I made these as a way to compile all the geographical vocabulary that I thought was useful and interesting for writers. Some descriptors share categories, and some are simplified, but for the most part everything is in its proper place. Not all the words are as useable as others, and some might take tricky wording to pull off, but I hope these prove useful to all you writers out there!
Violence, fights, tension–three words that often carry a story a long, especially anything in the fantasy, sci-fi, or action-adventure realm. Whether it’s hand-to-hand combat (see older resource posts), or weapon usage, fights should be as realistic as possible: the focus should be on the fiction, the characters, and story, not your reader scratching their head saying “that could never really happen.” Here are some resources I hope will help as you embark on your more “wound-based” scenes:
Healing is just as important as the fight when it comes to story believability. If your character was shot one day ago and is now running aroun the Olympics, it’s likely your reader will close the book and forget about all the important story-telling you had engaged them in prior. Facts count, so don’t let the small stuff derail your next big hit.
This masterlist is a masterlist of words that you may use alongside the word very, very being one of the most common words that are used when writing. I hope this helps you as much as it helps me in our writing seem more sophisticated and unique.
A:
Very accurate – exact Very afraid – fearful Very angry – furious Very annoying – exasperating
B:
Very bad – atrocious Very beautiful – exquisite Very big – immense Very boring – dull Very bright – luminous Very busy – swamped
C:
Very calm – serene Very careful – cautious Very cheap – stingy Very clean – spotless Very clear – obvious Very clever – intelligent Very cold – freezing Very colourful – vibrant Very competitive – cutthroat Very complete – comprehensive Very confused – perplexed Very conventional – conservative Very creative – innovative Very crowded – bustling Very cute – adorable
D:
Very dangerous – perilous Very dear – cherished Very deep – profound Very depressed – despondent Very detailed – meticulous Very different – disparate Very difficult – arduous Very dirty – filthy Very dry – arid Very dull – tedious
E:
Very eager – keen Very easy – effortless Very empty – desolate Very excited – thrilled Very exciting – exhilarating Very expensive – costly
F:
Very fancy – lavish Very fast – swift Very fat – obese Very friendly – amiable Very frightened – alarmed Very frightening – terrifying Very funny – hilarious
G:
Very glad – overjoyed Very good – excellent Very great – terrific
H:
Very happy – ecstatic Very hard – difficult Very hard-to-find – rare Very heavy – leaden Very high – soaring Very hot – sweltering Very huge – colossal Very hungry – ravenous Very hurt – battered
I:
Very important – crucial Very intelligent – brilliant Very interesting – captivating
J:
K:
L:
Very large – huge Very lazy – indolent Very little – tiny Very lively – vivacious Very long – extensive Very long-term – enduring Very loose – slack Very loud – thunderous Very loved – adored
M:
Very mean – cruel Very messy – slovenly
N:
Very neat – immaculate Very necessary – essential Very nervous – apprehensive Very nice – kind Very noisy – deafening
O:
Very often – frequently Very old – ancient Very old-fashioned – archaic Very open – transparent
P:
Very painful – excruciating Very pale – ashen Very perfect – flawless Very poor – destitute Very powerful – compelling Very pretty – beautiful
Q:
Very quick – rapid Very quiet – hushed
R:
Very rainy – pouring Very rich – wealthy
S:
Very sad – sorrowful Very scared – petrified Very scary – chilling Very serious – grave Very sharp – keen Very shiny – gleaming Very short – brief Very shy – timid Very simple – basic Very skinny – skeletal Very slow – sluggish Very small – petite Very smart – intelligent Very smelly – pungent Very smooth – sleek Very soft – downy Very sorry – apologetic Very special – exceptional Very strong – forceful Very stupid – idiotic Very sure – certain Very sweet – thoughtful
T:
Very talented – gifted Very tall – towering Very tasty – delicious Very thirsty – parched Very tight – constricting Very tiny –minuscule Very tired – exhausted
U:
Very ugly – hideous Very unhappy – miserable Very upset – distraught
V:
W:
Very warm – hot Very weak – frail Very well-to-do – wealthy Very wet – soaked Very wide – expansive Very willing – eager Very windy – blustery Very wise – sage Very worried – distressed
X:
Y:
Z:
A/N: If you know of anymore words I can add please message me.
Absent-minded – Preoccupied to the extent of being unaware of one’s immediate surroundings. Abstracted, daydreaming, inattentive, oblivious, forgetful.
