse-grey horizon. A mold-blue speck festered above it in the deepening black of a smoggy night sky — Planet Vorton, home.

Same number of words, different colors, with complementing adjectives and verbs. One paragraph emanates optimism, the other gloom.

Compound Adjectives Sometimes Require Hyphens

According to The Chicago Manual of Style , if a compound adjective appears before a noun, it should be hyphenated.

Compare the following examples:

Tristan wore an eye-catching purple tie. Tristan’s purple tie was eye catching .

Wendi modeled a melon-pink dress. Wendi’s dress was melon pink .

Accent Colors With Adjectives

Here’s a list of more than one hundred adjectives from thousands you could choose to produce more vivid descriptions of the colors in your writing.

A to C accented, achromatic, ashen, ashy, atomic, blazing, bleached, bleak, blinding, blotchy, bold, brash, bright, brilliant, burnt, chromatic, classic, clean, cold, complementing, contrasting, cool, coordinating, creamy, crisp

D to G dark, dayglow, dazzling, deep, delicate, digital, dim, dirty, drab, dreary, dull, dusty, earthy, electric, energetic, eye-catching, faded, faint, festive, fiery, flashy, flattering, fluorescent, frosty, full-toned, gaudy, glistening, glittering, glossy, glowing

H to P harsh, hazy, hot, icy, illuminated, incandescent, intense, iridescent, knockout, lambent, light, loud, luminous, lusterless, lustrous, majestic, matte, medium, mellow, milky, monochromatic, muddy, murky, muted, natural, neon, neutral, opalescent, opaque, pale, pastel, patchy, pearly, perfect, picturesque, plain, primary, pure

R to S radiant, reflective, rich, royal, ruddy, rustic, satiny, saturated, shaded, sheer, shining, shiny, shocking, showy, smoky, soft, solid, somber, soothing, sooty, sparkling, stained, streaked, streaky, striking, strong, subdued, subtle, sunny, swirling

T to W tacky, tinged, tinted, tonal, toned, traditional, translucent, transparent, undiluted, uneven, uniform, vibrant, vivid, wan, warm, washed-out, waxen, wild

Enhance Multicolored Objects With Adjectives Such as These

B to L bicolor, blended, braided, cataclysmic-colored, checkered, compound, contrasting, crisscrossed, dappled, disparate, dotted, dusted, flecked, freckled, fused, intermixed, interwoven, jumbled, lined

K to P kaleidoscopic, many-hued, marbled, mingled, mixed, motley, mottled, multicolored, multihued, particolored, patterned, peppered, piebald, pied, polychromatic, prismatic, psychedelic

S to V salted, speckled, splotched, stippled, two-tone, tricolor, varied, variegated, veined

Props Provide More Opportunities to Add Color and Detail

A to D accent, bleach, brightness, brilliance, chroma, clarity, CMYK, coating, color wheel, colorant, coloration, cover, deposit, depth, diffusion, dimension, dispersion, dye

F to I film, finish, flicker, fluorescence, blare, glaze, gleam, glimmer, glint, glisten, glitter, glow, gradation, henna, highlight, hint, hue, incandescence, intensity, iridescence

L to O lacquer, layer, lightness, lowlight, luminosity, luster, monotone, nuance, opacity, opalescence

P to R paint, Pantone, patina, peroxide, pigment, pigmentation, polish, prism, purity, radiance, rainbow, RGB, residue, rinse

S sample, saturation, seam, shade, sheen, shimmer, shine, smidgeon, sparkle, spectrum, stain, stratum, streak, stripe, suggestion, surface, swatch

T to V tattoo, tester, tier, tincture, tinge, tint, tone, touch, trace, twinkle, undertone, varnish, vein, veneer

Perhaps These Verbs Will Provide Inspiration

Colors can blend, clash, or enhance. They might revitalize, fade, or overlap. Choose carefully to provide the nuance you need in your writing.

A to C accent, accentuate, appear, attract, balance, bathe, bespatter, blanch, blare, blaze, blench, bleach, blend, blotch, brighten, brush, burn, captivate, clash, color, combine, complement, conflict, contrast, coordinate, crayon

D to J darken, daub, decolorize, decorate, deepen, dot, draw, dye, embellish, emit, enhance, enliven, fade, flare, flash, flatter, fleck, glare, glaze, gleam, glimmer, glint, glisten, glow, harmonize, heighten, highlight, illuminate, infuse, intensify, jar

L to R light, lighten, match, meld, merge, mingle, mix, outline, overlap, paint, permeate, pervade, plaster, radiate, revitalize

S to W saturate, seal, shade, shine, sketch, smear, sparkle, splash, splatter, spray, spread, stain, suffuse, tinge, tint, varnish, wash

Invent Colors

Your ingenuity is the only limit with invented colors. Consider a few examples.

