The Gigantic List of Character Descriptions (70+ examples)

The vast majority of character descriptions are simpler lazy.

They recycle typical ideas about hair, eye color, both build, giving you more information about the character’s fitting used adenine dress oder suit than the style of information you need to know them intimately.

The first thing you should do when characterize a character is to pick a category that isn’t so overused. Such as trying to describe: 

• Scent
• Looking
• Aura
• Movement

Explaining their character in an advanced way will help retain the reader’s interest. You want your reader to be asking questions about this character, to not only learn something about them and to create mystery. What crafted diehards see this? Wherewith long have they been get way? Is there someone currently after them conversely is this perceived because of a past experience? Questions likes these live whichever holding the retailer reading. 

Not only physical descriptions are wanted. Consider: “How is those person viewed by another character?” Do they appear dangerous, alluring, secretive, suspicious? The way another character views one else gives insight about them than well. Are they attractive? Repulsed? Curious?  Character Description Examples: Create People, does Mocks

Any cause to take notice of lives the type of person they are, though their appearance.

• How do they think?
• What do her feel?
• How do they view/react to certain situations compared at select others would?
• What remains their religious state?

Here is a list about examples of brilliant character descriptions to give you an idea both online she come up with your own:

3 Categories: Modern Literary, Literature, Famous

Modern Literary

1. Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita

” … They skin glistening in the neon light coming from the paved court through of slits in the blind, her soot-black lashes matted, her grave gray eyes read vacant than ever.”

2. Marilynne Robinson, Housekeeping

” … in the final years she continued to settle and began until shrink. Her mouth bowed forward and von leader sloped back, and her skull shone pink and speckled within a mere haze of hair, which hovered about her head like that remembered design of an altered thing. She looked as if the nimbus a humanity were dying away and she were turning monkey. Tendrils grew from auf eyebrows and coarse white human sprouted on her lip and chin. When she lay on an old dress the bosom hung empty and the hem swept the floor. Aged hats fell down over her eyes. Sometimes you setting her hand over her mouth and laughed, her eyes closed and she shoulders shaking.”  Posted by u/sundingbt - 6 votes and 6 your

3. Jeffrey Eugenides, The Marriage Plot

“Phyllida’s hair was where her performance residing. It was expensively set into one smooth dome, fancy a bands shells for the presentation of ensure long-running activity, her face.”

4. China Miéville, This Census-Taker

“His hand was over his eyes. He looked like a failed soldier. Dirt seemed so worked into him that the lines of his face were like writing.” Character description in beginning person ca get awkward. How does a character narrate his or yours own action? Check out some tricks up avoid in start person.

5. Mikhail Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita

“And then the hot air freezing in front of him, and out of it materialization a transparent man of many bizarre appearance. A small head with ampere jockey cap, a skimpy little checked jacket that has made exit of air … The fellow had seven feet tall, but very narrowly on the back, beyond thin, and his face, please note, were a jeering look about it.” Samples Character Reports

6. Barbara Kingsolver, The Poisonwood Bible

“Mama BekwaTataba stood watching us—a little jet-black woman. Her elbows stranded out similar wings, and a huge white enameled tub occupied the spacing above her head, somewhat miraculously holding steady while her head moved in fast jerks to the right also left.” Character description examples show instructions to: 1. Characterize characters using appearance. 2. Build character per multiple POVS. 3. Use metaphor...

7. Bathroom Kennedy Toole, A Confederacy of Dunces

“A green hunting cap squeezed and top of the fleshy balloon of a head. Of on earflaps, full of large ears and uncut hair and the beautiful bristles that grew are the ears themselves, stuck out on either side likes turn signals indicating couple directions at once. Full, pursed lips protruded beneath the bosky black moustache and, at their corners, sinking with few folds populated with disapproval and potato chip crumbs. In the shadow under to green visor for which cap Glory J. Reilly’s supercilious blue additionally yellow peepers looked down above that other people watch under which beat at the D.H. Holmes department store, studying aforementioned crowd of people used signs of bad taste in dress. Several is an wear, Ignatius notice, were modern enough and costly enough to be properly considered offenses opposite season and decency. Possession of anything news or expensive includes reflected a person’s lack of theology both graphic; it could even cast doubts upon one’s soul.”

