Describing people's appearance vocabulary

Can you describe the appearance of a thief if your belongings are stolen at a London train station? We sincerely hope to avoid such unpleasant situations, but we advise being prepared for any turn of events. Therefore, we want to teach you how to describe appearance in English. You don’t need to know all English words—just remember a few basics that will help you indicate hair color, eye color, and the general impression of a person. This will at least help the police to identify who stole your suitcase.

How to describe appearance in English

Most often, we use adjectives to describe external features, such as “sunburnt,” “blue-eyed,” or “chestnut.” To create a complete description, we also need to know many nouns that denote parts of the body. For example, to say: “She has blond hair” (She has blond hair).

Additionally, English has adjectives that can be used only with a specific gender, i.e., referring to women or men. A great example is one of the English synonyms for the adjective “beautiful.” We can say a “pretty woman” for a beautiful woman, but it’s not appropriate to use the descriptive adjective “pretty” for men. Instead, we can say a “handsome man.” Similarly, a woman cannot be described as “handsome.”

Basic Vocabulary for Describing Appearance in English

We’ve prepared a table that will help you make a simple general description of any person:

To quickly expand your vocabulary for describing a person’s appearance in English, it is advisable to learn new words along with their antonyms. For example, after learning the adjective 'skinny,' immediately look up the English translation of its antonym 'obese.' Or, after learning the word 'unkempt,' find one of its possible antonyms, such as 'dapper.'

Also, keep in mind that one Ukrainian adjective can have multiple English translation options. Of course, it is very difficult to memorize all possible English equivalents right away, so you shouldn't exert too much effort. It's better to remember the most common variant and then gradually expand your vocabulary.

Grammar and vocabulary for describing people’s appearance in English in one course

The new course from Booyya will help you quickly master one of the most useful topics in English, dedicated to describing a person’s external characteristics. This course is designed for people who are just starting to learn English and wish to enhance their knowledge. Therefore, you will find not just lists of new words, but also the maximum amount of visualization. From our own experience, we know that this greatly helps in memorizing new vocabulary!

What does the course offer?

• Vocabulary. We’ve selected the most commonly used and useful adjectives and nouns to help you describe yourself or someone you know. With these new words, you will be able to talk about eye color, hairstyle, facial features, and overall style (e.g., whether someone is old-fashioned).

• Pictures — interesting and diverse. They will lift your mood, help you quickly learn new words, and understand their nuances. You will also learn a lot about differences in people’s appearances.

• Grammar with clear, simple explanations. Specifically, we will cover two grammatical structures in English—have/has and to be.

• Exercises where you will need to recall and use all the learned vocabulary and grammar. You won’t need to write by hand, as the entire course, along with exercises, is available on the Booyya interactive platform.

This course is your foundation for learning English. By mastering the most commonly used adjectives and nouns, you'll find it easier to expand your vocabulary and incorporate more complex grammatical structures into your language. However, it's always wise to begin with the basics!