Yolanda sashayed toward me, hips swiveling in a seduction-red skirt that complemented her bad-baby-black lipstick.

Either Yolanda intends to ravish our narrator, or he hopes she’s a bad girl with seduction on her mind.

Bruise-blue eyes stared out through glasses crisscrossed with cracks. Matching lumps burgeoned from Marco’s chin and cheeks.

Readers will make the connection between bruise-blue and the lumps, imagining someone who has been beaten or injured.

Find color ideas by googling phrases such as “things that are green” or “things that look blue.”

And Now, a Kaleidoscope of Colors

Some of the following lists contain invented colors. Many are based on objects we encounter in our environment. You can use almost any noun to create an adjective that will resonate with readers.

For the next several years, Trump blond or Hillary blonde will produce instant mental images.

Science fiction might use deep-space black , quasar blue, or starburst yellow .

An environmentalist could choose colors such as oil-slick black, smog grey, or acid-rain yellow .

Choose or invent colors that intensify your writing.

You can use many of these words as is, or precede the color they represent to produce a compound adjective. Rather than anthracite , for example, you might prefer anthracite black .

Black anger black, anthracite, bat black, boot black, cat black, cave black, cavity black, charcoal, coal black, crow black, deep-space black, ebony, evil black, funeral black, grease black, ink, jade black, jet, leather black, licorice, metal black, midnight, mildew black, mold black, night black, obsidian, oil-slick black, onyx, pitch black, raven, sable, shadow black, shoe-polish black, silhouette black, smoky, sooty, spider black, tar black, tire black, tuxedo black, uber black, velvet black

Blond/Blonde Although blond can be used for either males or females, many writers prefer blond to describe males and blond e to describe females. Likewise with gender-identified pets and animals.

Blond was adopted into English from French, and the French language uses gender-specific descriptors.

Compound adjectives in the following list are spelled with the feminine form.

almond-crème blonde, amber, apple-cider blonde, apricot, ash blonde, banana-bread blonde, blanched, bleached, bombshell, bottle blonde, brassy, bronze, brown-sugar blonde, butter blonde, butternut, butterscotch, caramel, chamomile blonde, champagne, chardonnay blonde, corn blonde, diamond blonde, dirty blonde, dishwater blonde, electric blonde, flaxen, French-fry blonde, frosted blonde, gilded blonde, ginger, ginger-ale blonde, ginger spice, golden, goldenrod, Hillary blonde, honey blonde, honey-butter blonde, honeysuckle blonde, hot-toffee blonde, macadamia blonde, mushroom blonde, neon blonde, peroxide blonde, platinum, sand blonde, straw blonde, strawberry blonde, sunflower blonde, sun-kissed blonde, sunset blonde, tarnished-gold blonde, Trump blond/e, trumpet blonde, vanilla-malt blonde, vintage gold, wheat blonde

Blue admiral blue, Aegean blue, agate blue, Arctic blue, azure, baby blue, berry blue, blue-jay blue, blue-jeans blue, bluebell blue, blueberry blue, blueberry-juice blue, bluebird blue, blue-jay blue, brook blue, bruise blue, cadet blue, cerulean, china-blue, cobalt, cornflower blue, crystal blue, denim blue, electric blue, forget-me-not blue, galaxy blue, gunmetal blue, ice blue, indigo, ink blue, jellyfish blue, lagoon blue, lake blue, lapis blue, laser blue, lilac blue, lobelia blue, mold blue, moon blue, navy, ocean blue, quasar blue, river blue, robin-egg blue, sapphire blue, sky blue, star blue, steel-blue, swimming-pool blue, teal, toilet-water blue, toothpaste blue, ultramarine

