Vocabulary Describing Physical Characteristics

These words are used when describing people and their physical characteristics, including nouns and adjectives. Each word is placed into a related category and example sentences are used to provide context.   Age baby - Everyone goes through a lot of diapers when they are a baby.toddler - Toddlers take their first steps around the age of two.child - Having a child is one of the great joys in life.teenager - Many teenagers have to deal with a lot of stress because of testing.teens - I played a lot of sports in my teens.thirties/forties/ fifties - Most people have settled down by their forties.young man/woman - That young man was very kind and gave me directions.youth - We need to develop some more sports programs for the youth. middle-aged (man/woman) - That middle-aged man asked me for directions.elderly (man/woman) - Take time to listen to an elderly woman. Shell teach you a lot.early  /mid/late - He looks like hes in his mid-twenties.about - Shes about thirty years old.thirtysomething - She told me that shes thirtysomething. Describing How People Look / Seem good-looking - Hes a good-looking doctor with a wife and two kids.beautiful - The beautiful actress turned to the cameras with a glowing smile.pretty - He fell in a love with a pretty girl from Las Vegas.cute - That guy is really cute! Whats his name?handsome - The handsome actor was famous for his love of riding horses.glamourous - The glamorous couple climbed onto their private jet and flew to Paris.elegant - Shes an elegant woman with lots of poise.sophisticated - He was a sophisticated man who enjoyed many different hobbies.ugly  - I look so ugly today! Why dont these pimples go away!hideous - I havent slept in three days. I must look hideous.unsightly - Hes worried that the scar is unsightly.   Build fat - Unfortunately, Peter has become rather fat in his old age.overweight - Many Americans are overweight these days.slim - Hes that slim guy standing next to Peter over there.thin - Angela is tall, thin and very beautiful.skinny - Many people might say that models are skinny these days. Thats very different from being slim.plump - If you drink a lot of beer, youll certainly become plump.stocky - Hes a tall, stocky guy that looks like a lumberjack.well built - Todd is very well built and looks great in a suit.   Complexion pale - If you spend too much time indoors, you might become very pale.tan - After two weeks on the beach, he was very tan.clear - I was happy that I finally had a clear complexion when I become twenty.good - He has good skin. I think hed make a great model.spotty - Older people often have spotty skin on their hands.pimpled - I walked through the crowd of pimpled teenagers and knew I was in the wrong place!freckles - The freckles on your cheeks make you so cute!spots - I cant get rid of these spots on my hands.pimples - I had so many pimples when I was a teenager. It drove me crazy! Facial Features on Men mustache - Curly mustaches are coming back into fashion in places like Portland.clean-shaven - Most men in this city prefer a clean-shaven look these days.beard - Some men wear a beard because theyre lazy and dont want to shave. Hair long - Alice has long blonde hair.short - I like to wear my hair short during the summer.shoulder length - She has beautiful black shoulder-length hair. She looks like a movie star.black / red / brown / grey / silver - Tom has thick black hair.blonde - Hollywood tends to prefer blonde women for certain types of roles.brunette - I have brunette, shoulder-length hair.white - Hes gone complete white in his old age.curly - She likes to wear her hair curly.spiky - Some punks like to wear spiky hair.