Natural:
Faces
Lemon
Egg (robin, ostrich, chicken, lizard, crocodile, turtle)
Leaves (Beech, birch, hornbeam, alder, juneberry, elm, witch hazel, dogwood, mint)
Fish
Flower petals…
Man-made:
Football
Boogie board
Tanning salon eye protectors
Some buttons on phones, fax machines, etc
Shampoo bottles
Nail buffers…
Synonyms: tear drop, ovate, ovoid, elliptic, prolate, loop, almond-shaped
Describing a shape is best done in as few words as possible. Think of the shape as a camera snap shot–you want to capture the gist of what you mean as soon as possible so you can get on with other related (and more important) detail, and the action happening in the scene
Accurate shape comparisons will streamline your prose, allowing you to describe an object quickly so the reader’s focus stays on the action and events of each scene.
Want access to a plethora of real-world comparisons for specific shapes so you can spend your description currency on what matters most? We have you covered. This thesaurus has been expanded by 50% and integrated into our online library at One Stop For Writers. There, you’ll find an intuitive list of ideas to choose from, cross-referenced for easy searchability. To view a free sample of this descriptive thesaurus and others, head on over and register at One Stop.
Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.
I second Kelly — these would be great tools for writing lessons, especially for getting them started.
Wow I love the strong example! Nice.
I was thinking: these shape/texture entries would be a great resource for grade school teachers to use in their classrooms, too!
So great!
I’m not sure I’ve ever used an oval or oval-like descriptor. Neat!
I always love your examples by the way. SO well written!
Lickable. LOL, Bish…now the example sounds all naughty or something!!
Me too!
Oooo, good example! Lickable.
So very good! And I want an amber pendant that looks like a drop of honey. Nice visual!