Brown acorn brown, almond brown, amber, auburn, autumn brown, Bambi brown, beige, brandy brown, brick brown, bronze, brunet, buckeye brown, camel brown, caramel, carob brown, cedar brown, champagne brown, chestnut, chipmunk brown, chocolate brown, cinnamon, cider brown, clay brown, coffee brown, cognac brown, cookie brown, copper, cork brown, desert sand, drab brown, dun brown, ecru, espresso brown, fawn brown, football brown, freckle brown, ginger, gingerbread brown, golden brown, hazel, hickory brown, honey brown, infrabeige, kiwi brown, lion brown, loam brown, mahogany, maroon, merlot brown, mocha, mouse brown, mud brown, muddy brown, nut brown, oak brown, orange brown, peanut brown, pecan brown, pekoe brown, penny brown, pigskin brown, pretzel brown, rosewood, russet, rust, sandstone brown, seal brown, sepia, sienna, spice brown, syrup brown, taffy, tan, taupe, tawny brown, teddy-bear brown, topaz brown, tortilla brown, tourmaline brown, umber, walnut, wheat brown, whiskey brown, wood brown

Green apple green, army green, artichoke green, asparagus green, avocado green, barf green, basil green, blue green, bottle green, bright green, cabbage green, camouflage green, cat’s-eye green, celery green, chartreuse, clover green, crocodile green, crystal-marble green, cyan, electric green, elf green, emerald, fern green, frog green, grape green, grass green, hypergreen, jade, jasper green, jelly green, juniper, kale green, khaki green, kiwi green, leaf green, LED green, olive, leprechaun green, lettuce green, lime, lizard green, loden, mildew green, mint, moss green, neon green, ocean green, parsley green, pea green, pea-soup green, peacock green, pear green, Perrier-bottle green, pickle green, pine green, puke green, sage, sea green, seafoam green, seasick green, seaweed green, seedling green, shamrock green, snot green, spinach green, spring green, sprout green, spruce green, tea green, teal, toad green, velvet green, viridian, watermelon green, yellow green

Grey/Gray alien grey, aluminum grey, anchor grey, ash grey, battleship grey, bottle grey, boulder grey, carbon grey, cement grey, charcoal grey, cloud grey, coin grey, corpse grey, crater grey, death grey, dove grey, elephant grey, exhaust grey, fling grey, flint grey, fog grey, fossil grey, fungus grey, ginger grey, granite grey, graphite, gravel grey, gruel grey, gum grey, gunmetal grey, hippo grey, hoary grey, ice grey, iron grey, knife grey, lead grey, mercury grey, meteor grey, mummy grey, nail grey, nickel, otter grey, pebble grey, pepper grey, pewter, pigeon grey, porpoise grey, porridge grey, rat grey, salt-and-pepper, seal grey, shadow grey, shark grey, shovel grey, silver, slate, sleet grey, slug grey, slush grey, smog grey, smoke, steel grey, stone grey, storm grey, stormy grey, stormy-sea grey, sword grey, tabby grey, tank grey, tweed grey, wax grey, wolf grey

Orange apricot orange, burnt orange, butternut orange, calypso orange, candlelight orange, cantaloupe orange, caramelized orange, carrot orange, cayenne orange, cheddar orange, cheese-cracker orange, Chinese-lantern orange, cider orange, citrus orange, clementine orange, coral orange, crayon orange, curry orange, fire orange, flame orange, goldfish orange, mac-and-cheese orange, mango-tango orange, mandarin orange, marigold orange, marmalade orange, monarch orange, nacho orange, nasturtium orange, navel orange, papaya orange, peach orange, peach-butter orange, peach-sorbet orange, popsicle orange, pumpkin orange, safety-vest orange, salamander orange, salmon orange, sherbet orange, shrimp orange, starfish orange, sunset orange, sweet-potato orange, tangelo orange, tangerine orange, terra cotta, tiger orange, traffic orange, yam orange

Pink amaranth, azalea pink, baby pink, ballet-slipper pink, blush, bright pink, bubblegum pink, cantaloupe pink, carnation pink, cerise, champagne pink, cherry-rose pink, coral, cotton-candy pink, crepe pink, cupid pink, cyclamen pink, damask, flamingo pink, fuchsia, geranium pink, grapefruit pink, lemonade pink, magenta pink, mandarin pink, mango pink, melon pink, old-rose pink, oleander pink, parfait pink, pastel pink, peach, peach-blossom pink, peony pink, piggy pink, piglet pink, pomegranate pink, prom pink, punch pink, raspberry-smoothie pink, rose, rosewood pink, rouge pink, salmon pink, seashell pink, sherbet pink, shocking pink, strawberry pink, swine pink, taffy pink, watermelon pink, Zinfandel pink