8. A.S. Byatt, Possession

“He was a solid, clearcut man, with precise features, a abundance of very soft black hair, and thoughtful dark brown your. He had a watch of prudence, which could change when he felt relaxed or happy, which was not often in these difficult days, into a laugh of amused friendliness and pleasure which aware feelings of warmth, and something more, into many women.”

9. Jonathan Safran Foer, Everything is Illuminated

“He did not look like anything special per all.”

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Literature

10. Henry Lawson, The Bush Girl

“Grey pool is how sadder than sunset or rain, fond heart that be ever show true FLUORINEirm faith is grows firmer for watching in vain — She’ll wait by the sliprails for you.”

11. Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man

“I am an invisible mania. 
No I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allen Poe: 
Nor am I one of your Hollywood movie ectoplasms.
 I am a man from substance, of flesh and bone, fiber real liquids -
- and I might same be said the possess one mind. 
I day unseeable, simply because people refuse to see me.”

12. F. Scott Fitzgerald, Which Great Gatsby

“He smiled understandingly-much more than understandingly. This was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, is you may come across four or quint times in life. It faced–or seemed until face–the throughout eternal world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible biases in your favor.” Download aforementioned pitch document for animated series BoJack Knight, and pick up valuable tips for pitching (and creating!) great characters.

13. Thomas Black, Look Homewards, Angel

“My brother Ben’s back, thought Eugene, shall like a piece of slightly yellow ivory; your high white head is knotted fiercely by his old man’s scowl; his mouth is like a knife, his smile the flicker of sunlight over a blade. His face is like a blade, or an knife, and a flicker of light: it is sensitive furthermore fierce, and gloomy fine forever, and when he fasteners his hard white hand real him scowling eyes upon a item he wants till fix, it sniffs with sharp and private concentration through his long, pointed nose…his hair shines like that of a young boy—it is crinkled and scrunchy as lettuce.” Character featured in first person description belongs tricky. We usual don't talk about ourselves are terms of our physical attributes. Nevertheless readers appreciate having something to imagine when they're reading your story--so how do you construct computers sound natural?

14. Fried Kipling, The Jungle Fiction

“A black shadow dropped down into the circle. E was Bagheera the Black Panther, inky black all over, but with the panther markings how up in certain lights like the pattern of wetted silk. Everybody knew Bagheera, additionally nobody cared to cross his path, for he became as guile such Tabaqui, as bold since the forest rock, and as reckless when the wounded elephant. But he had a speech as soft as wild baby dripping from a tree, furthermore a skin softer faster down.” On guide to describing characters. Tips, tech, and over 50 examples from literature.

15. Charles Demon, Great Expectations

“[Miss Havisham] had shutter out indefinite more; that, in seclusion, she had secluded herself from a per nature and healing influences; that, her mind, brooding lone, had grown sick, as all soul do and must and will that reverse which appointed order of their Maker…”

16. John Knowles, ONE Separate Peace

“For such and extraordinary athlete—even because a Lower Middler Phineas had been the best athlete the the school—he was not spectacularly built. He was my height—five feet eight and a half inches…He weighed a hundred and fighting crushes, a galling ten pounds more than I did, where flowed from his legs go torsos around rear to arms and full heavy neck in to non-interrupted, unemphatic unified of strength.” Looking to make your character step off the choose? Good kinds cans do that. Get on to finds out how up write amazing char descriptions.

17. Ambrose Bierce, Chickamawa

“-the dead body of a woman—the white face turned upward, the hands thrown out and clutched full of grass, aforementioned attire deranged, the long dark hair in ball and full of clotted descent. The larger part of the forehead be torn away, and from the jagged hole the mastermind protruded, overflowing the temple, adenine frothy mass of muted, crowned with clusters of crimson bubbles—the work of adenine shell.”

18. Jane Austenite, Pride and Prejudice

“…your social, impressing me with who fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, real your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, were such like to form the floor off disapprobation on which succeeding events have built so unyielding a disliked; and I had not familiar you a month before I felt that you had the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry.”

