400 Words to Describe Texture
The Difficulty of Describing Texture
Describing texture is a problem for both established and new writers, who often forget to write with senses other than sight. In reality, writers should use every sense.
Here are 400 words to help you find the right word for the texture you're trying to describe.
Not the texture of wood
Nor the texture of steel,
But the texture of you
Is what makes your soul real
— Anonymous
A
Abrading
| Affected
| Angular
| Attractive
|
|---|---|---|---|
Abrasive
| Affordable
| Arid
| Awkward
|
Acute
|
B
Bald
| Blistered
| Bouncy
| Bulky
|
|---|---|---|---|
Ballooned
| Bloated
| Bristly
| Bumpy
|
Barbed
| Blunt
| Broad
| Burning
|
Bendable
| Boiling
| Bubbly
| Burnished
|
Biting
| Bolstered
| Bulging
| Bushy
|
Blemished
|
C
Caked
| Clammy
| Cool
| Crawly
|
|---|---|---|---|
Caressing
| Clean
| Copious
| Creepy
|
Carved
| Clear
| Corduroy
| Crenelated
|
Chafing
| Clear-cut
| Corrugated
| Crocheted
|
Channelled
| Coagulated
| Cosy
| Crude
|
Chapped
| Coarse
| Cottony
| Cushioned
|
Cheap
| Coated
| Covered in dust
| Cut
|
Cheerful
| Cold
| Covered with hair
| Cut into
|
Cheery
| Concentrated
| Covering
| Cutting
|
Chunky
| Confused
| Cratered
|
D
Damaged
| Definite
| Dirty
| Dripping
|
|---|---|---|---|
Damp
| Dehydrated
| Discolouration
| Dry
|
Dank
| Dense
| Disfigured
| Dry as a Bone
|
Dead flat
| Dented
| Distended
| Ductile
|
Decorated
| Diaphanous
| Downy
| Dull
|
Deep
| Difficult
| Dreary
| Durable
|
Defective
| Dirt-free
| Drenched
| Dusty
|
E
Effective
| Enamelled
| Engraved
| Even
|
|---|---|---|---|
Elastic
| Encrusted
| Enlarged
| Expanded
|
Emblazoned
| Engorged
| Etched
| Extreme
|
Embossed
|
F
Fatty
| Firm
| Flawless
| Fresh
|
|---|---|---|---|
Feathery
| Fizzy
| Fleecy
| Frigid
|
Fiery
| Flaky
| Fluffy
| Frothy
|
Filmy
| Flat
| Fluted
| Furred
|
Filthy
| Flat as a Pancake
| Foamy
| Furry
|
Fine
| Flattened
| Freezing
| Fuzzy
|
Finished
| Flawed
|
G
Gelatinous
| Gooey
| Gravelly
| Gritty
|
|---|---|---|---|
Glassy
| Gossamer
| Grimy
| Grooved
|
Glazed
| Grainy
| Grinding
| Grubby
|
Glossy
| Granular
| Gripped
| Grungy
|
Glutinous
| Grating
|
H
Hairy
| Hatched
| Hoarse
| Hot-pressed
|
|---|---|---|---|
Hard
| Hazy
| Honeyed
| Humid
|
Harsh
| Heated
| Hot
| Hygienic
|
I
Icy
| Imprinted
| Inflexible
| Inviting
|
|---|---|---|---|
Ill-defined
| Incised
| Inlaid
| Ironed
|
Immaculate
| Incisive
| Inscribed
| Irregular
|
Impenetrable
| Incrusted
| Inserted
| Itchy
|
Imperfect
| Indented
| Inset
| Ivory
|
Imprecise
| Inflated
|
J
Jagged
| Jarring
| Jumbled
|
|---|
K
Keen
| Knitted
| Knobbed
|
|---|
L
Layered
| Limp
| Longhaired
| Lustrous
|
|---|---|---|---|
Level
| Lined
| Lustreless
|
M
Malleable
| Mellifluous
| Moist
| Mushy
|
|---|---|---|---|
Marked
| Metallic
| Mosaic
| Muted
|
Matte
| Mild
| Mucky
| Mutilated
|
N
Neat
| Not glossy
| Not shiny
| Numbing
|
|---|---|---|---|
Nonglossy
|
O
Orderly
| Ornamented
|
|---|
P
Padded
| Pitted
| Pointy
| Printed
|
|---|---|---|---|
Parched
| Pleated
| Polished
| Protected
|
Patinated
| Pliable
| Potholed
| Puffed out
|
Patterned
| Pocked
| Precise
| Puffed up
|
Perfect
| Pockmarked
| Pressed
| Pulpy
|
Piercing
| Pointed
| Prickly
| Pure
|
R
Ragged
| Refined
| Ridged
| Runny
|
|---|---|---|---|
Rasping
| Reflective
| Rigid
| Rutted
|
Raw
| Restful
| Rocking
| |
Razor sharp
| Ribbed
| Rough
|
S
Sandy
| Sharp-edged
| Snarling
| Stain
|
|---|---|---|---|
Sanitary
| Sheen
| Snug