Abusive – Characterized by improper infliction of physical or psychological maltreatment towards another.
Addict – One who is addicted to a compulsive activity. Examples: gambling, drugs, sex.
Aimless – Devoid of direction or purpose.
Alcoholic – A person who drinks alcoholic substances habitually and to excess.
Anxious – Full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger or misfortune; greatly worried; solicitous.
Arrogant – Having or displaying a sense of overbearing self-worth or self-importance. Inclined to social exclusiveness and who rebuff the advances of people considered inferior. Snobbish.
Audacious – Recklessly bold in defiance of convention, propriety, law, or the like; insolent; braze, disobedient.
Bad Habit – A revolting personal habit. Examples: picks nose, spits tobacco, drools, bad body odour.
Bigmouth – A loud-mouthed or gossipy person.
Bigot – One who is strongly partial to one’s own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ.
Blunt – Characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion. Frank, callous, insensitive, brusque.
Bold – In a bad sense, too forward; taking undue liberties; over assuming or confident; lacking proper modesty or restraint; rude; impudent. Abrupt, brazen, cheeky, brassy, audacious.
Callous – They are hardened to emotions, rarely showing any form of it in expression. Unfeeling. Cold.
Childish – Marked by or indicating a lack of maturity; puerile.
Complex – An exaggerated or obsessive concern or fear. (List specific complex.)
Cruel – Mean to anyone or anything, without care or regard to consequences and feelings.
Cursed – A person who has befallen a prayer for evil or misfortune, placed under a spell, or borne into an evil circumstance, and suffers for it. Damned.
Dependent – Unable to exist, sustain oneself, or act appropriately or normally without the assistance or direction of another.
Erratic – Deviating from the customary course in conduct or opinion; eccentric: erratic behaviour. Eccentric, bizarre, outlandish, strange.
Fanatical – Fanatic outlook or behaviour especially as exhibited by excessive enthusiasm, unreasoning zeal, or wild and extravagant notions on some subject.
Fickle – Erratic, changeable, unstable – especially with regard to affections or attachments; capricious.
Fierce – Marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions; inclined to react violently; fervid.
Finicky – Excessively particular or fastidious; difficult to please; fussy. Too much concerned with detail. Meticulous, fastidious, choosy, critical, picky, prissy, pernickety.
Fixated – In psychoanalytic theory, a strong attachment to a person or thing, especially such an attachment formed in childhood or infancy and manifested in immature or neurotic behaviour that persists throughout life. Fetish, quirk, obsession, infatuation.
Flirt -To make playfully romantic or sexual overtures; behaviour intended to arouse sexual interest. Minx. Tease.
Gluttonous – Given to excess in consumption of especially food or drink. Voracious, ravenous, wolfish, piggish, insatiable.
Gruff – Brusque or stern in manner or appearance. Crusty, rough, surly.
Gullible – Will believe any information given, regardless of how valid or truthful it is, easily deceived or duped.
Hard – A person who is difficult to deal with, manage, control, overcome, or understand. Hard emotions, hard hearted.
Hedonistic – Pursuit of or devotion to pleasure, especially to the pleasures of the senses.
Hoity-toity- Given to flights of fancy; capricious; frivolous. Prone to giddy behaviour, flighty.
Humourless – The inability to find humour in things, and most certainly in themselves.
Hypocritical – One who is always contradicting their own beliefs, actions or sayings. A person who professes beliefs and opinions for others that he does not hold. Being a hypocrite.
Idealist – One whose conduct is influenced by ideals that often conflict with practical considerations. One who is unrealistic and impractical, guided more by ideals than by practical considerations.
Idiotic – Marked by a lack of intelligence or care; foolish or careless.
Ignorant – Lacking knowledge or information as to a particular subject or fact. Showing or arising from a lack of education or knowledge.
Impatient – Unable to wait patiently or tolerate delay; restless. Unable to endure irritation or opposition; intolerant.
Impious – Lacking piety and reverence for a god/gods and their followers.
Impish – Naughtily or annoyingly playful.
Incompetent – Unable to execute tasks, no matter how the size or difficulty.
Indecisive – Characterized by lack of decision and firmness, especially under pressure.
Indifferent – The trait of lacking enthusiasm for or interest in things generally, remaining calm and seeming not to care; a casual lack of concern. Having or showing little or no interest in anything; languid; spiritless.