Purple amethyst purple, amparo purple, boysenberry purple, burgundy purple, Byzantium purple, clover purple, concord purple, coneflower purple, cyclamen purple, eggplant purple, fig purple, gentian purple, gooseberry purple, grape purple, heather, heliotrope, hyacinth purple, indigo, iris purple, jam purple, kazoo purple, lavender, lilac, lollipop purple, lotus purple, magenta purple, mauve, mulberry purple, onion purple, opal purple, orchid purple, periwinkle purple, petunia purple, pillow purple, plum, posy purple, primrose purple, raisin purple, regalia purple, rhubarb purple, royal purple, sage-flower purple, sangria purple, sugar-plum purple, tanzanite purple, Tyrian purple, violet, wild-berry purple, wine purple, wisteria purple

Red apple red, auburn, beet red, berry red, blaze red, blood red, blush red, brick red, burgundy red, candy red, candy-apple red, candy-cane red, carrot red, cherry red, cherry-soda red, Christmas red, cinnamon-candy red, communist red, copper red, coral red, crab-apple red, cranberry red, crimson, currant red, fire red, fire-engine red, fire-hydrant red, flame red, flaming red, garnet red, ginger red, heart red, henna, holly-berry red, jam red, ketchup red, ladybug red, LED red, licorice red, lipstick red, lobster red, maple-leaf red, merlot red, mulberry red, neon red, pepper red, pomegranate red, poppy red, radish red, raspberry red, roan, rose, rouge, ruby, Russian red, rust, rusty, Santa-suit red, scarlet, sorrel, stoplight red, strawberry red, sunburn red, Titian, tomato red, tulip red, Valentine red, wanton red, watermelon red, wine red

White alabaster, angel white, ash white, blizzard white, bone white, bread-dough white, cake white, cameo white, chalk, chaste white, chiffon white, china white, clamshell white, cloud white, coconut white, cornstarch white, cream, crème, dumpling white, eggshell white, fizz white, foam white, fog white, frost white, gardenia white, ghost white, goose-down white, heron white, hospital white, KKK white, ivory, lace white, lather white, lily white, linen white, lotus white, milk white, mist white, moonstone white, noodle white, paper white, parchment white, pearl white, phantom white, picket white, platinum white, polar white, porcelain white, powder white, rice white, salt white, Samoyed white, sheet white, skeleton white, snowflake white, specter white, starch white, sugar white, talc white, vellum white, virgin white, wedding-veil white, winter white, won-ton white

Yellow acid-rain yellow, autumn yellow, banana yellow, bourbon yellow, bumblebee yellow, butter yellow, buttercup yellow, butterscotch yellow, cadmium, canary yellow, chick yellow, corn yellow, custard yellow, daffodil yellow, daisy yellow, dandelion yellow, Dijon yellow, duckling yellow, egg-yolk yellow, flaxen, ginger yellow, gold, goldenrod, grapefruit yellow, hardhat yellow, honey yellow, jaundice yellow, lemon, macaroni yellow, maize, mustard, omelet yellow, pencil yellow, pineapple yellow, plantain yellow, poppy yellow, rubber-ducky yellow, saffron, sawdust yellow, school-bus yellow, scrambled-egg yellow, starburst yellow, sticky-note yellow, straw yellow, sulfur yellow, sun yellow, sunflower yellow, sweetcorn yellow, tallow yellow, taxi yellow, turmeric yellow, wasp yellow, whisky yellow, yield-sign yellow

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8 thoughts on “ 1000+ Ways to Describe Colors: A Word List for Writers ”

I wanted to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for this marvellous word list you have provided. Not only has it enriched my vocabulary, but it has also sparked new ideas and inspired me to explore different writing styles. Your resource has become an indispensable tool in my writing journey, and I will continue to cherish and utilise it in all my creative endeavours. 🙂

Thanks so much, Axelle, and good luck with those creative endeavours!

Oh my! These are dripping with creativity. Many thanks.

I’m glad you found them helpful, Kathy. Hey — nice name. 😉

Thanks for stopping by, and stay safe!

I found this while googling whether to hyphenate ash blonde. I am amazed at the wealth of material contained in this blog. Thank you.