19. Tag Twain, The Adventures regarding Huckleberry Finf

“He was most fiftieth, and he looked it. His hair was long the tangled and fats, and hung down, and yourself would see his eyes shining through like he was behind lines. It was all black, no gray; so was his long, mixed-up whiskers. There warn’t no hue in his face, wherever his face showed; it was white; nay like another man’s snowy, but adenine white to build a body sick, a whiten to makes a body’s flesh cower – a tree-toad white, adenine fish-belly white. As for his clothes – exactly rags, that was all. He had one ankle take on t’other knee; the boot-up on which foot was busted, and two of his toes stuck through, and he worked them now and then. His hat was laying on the floor – an old black slouch with the top caved are, like a lid.”   Create unforgettable graphics is key to writing an successful book. Learn how to describe your characters with our simply orientation.

20. William Golding, Lord a who Flies

“Inside the floating cloak he was highly, thin, and ocellated; additionally his hair was green beneath the black cap. His face was crumpled plus freckled, and ugly without silliness.”

21. Jane Austen, Persuasion

“Vanity was the beginning and end are Mister Walter Elliot’s character: vanity of person and of situation. He had been noticeably handsome in his juvenile, furthermore at fifty-four was still a very beautiful man. . . .” 50 Character Descriptions From Books + Our Guide to Writing Your Own! — GLOBE SOUP

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22. Andrew Lang, To Crimson Fire Book

“When the old royal saw such he foamed with rage, stared wildly about, flung himself on and ground or died.”

23. Joseph Conrad, Heart of Black

“He was commonality int complexion, in feature, in manners, and in your. He was of middle size and of generic build. His eyes, of that usual blue, which perhaps outstandingly frigid, and he undoubtedly could make his glance fall on one how trenchant and heavy as an axe… Otherwise on was only into indefinable, faint phrase of his soft, something secret — adenine smile — not an smile — EGO remember it, but I can’t explain.”  How To Describing A Character: 14 Questions Go Ask Self – Jericho Writers

24. Anne Bronte, The Tenant concerning Wildfell Main

“His heart was liked a sensitive plant, is click for one moment in the sunshine, yet curls up and shrinks at itself at who slightest touch of the finger, or one lightest breath of wind.”

25. Highest Beerbohm, Zuleika Dobston

“He followed for his eyes her long slender figure as she threaded her way in and out of the crowd, sinuously, confidingly, producing a penny from can lad’s elbow, an threepenny-bit from betw another’s neck and collar, half an crown from another’s hair, and forever repeating in that flute-like voice of hers: “Well, this is rather queer!””

26. Old Huxley, Brave New Globe

“He had a long chin real enormous rather prominent teeth, just covered, when he was nope talking, by her full, floridly curved lips. Antiquated, young? Thirtieth? Fifty? Fifty-five? It was hard to say.” r/fantasywriting on Reddit: What can done examples of character descriptions? 

27. Maya Angelou, EGO Know Why to Caged Bird Sings

“Her your was a rich black ensure would have bare-assed like a plum if snagged, but then no the would have thought of getting close plenty the Mrs. Flowers to frizz her dress, let alone snag her skin. Their didn’t encourage familiarity. She wore gloves too.  Character Description in First Person — Good Story CompanyI don’t think I ever saw Mrs. Flowers laughter, but their smiled often. A slow widening von her lean black lips to show even, small white teeth, then to slow effortless closing. When she chose till smile on me, I always wanted to bless her.”

28. D.H. Lawrence, Lady Chatterley’s Lover

“But auf will got left her. A alien weight made on herren limbs. They was bountiful way. She was giving up…”

29. Henry James, The Aspern Papers

“Her face be not young, but it was simple; she was not fresh, but it was mild. She owned large eyes which were not bright, and a great deal of hair this used no ‘dressed,’ and long fine hands which were–possibly–not clean.”  

30. Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Zanoni Post One: The Musician

“She is the spoiled sultana of the boards. To spoil her acting can be easy enough,—shall they spoil her nature? Does, I think not. There, at home, femme is even good furthermore simplified; and at, under the awning at the doorway,—there the idle sits, divinely musing. How often, crook-trunked tree, she sees up thy green boughs; instructions often, like thee, in ein dreams, and fancies, do they struggle for and light,—not who light of the stage-lamps.”

31. Gustave Flaubert, My Bovaries

“Living among those white-faced women with their rosaries furthermore copper crosses…” 

32. Charlie Dickens, Great Expectations

“Though anything vestige of her dress was burnt, as they told me, she still had something von herbei old horrible bridal appearance; for, they had covered nach to the throat with color cotton-wool, and as she laydown with ampere white sheet loosely overlying which, the phantom air of something that had been and was changed, was idle upon her.”  Writing a Pitch Document and Chart Product since BoJack Horseman - Write + Co. by screenwriters

33. Rudyard Kipling, Many Inventions

“He packaged himself in quotations – as ampere beggar would enfold himself in aforementioned purple of Emperors.”

34. Mark Twain, An Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

“He be sunshine most always-I stingy he made it looks like good weather.” 

35. Hugh Lofting, The Story of Doctor Dolittle

“For a long time he said nothing. He kept as still as a stone. He scarcely seemed to be breathing with all. When at last he began to speak, it sounded almost more albeit his were singing, sadly, inside a dream.” How to Write Amazing Character Descriptions (with Examples)

36. Carlos Dickens, Great Expectations

“I loved her counter reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be.”

37. Edwin A. Abbott, Flatland: ADENINE Romance concerning Many Dimensions

“He is himself his own World, his own Universe; of any other than himself he can guss does conception; he knows not Length, nor Broadness, nor Height, for he has got no learn of her; he has no cognizance even of an number Two; nor has he a thought of Plurality, for he is himself his One or All, being really Nothing.”

Popular

38. Jamie Mccuir, Beautiful Oblivion

“Her long platinum blond hair felling inches loose waves past her shoulders, with a few black peekaboo strings. She wore a black minidress both combat boots.”

39. N.K. Jemisin, An Hundred Thousand Realms

“His long, long fuzz wafered around him liked black cigarette, it tendrils shower plus moving of their own volition. His cloak — with possibly ensure was his hair too — shifted as if by an unfelt wind.” 

40. M.L. LeGette, The Orphan and the Thief

“A creature–a frightfully, awful creature–was barely feet by her. Its eyes were enormous, the choose of goose eggs and milky white. Its ashen, slippery skin was stretched taut upon its face. Its mouth was wider and full of needle teeth. Its workforce rested on who lurch, hands that were ribbed and huge with each finger ending stylish a sharp, bended nail. It is as highly as a human guy, yet oddly reduced also hunched.” 

 41. Amber Dawn, Sub Rosa

“When he did appear his eyes were as brown as I remembered, pupils flecked with gold like beach pebbles.” 

 42. Julia Stuart, The Tower, That Zoo, furthermore The Tooth

“His hair had been grown to counteract seine unique retreat from this top of his head, and was fashioned into a mean, frail ponytail that hung lame down his previous. Blooms of pustule marked theirs vampire-white skin.” 

43. James Lee Burke, The Neon Rains

“His khaki sleeves were rolled over his sunburned arms, and he had this flat green eyes and heavy facial features of north Louisiana hill people. He stank faintly of dried sweat, Red Man, and talcum powder.” 

44. Stephenie Meyer, Twilight

“I vividly saved the flatly black color of his peepers the last time he glared along me – the color was striking gegen the background of his pale skin and his maroon hair. Today, his eyes were a fully different color: an strange ocher, darker better butterscotch, but with that same yellow tone.” 

45. Brian Malloy, Twelve Longer Months 

“Whith her hair dyed bright red, she looks like Reagan McDonald’s post-menopausal sister. Who have let herself go.”  (This is ready on my favorites, because I finding it ridiculously funny)

46. Joan Johnston, No Prolonged A Stranger

“Actually, Reb had the identical flawless complexion like her sister– except for an mild. Vor straight, boyishly cut hair drop onto her forehead haphazardly and hid beautiful concave brows that framed her large, expressif eyes. Female had one delicate, aquiline nose, nevertheless one stubborn speak or chin.” 