Infamy – Having an extremely bad reputation, public reproach, or strong condemnation as the result of a shameful, criminal, or outrageous act that affects how others view them.
Intolerant – Unwilling to tolerate difference of opinion and narrow-minded about cherished opinions.
Judgemental – Inclined to make and form judgements, especially moral or personal ones, based on one’s own opinions or impressions towards others/practices/groups/religions based on appearance, reputation, occupation, etc.
Klutz – Clumsy. Blunderer.
Lazy – Resistant to work or exertion; disposed to idleness.
Lewd – Inclined to, characterized by, or inciting to lust or lechery; lascivious. Obscene or indecent, as language or songs; salacious.
Liar – Compulsively and purposefully tells false truths more often than not. A person who has lied or who lies repeatedly.
Lustful – Driven by lust; preoccupied with or exhibiting lustful desires.
Masochist – The deriving of sexual gratification, or the tendency to derive sexual gratification, from being physically or emotionally abused. A willingness or tendency to subject oneself to unpleasant or trying experiences.
Meddlesome – Intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner, given to meddling; interfering.
Meek – Evidencing little spirit or courage; overly submissive or compliant; humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness.
Megalomaniac – A psycho pathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of wealth, power, or omnipotence.
Naïve – Lacking worldly experience and understanding, simple and guileless; showing or characterized by a lack of sophistication and critical judgement.
Nervous – Easily agitated or distressed; high-strung or jumpy.
Non-violent – Abstaining from the use of violence.
Nosey – Given to prying into the affairs of others; snoopy. Offensively curious or inquisitive.
Obsessive – An unhealthy and compulsive preoccupation with something or someone.
Oppressor – A person of authority who subjects others to undue pressures, to keep down by severe and unjust use of force or authority.
Overambitious – Having a strong excessive desire for success or achievement.
Overemotional – Excessively or abnormally emotional. Sensitive about themselves and others, more so than the average person.
Overprotective – To protect too much; coddle.
Overzealous – Marked by excessive enthusiasm for and intense devotion to a cause or idea.
Pacifist – Opposition to war or violence as a means of resolving disputes. (Can double as a merit in certain cases)
Paranoid – Exhibiting or characterized by extreme and irrational fear or distrust of others.
Peevish – Expressing fretfulness and discontent, or unjustifiable dissatisfaction. Cantankerous, cross, ill-tempered, testy, captious, discontented, crotchety, cranky, ornery.
Perfectionist – A propensity for being displeased with anything that is not perfect or does not meet extremely high standards.
Pessimist – A tendency to stress the negative or unfavourable or to take the gloomiest possible view.
Pest – One that pesters or annoys, with or without realizing it. Nuisance. Annoying. Nag.
Phobic – They have a severe form of fear when it comes to this one thing. Examples: Dark, Spiders, Cats
Practical – Level-headed, efficient, and unspeculative. No-nonsense.
Predictable – Easily seen through and assessable, where almost anyone can predict reactions and actions of said person by having met or known them even for a short time.
Proud – Filled with or showing excessive self-esteem and will often shirk help from others for the sake of pride.
Rebellious – Defying or resisting some established authority, government, or tradition; insubordinate; inclined to rebel.
Reckless – Heedless. Headstrong. Foolhardy. Unthinking boldness, wild carelessness and disregard for consequences.
Remorseless – Without remorse; merciless; pitiless; relentless.
Rigorous – Rigidly accurate; allowing no deviation from a standard; demanding strict attention to rules and procedures.
Sadist – The deriving of sexual gratification or the tendency to derive sexual gratification from inflicting pain or emotional abuse on others. Deriving of pleasure, or the tendency to derive pleasure, from cruelty.
Sadomasochist – Both sadist and masochist combined.
Sarcastic – A subtle form of mockery in which an intended meaning is conveyed obliquely.
Sceptic – One who instinctively or habitually doubts, questions, or disagrees with assertions or generally accepted conclusions.
Seducer – To lead others astray, as from duty, rectitude, or the like; corrupt. To attempt to lead or draw someone away, as from principles, faith, or allegiance.
Selfish – Concerned chiefly or only with oneself.
Self-Martyr – One who purposely makes a great show of suffering in order to arouse sympathy from others, as a form of manipulation, and always for a selfish cause or reason.
Self-righteous – Piously sure of one’s own righteousness; moralistic. Exhibiting pious self-assurance. Holier-than-thou, sanctimonious.