Thanks for dropping by, Dwayne. Here’s more information about hyphenation of adjectives .

This is one of the chapters I love most in book 1 – wanted to say THANK YOU for the Master TOC and the .pdf download link.

Thanks, Felicia!

I’m planning a Writer’s Body Lexicon and then probably a third volume of the main Lexicon series. I had considered producing an omnibus, but I think it would have too many pages to make a print version practical. Unless I figure out a way to compact the spacing in some of the chapters. Hmm.

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BRYN DONOVAN

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Master List of Color Names and Color Descriptions

Master List of Color Names and Descriptions #writing

This is a list of color names as well as color descriptions that relate to specific objects. I’ve tried to list the more familiar or clichéd descriptions words for colors first and then the fresher ways to describe colors later. Characters may still use clichés when they are speaking — sometimes, that’s just realistic dialogue.

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Some of these suggest other qualities in addition to color, such as texture. Please note that many of these are not appropriate to use in describing a person’s skin color.

Just adding a more specific word can make a description more striking. For example, “white as paper” is okay. “White as copier paper” is more evocative, and might be perfect if you’re writing about someone in an office setting. “Black as a moonless night” stirs up a little more mystery than “black as night.”

Some of the more common color descriptions and phrases are actually outdated and/or a bit weird. We say “pitch black,” but few of us refer to “pitch” in that way otherwise (it’s a kind of tar.) We say “powder blue,” but what light blue powder is that referring to? “Brown as a berry” makes no sense at all.

Color descriptions can even evoke the worldview of a character in a fantasy, science fiction, or historical novel, such as “white as the robe of a priestess” or “black as a model T Ford.” A few of the descriptions on the list are pretty specific to the United States.

In some cases, the object being evoked may come in different colors, and that’s okay as long as you’re referring to the most standard color.

I may add more to this later! Pin or bookmark the page so you’ve got it when you need it!

The Big List of COLOR DESCRIPTIONS FOR WRITERS, save it for when you need it! | bryndonovan.com | brushstrokes of paint in background