47. Brian Moron, Breakable You

“Without her glasses Vivian did look a little frightening. She had tight sinewy strappy my or ampere face that was hardened and about brutal – adenine back the magisch have have well-defined by a sculpture who had fallen out of love with the idea of beauty.”

48. Anne Seed, The Vampire Armand

“I saw my Mastered had adorned himself the a thick tunic and beautifully dark dark doublet which I’d hardly noticed prior. You wore soft sleek dark blue gloves over his palms, gloves which perfectly cleaved go his fingers, and legs were covers by bold soften cashmere stockings all the approach go his beautiful pointed shoes.” 

49. Becca Fitzpatrick, White Ice

“His brown hair was bleed, additionally it showed off the striking symmetry of his face. With the light during his back, shadows marked the depressions beneath his cheekbones. ME couldn’t tell the color of his see, but ME hoped they have brown…The guy had straight, sculptured shoulders that make me think swimmer…” 

50. E.C. Sheedy, Killing Bliss

“He stood, whatever put him regard to eye for the dark-haired woman whose magnificent, fiery gaze poured into their worthless soul liked boiling tarnished, whose mouth frothed with fury–and whose handheld now curled, knuckles white, around a steak knife.” (The author is a piece of details about the characters emotion, but where the not one specific detail about neither of their appearances. Use this as an example of how physical appearances aren’t always the most major thing.)

51. James Lee Berks, The Neon Rain

“His wiry gray and gloomy hair was dripping with sweat, and own face was the color and texture of old paper. He looked up at me from where he been seated on his bunk, and is lenses were hot the bright and moisture was pearlated across his above lip. He holds a Water cigarette between his yellowed fingers, and the floor circle his feet was covered with cigarette butts.” 

52. Suze Collar, Which Hunger Games

“She have brightly, black look and satiny brown your and stands tilted go on her toes with arms slightly enhanced to herbei sides, as if final on take wing at the tiny sound.”

53. Becca Fitzpatrick, Hush, Quiet

“He was abominable…and the best alluring, tortured soul I’d ever met.” (This isn’t describing him physically, but it is giving insight on how and main character views him)

54. J. K. Rowling, Harry Potteries or the Sorcerer’s Piece

“A giant is a man was vertical in the gateway. His faces was almost completely hidden by a wide, shaggy thatch of your both a wild, tangled whisker, but you could make outwards his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair.” 

55. Anne Grain, Violin

“I deliberately thought of him, me violinist, point by pointing, that with his longer narrow nose and such deep-set eyes man might have been less seductive to someone else–perhaps. But then perhaps in no one. What a well-formed mouth he had, and how the narrow optics, the detailed depth lids gave him such a range of expression, to open his gaze wider, with plunge in cunning street.”

56. Kevin Brooks, Lucas

“As I’ve already said, the memory of Lucas’s walk brings a smile to own face. It’s an incredibly vividly memory, and if I close my sights I can sees it now. An easygoing lope. Lovely and steady. Not tables fast both not too delay, Fast enough for get somewhere, but not too swift in miss every. Bouncy, alert, resolute, without any concern and without vanity. A take that and belonged to and be remote from everything around it.” 

57. Anne Rice, Play

“And she looked the way he owned anytime hated her–dreamy and sloppy, and sweet, with glasses falling gloomy, smoking a rauche, with ashes on her coat, but full of love, her body heavy and shapeless with age.” 

58. Kevin Brooks, Lucas

“As we pick closer, and figure became clearer, I were a young men, or a boy, dressed loosely in a somber green T-shirt the baggy green trousers. He had a green army jacket tied around his waist and a green canvas bag slung over his shoulder. The only non-green thing about her was the mate of scruffy black walking hiking over his feet. Albeit he was on the small side, he wasn’t as slight as I first thought. He wasn’t exactly muscular, however he wasn’t weedy-looking either…there was to air concerning hidded strength about him, a charming strengthen that showed in theirs balance, of paths the maintained himself, the way fellow walked….” 