| Stamped
|
Saturated
| Sheer
| Soaked
| Steamed
|
Scalding
| Shielded
| Soaking
| Steely
|
Scaled
| Shiny
| Soapy
| Sterile
|
Scarred
| Shipshape
| Sodden
| Stiff
|
Scorching
| Silky
| Soft
| Still
|
Scored
| Silky-smooth
| Soggy
| Stinging
|
Scraped
| Skin
| Soiled
| Stodgy
|
Scratched
| Sleek
| Solid
| Strong
|
Scratching
| Slick
| Sopping
| Stubbly
|
Scratchy
| Slight
| Sound
| Substantial
|
Sculptured
| Slimy
| Sparkling
| Supported
|
Searing
| Slippery
| Spick-and-span
| Sweltering
|
Serrated
| Slovenly
| Spikey
| Swollen
|
Set in
| Smooth
| Spiny
| Syrupy
|
Severe
| Smooth as glass
| Spongy
| |
Shaggy
| Smoothed
| Spotless
| |
Sharp
| Smudged
| Springy
|
T
Tarnished
| Thorny
| Tingly
| Transparent
|
|---|---|---|---|
Tessellated
| Tickling
| Toothed
| Tweedy
|
Thick
| Tidy
| Tough
| |
Thin
| Tiled
| Translucent
|
U
Unadulterated
| Uncompromising
| Unexciting
| Untarnished
|
|---|---|---|---|
Unblemished
| Unctuous
| Uninteresting
| Untidy
|
Unbreakable
| Understated
| Unpolluted
| Unyielding
|
Unclear
| Undulation
| Unsoiled
| |
Uncomfortable
| Uneven
| Untainted
|
V
Vague
| Velvety
| Viscous
| Vivacious
|
|---|---|---|---|
Varnished
| Veneered
|
W
Warm
| Well-defined
| Wholesome
| Wool
|
|---|---|---|---|
Waterlogged
| Well-honed
| Wide
| Woollen
|
Wavy
| Wet
| Withered
| Woolly
|
Welcoming
| Whetted
| Wooden
| Woven
|
Y
Yielding
|
|---|
Why It's Important to Use Texture Descriptors
Words to describe texture are very important. Though television and the web might have raised the prominence of visual media, the value of touch remains very significant.
A setting can permeate our senses if we just let it. Thank goodness for vision, thank goodness for sound, yet why is it so hard to think of words to describe texture?
- Texture: The quality we know as texture, a sensory perception, is a reflex action to receptor stimulation. Though it is almost intuitive, your work feels flat without it. Get the right word, however, and you will almost magically convey the sensation to your reader.
- Touch: Touch, also known as mechanoreception, is an awareness caused by the stimulation of receptors found on the surface of the skin, tongue, and throat. Assortments of receptors react to differences in pressure (steady, sweeping, continuous, etc.) and are spontaneous (unlike finding the right word to describe something).
A Warning About Adjectives
I hope this list of words to describe texture has been of use, but please remember to use descriptive words with care.
A few words to describe texture and touch can make your work more vivid and give it energy. Overdoing it, however, will make your work seem like a pulpy romance. See what I mean?
Questions & Answers
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Comments
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This must be very useful for some people, but I am writing I story about a blind girl, so I can't use most of these.
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Does anyone know good texture words for cantaloupe outside besides bumpy and rough
Great list of words to describe texture in your writing. Some I never heard or thought of. Thanks for sharing.
just what I needed- I was doing a list on detail words.
- AUTHOR
Thank you, Terry. Glad it was okay
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- AUTHOR
Thank you, Julie. I'm glad you found this useful
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