black as coal

pitch black

black as tar

black as night

black as a moonless night

black as ink

black as soot

black as a beetle

black as crude oil

black as basalt

black as a tuxedo jacket

black as a man’s dress shoes

black as a Sharpie

black as caviar

black as Kalamata olives

black as peppercorns

black as wrought iron

black as a nun’s habit

black as a model T Ford

black as a car tire

black as outer space

black as an abyss

black as a bat

black as mascara

black as a cannonball

black as a vinyl record

black as the screen of a computer turned off

black as the pupil of an eye

black as the movie screen after the final scene

white as snow

white as a sheet

white as a ghost

milky white

creamy white

pearl white

white as porcelain

white as sugar

white as paper

white as copier paper

eggshell white

white as a hard-boiled egg

white as marble

white as paste

white as school glue

white as salt

white as talcum powder

white as lily of the valley

cauliflower white

white as cotton

white as toilet paper

white like mayonnaise

white as cottage cheese

white as a powdered donut

white like birch bark

white as a flag of surrender

white as Crisco

white as a lab coat

white as a lab rat

white as bleached gym socks

white as a dress shirt

white as Styrofoam

white as dandelion fluff

white as a skull

white as a golf ball

white as Dairy Queen ice cream

white as a polar bear

red as a lobster

red as a strawberry

raspberry red

watermelon red

red as a pomegranate

lipstick red

red as raw meat

red as a stop sign

stoplight red

red as a ladybug

fire truck red

cardinal red

red as a poppy

red as Twizzlers

red as a Coke can

red as a Solo cup

red as a Target shopping cart

red as the Netflix logo

red as a London telephone box

sriracha sauce red

cayenne pepper red

carnelian red

geranium red

red as Mars

Prussian blue

cornflower blue

periwinkle blue

robin’s-egg blue

sapphire blue

blue as lapis lazuli

Wedgwood blue

blue as the ocean

glacial blue

swimming-pool blue

morning-glory blue

hyacinth blue

hydrangea blue

blue like faded jeans

blue as Curaçao

blue like Neptune

blue like cheese mold

blue as a morpho butterfly

Cookie Monster blue

butter yellow

lemon yellow

canary yellow

sunshine yellow

yellow as a banana

daffodil yellow

yellow as forsythia

yellow as kernels of corn

sunflower yellow

taxicab yellow

yellow like a caution sign

yellow as a #2 pencil

yellow as a highlighter pen

egg-yolk yellow

yellow like urine

yellow as Kraft mac and cheese

yellow as a duckling

yellow as a rubber duckie

yellow as gingko leaves in autumn

yellow as a beak

tennis-ball yellow

golden as wheat

golden as a lion

golden as amber

golden as citrine

golden like sand

green as grass

bottle green

peridot green

spinach green

algae green

celery green

pistachio green

dill-pickle green

green as a shamrock

green as edamame

wasabi green

green as watermelon rind

green as a kiwi fruit

green as a grasshopper

absinthe green

green like oxidized copper

green as malachite

green as a golf course

shocking pink

flamingo pink

bubble gum pink

pink as a tongue

pink as a rabbit’s nose

pink as cherry blossoms

pink like rosé wine

pink like strawberry ice cream

cotton candy pink

pink as a piglet

ballet-slipper pink

Pepto-Bismol pink

pink as a dragonfruit

wisteria purple

pansy purple

terra cotta

pumpkin orange

orange as a carrot

sunset orange

orange as a yam

tiger lily orange

orange as a basketball

orange as Cheetos (or Cheez-Its)

Creamsicle orange

orange as Tang

orange as a traffic cone

cocoa brown

otter brown

brown as polished mahogany

brown as whole wheat toast

brown like peanut butter

brown like maple syrup

brown as molasses

brown like corrugated cardboard

brown as a UPS uniform

brown as saddle leather

brown like dead oak leaves

brown as a sparrow

brown as bark

brown as an old penny

brown as a coconut husk

gray as mist

battleship gray

gray as concrete

pigeon gray

gray as an elephant

gray as a dolphin

sharkskin gray

gray like Spanish moss

pelican gray

pussy willow gray

gray as a dust bunny

I hope this was helpful for you! And if it was, you might also enjoy my book Master Lists for Writers . Check it out!

Master Lists for Writers by Bryn Donovan #master lists for writers free pdf #master lists for writers free ebook

Happy writing!