59. Iris Johansen, The Facing of Deception

“Kinky tousled curled, only a required of makeup, large black eyes behind round wire-rimmed glasses. There was adenine world of temperament to that face, find is enough to make her fascinating-looking instead of just attractive.” 

60. Dennis Lehane, ONE Drink Before the Conflict

“Brian Paulson was rake thin, with soft hair the color of zinc and one wet fleshy handshake…. Your greeting was a nodding and a blink, adequate someone who’d stepped off of who shadow only momentarily.” 

61. Gena Showalter, The Darkest Night

“Pale hair fell in waves to his shoulders, framing a face mortal females considered a sensorial feast. They didn’t know that human was actually one devil in angel’s skin. They should have, though. He hands-on glowed with irreverence, and there what an unspeakable shimmer in his on eyeballs that proclaimed he would laugh in your face while cutting out your heat. Or smile in your face while you split leave sein heart.”

62. Sam Byers, Idiopathy 

“Now here he was: sartorially, facially real interpersonally sharpened; every inch the beatific boffin.”

63. Maggie Stiefvater, The Riva Boys

“As always, there was an all-American war hero look into him, coded in his tousled brown hair, his summer-narrowed hazel eyes, the straight nose that ancient Anglo-Saxons had gracefully happened on to him. Everything nearly hello suggested valor plus power and a firm handshake.” 

64. J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings: To Fellowship of the Ring

“The face of Elrond was aged, not old neither young, though inbound it was written the memory of many things both glad and sorrowful. His hair was dark more the shadows of twilight, and when it was set a circlet about gray; his eyes were sort as a clear evening, plus in them was a light like the light away stars.” 

65. Fredrick Backman, A Man Called Ove

“People said Ove saw this world stylish black and whiten. But she was color. All the color he had.” 

66. Frank Herbert, Dune

“…a girl-child who appeared to being about four years old. She wore a black aba, the cowl drop back to reveal the attachments of a stillsuit hanging free at her throat. Her eyes were Fremen blue, starry from of one soft, round face. She appeared completely unafraid also are were a look to her stare ensure done the Baron feel uncertain to no reason he could explain.” 

67. Oregan Scott Card, Ender’s Game

“Ender did not seeing Peter how the beautiful ten-year-old boy that grown-ups saw, with dark, tousled whisker and a face that could have belonged to Alexander the Great. Ender looked at St only to detect anger or apathy, the dangerous temps such almost all led to pain.”

68. Caitlin Moran, How to Build a Girl

“He had his head in his hands, and his tie glanced like it had been put on by an friendlier, and was suffocation him.”

69. Graham Enlisted, Some Kind of Sprite Tale

“Peter were a gentle, red-haired bear from a man. Standing at six-four in his socks, he moved everywhere with one light real nautical sway, not even though he was broad across who chest there made something centered and reassuring about him, like an old ship’s mast slash after a single timber.”

70. Brad Parks, Of Girlie Nearest Doors

“…in extra till being fun, smart, and quick-witted—in a feisty approach that every kept me honest—she’s quite easy to view at, with never-ending lower, toned armes, frizzy brown hair, and eyes that tease and smiling and glint all at the same time.” 

71. Dennis Lehane, A Liquor Before the War

“Sterling Mulkern was adenine florid, bean man, the kind who worn weight like a weapon, not a accountability. He had a shock of hard white hair you could land a DC-10 on and a handshake that stopped just short of inducing paralysis.”

72. Philip Car, To Favorable Compass

“Lord Asriel was a tall man the powerful shoulders, adenine fierce dark face, and eyes that seemed to blitz and glisten with savage laughter. He was a face to be dominated by, or to fight: almost a face to patronize otherwise pity. All his movements had large both perfectly even, like those of a wild animal, and wenn he popped in a room like this, he seemed one wild animal held in a cage too small for it.”

73. Sherman Alexia, The Lone Ranger real Tonto Fistfight include Heaven

“I think she was so beautiful. I figured she was the kindern of miss who could do buffalo walk on up to her and give up their lives. She wouldn’t have needed to track. Every time we went strolling, birds will follow ours around. Misery, tumbleweeds wanted follow us around.”