Senile – Showing a decline or deterioration of physical strength or mental functioning, esp. short-term memory and alertness, as a result of old age or disease.
Shallow – Lacking depth of intellect or knowledge; concerned only with what is obvious.
Smart Ass – Thinks they know it all, and in some ways they may, but they can be greatly annoying and difficult to deal with at times, especially in arguments.
Soft-hearted – Having softness or tenderness of heart that can lead them into trouble; susceptible of pity or other kindly affection. They cannot resist helping someone they see in trouble, suffering or in need, and often don’t think of the repercussions or situation before doing so.
Spiteful – Showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt; motivated by spite; vindictive person who will look for occasions for resentment. Vengeful.
Spoiled – Treated with excessive indulgence and pampering from earliest childhood, and has no notion of hard work, self-care or money management; coddled, pampered. Having the character or disposition harmed by pampering or over-solicitous attention.
Squeamish – Excessively fastidious and easily disgusted.
Stubborn – Unreasonably, often perversely unyielding; bull-headed. Firmly resolved or determined; resolute.
Superstitious – An irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear from an irrational belief that an object, action, or circumstance not logically related to a course of events influences its outcome.
Tactless – Lacking or showing a lack of what is fitting and considerate in dealing with others.
Temperamental – Moody, irritable, or sensitive. Excitable, volatile, emotional.
Theatrical – Having a flair for over dramatizing situations, doing things in a ‘big way’ and love to be ‘centre stage’.
Timid -Tends to be shy and/or quiet, shrinking away from offering opinions or from strangers and newcomers, fearing confrontations and violence.
Tongue-tied – Speechless or confused in expression, as from shyness, embarrassment, or astonishment.
Troublemaker – Someone who deliberately stirs up trouble, intentionally or unintentionally.
Unlucky – Marked by or causing misfortune; ill-fated. Destined for misfortune; doomed.
Unpredictable – Difficult to foretell or foresee, their actions are so chaotic it’s impossible to know what they are going to do next.
Untrustworthy – Not worthy of trust or belief. Backstabber.
Vain – Holding or characterized by an unduly high opinion of their physical appearance. Lovers of themselves. Conceited, egotistic, narcissistic.
Weak-willed – Lacking willpower, strength of will to carry out one’s decisions, wishes, or plans. Easily swayed.
Here is a massive list of synonyms for the most commonly over-used words in the English language. All sources are linked below each list if you click the bolded “x” below each individual section.
Here’s some considerations for the tiny little details that can add a lot to a character. Figuring out these mannerisms can do a lot for conveying character traits through their normal actions rather than just their thoughts, dialogue, etc.
How’s their posture? There are more options than just sitting up straight or slouching a lot. What’s their most comfortable sitting position? Do they have a consistent posture or does it change depending on situation / present company?
How’s their etiquette? Do they hold the door for people behind them? How do they handle handshakes and other kinds of typical contact? Does their language change or become more formal when speaking to strangers? To their elders? To their superiors?
In a crowded space, do they get out of people’s way, or do people get out of THEIR way?
How do they point something out? Pointing their finger? Nodding their head? A flippant wave of the hand?
What are their comfort gestures or self-touch gestures? Common comfort gestures include rubbing the back of the neck or gripping their own arms. Can they suppress these gestures or do they do them often?
Also consider the character’s common reactions to common emotions. Do they whoop when they’re excited? Do they tremble when angry?
What parts of the body are the most expressive? Do they shuffle and stomp their feet a lot when agitated or excited? Are they a hand talker? Do they have an impressive range of motion with their eyebrows?
How do they sound? Do their car keys jingle as they walk? Do they drag their feet? Do their heels clack resoundingly on hard floors? Do they breathe loudly? Do they fidget in ways that make a lot of noise?
How do they handle eye contact?
Any behaviors they reserve for moments when they’re alone? (Or possibly among family/friends that don’t care?) Do they pick their nose? Do they bite their toenails? Do they sniff their armpits? Or do they not care if people see behavior like this?
Apart from comfort gestures, what else do they do to comfort themselves in trying times? What’s their go-to self care? What’s their comfort food? Where’s their safe space?
What are they doing with themselves as they’re suppressing emotion? Lip biting, fist clenching, and avoiding eye contact are common methods of coping with strong emotions.
Nothing but My Aching Soul 