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COMMENTS

How To Describe The Color Red? A Complete Guide!
Describing the color red involves understanding its multiple shades and variations, its emotional and cultural significances, and its role in nature, art, and communication. Red is a complex color that carries different meanings and signals in various contexts. For instance, it can symbolize love, danger, power, or passion.
An Essay on My Favourite Colour Red [PDF]
Power. Anger. All these remind me of my favourite colour. Red is the colour of the lava when a volcano erupts. It is the colour that is used to show if something is spicy or when something is hot. Spotting any red clothes makes some bulls behave in a crazy manner. Red is a primary colour that can be mixed with other colours and used to create ...
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Red color is also associated with showing affection. People associate red color with love hence the reason why many roses are red. It is also associated with war and therefore you find red color used to simplify the blood shed during times of war. Since human blood is in this color, we can confidently say that red depicts procreation.
Seeing Red: What Writers Should Know About Color
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.
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Specific colors make a room feel more spacious, relaxing, and luxurious, and different colors work well for different rooms. Nash suggests some color combinations and their supposed effects on humans and reminds us that color choices can "make or break" a house. 4. World without colour by Ella Gray.
The Symbolism of The Red Color in "Beloved"
Published: Jun 29, 2018. Toni Morrison uses the color red in multiple ways in her novel Beloved. On one hand red is a symbol of vibrancy and life, often revealing life in unexpected places. It also symbolizes pain and death, though death does not signify absence in a book where the dead have a very lively presence in human lives.
The Role of the Color Red in Beloved, a Novel by Toni Morrison
In Beloved, the color red came to symbolize violence, masculinity, mortality, love, hope, and strength. It's Morrison's meticulous use of color imagery that aids in telling the story and describing the emotions and sensations experienced by the characters. Don't use plagiarized sources. Get your custom essay on.
10 of the Best Poems about the Colour Red
Here are ten of the very best red poems. William Blake, ' The Sick Rose '. All is not well in paradise: addressing the red rose, Blake (1757-1827) tells the flower that the 'invisible worm' has 'found out thy bed / Of crimson joy: / And his dark secret love /Does thy life destroy.'.
How to Write a Descriptive Essay
Tips for writing descriptively. The key to writing an effective descriptive essay is to find ways of bringing your subject to life for the reader. You're not limited to providing a literal description as you would be in more formal essay types. Make use of figurative language, sensory details, and strong word choices to create a memorable ...
What is a Descriptive Essay? How to Write It (with Examples)
A descriptive essay's primary goal is to captivate the reader by writing a thorough and vivid explanation of the subject matter, while appealing to their various senses. A list of additional goals is as follows: - Spark feeling and imagination. - Create a vivid experience. - Paint a mental picture. - Pique curiosity.
The Red and The Real: An Essay on Color Ontology
In his admirable and engaging book, Jonathan Cohen defends relationalism about color. Roughly, relationalism is the traditional view that colors are constituted in terms of relations between objects and subjects. On Cohen's version, necessarily, something is red, for instance, just in case it (non-deviantly) causes reddish experiences in the relevant individuals in the relevant circumstances.
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grandfather's eyes, or red, the color of my hair, my son's hair, my great-aunt's hair, my grandmother's hair, numerous uncles' and cousins' hair, and I envisioned an essay with the winning title A Family of Red Heads, or just Red Heads. Then the phone call came. The Cabinet editor said, "Your color is bice."
Visual Rhetoric: Color
There are thousands of books and Websites that cover the use of color from all sorts of practical and theoretical perspectives. We will limit ourselves here to some basic ideas about color. Please note that we are only scratching the surface by giving primary consideration to contrast. Contrast is one of the most basic and critical choices for ...
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Descriptive essay example about a Place. "Even though monarchy is long gone, Buckingham Palace is here to remind us of the aesthetic beauty of that era.". Descriptive essay example about a Person. "One of the characteristics of Spider-Man is his youthfulness, and the fact that he talks to himself more than Hamlet.".
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Essay On Red Color. 926 Words4 Pages. The hidden meaning of colours. Recent studies have found that each colour has a psychological influence on people to make a purchase. Every advertising campaign is strategically designed to impact the market through the colour that attracts more, depending on sex, age, socioeconomic status, or to ...
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The descriptive essay is a genre of essay that asks the student to describe something—object, person, place, experience, emotion, situation, etc. This genre encourages the student's ability to create a written account of a particular experience. What is more, this genre allows for a great deal of artistic freedom (the goal of which is to ...
52 Words To Describe Red
Red is an eye-catching color that is associated with dramatic elements of nature such as fire, sun and blood. As such, it is considered a bold color that captures attention but is somewhat unsettling. Descriptive words for red are typically based on elements of nature, culture and on dyes such as carmine.Words to describe red often correspond to a distinct shade as follows.
A Writer's List of Descriptive Colors
Green. Green is, in fact, particularly versatile color as it can be used to portray a variety of emotions, but is best known for being associated with nature and growth. A color that is very easy on the eyes. Dark green is often associated with ambition and green. Suggests stability, safety and hope.
1000+ Ways to Describe Colors: A Word List for Writers
Why Is Color in Writing So Important? Pablo Picasso said, "Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions." Picasso was an artist who evoked emotion with colorful pigments. As a writer, you can do the same with colorful words. Note the different pictures painted by the following two paragraphs. Ned gazed at the calypso-orange ...
The Color Red
Descriptive Essay: Crayola Color. 428 Words; 2 Pages; ... The color red is a consistent symbol throughout the story, as it is a word in the title. The color red has numerous symbolic meanings. It can be interpreted differently depending on the situation and experiences of an individual. Red can create a variety of emotions ranging from love to ...
Master List of Color Names and Color Descriptions
yellow as kernels of corn. sunflower yellow. taxicab yellow. yellow like a caution sign. yellow as a #2 pencil. yellow as a highlighter pen. egg-yolk yellow. yellow like urine. yellow as Kraft mac and cheese.
Descriptive Essay: Red In Iowa City
Descriptive Essay: Red In Iowa City. Decent Essays. 856 Words; 4 Pages; Open Document. ... The color red often represents the moral corruption of the characters in their giant ambitious attitudes towards gaining the news story and the money that is associated with it. Other shots that the color red is seen, is the red lights of the street lights.
Descriptive Essay On Pink
The color red is one of the warmest and most diverse colors in the visual spectrum. It has the ability to capture and deliver any message. Red has often been used throughout the world to indicate love, anger, fortune, success, strength, pain and even death. ... Descriptive Essay On Color Guard Girls 773 Words | 4 Pages.