CHARACTER FACIAL EXPRESSIONS (WRITING REFERENCE)

verge-angst:

sclacen:

EYES/BROWS

  • his eyes widened
  • her eyes went round
  • her eyelids drooped
  • his eyes narrowed
  • his eyes lit up
  • his eyes darted
  • he squinted
  • she blinked
  • her eyes twinkled
  • his eyes gleamed
  • her eyes sparkled
  • his eyes flashed
  • his eyes glinted
  • his eyes burned with…
  • her eyes blazed with…
  • her eyes sparked with…
  • her eyes flickered with…
  • _____ glowed in his eyes
  • the corners of his eyes crinkled
  • she rolled her eyes
  • he looked heavenward
  • she glanced up to the ceiling
  • she winked
  • tears filled her eyes
  • his eyes welled up
  • her eyes swam with tears
  • his eyes flooded with tears
  • her eyes were wet
  • his eyes glistened
  • tears shimmered in her eyes
  • tears shone in his eyes
  • her eyes were glossy
  • he was fighting back tears
  • tears ran down her cheeks
  • his eyes closed
  • she squeezed her eyes shut
  • he shut his eyes
  • his lashes fluttered
  • she batted her lashes
  • his brows knitted
  • her forehead creased
  • his forehead furrowed
  • her forehead puckered
  • a line appeared between her brows
  • his brows drew together
  • her brows snapped together
  • his eyebrows rose
  • she raised a brow
  • he lifted an eyebrow
  • his eyebrows waggled
  • she gave him a once-over
  • he sized her up
  • her eyes bored into him
  • she took in the sight of…
  • he glared
  • she peered
  • he gazed
  • she glanced
  • he stared
  • she scrutinized
  • he studied
  • she gaped
  • he observed
  • she surveyed
  • he gawked
  • he leered
  • his pupils (were) dilated
  • her pupils were huge
  • his pupils flared

NOSE

  • her nose crinkled
  • his nose wrinkled
  • she sneered
  • his nostrils flared
  • she stuck her nose in the air
  • he sniffed
  • she sniffled

MOUTH

  • she smiled
  • he smirked
  • she grinned
  • he simpered
  • she beamed
  • her mouth curved into a smile
  • the corners of his mouth turned up
  • the corner of her mouth quirked up
  • a corner of his mouth lifted
  • his mouth twitched
  • he gave a half-smile
  • she gave a lopsided grin
  • his mouth twisted
  • he plastered a smile on his face
  • she forced a smile
  • he faked a smile
  • her smile faded
  • his smile slipped
  • he pursed his lips
  • she pouted
  • his mouth snapped shut
  • her mouth set in a hard line
  • he pressed his lips together
  • she bit her lip
  • he drew his lower lip between his teeth
  • she nibbled on her bottom lip
  • he chewed on his bottom lip
  • his jaw set
  • her jaw clenched
  • his jaw tightened
  • a muscle in her jaw twitched
  • he ground his jaw
  • he snarled/his lips drew back in a snarl
  • her mouth fell open
  • his jaw dropped
  • her jaw went slack
  • he gritted his teeth
  • she gnashed her teeth
  • her lower lip trembled
  • his lower lip quivered

SKIN

  • she paled
  • he blanched
  • she went white
  • the color drained out of his face
  • his face reddened
  • her cheeks turned pink
  • his face flushed
  • she blushed
  • he turned red
  • she turned scarlet
  • he turned crimson
  • a flush crept up her face

WHOLE FACE, ETC.

  • he screwed up his face
  • she scrunched up her face
  • he grimaced
  • she winced
  • she gave him a dirty look
  • he frowned
  • she scowled
  • he glowered
  • her whole face lit up
  • she brightened
  • his face went blank
  • her face contorted
  • his face twisted
  • her expression closed up
  • his expression dulled
  • her expression hardened
  • she went poker-faced
  • a vein popped out in his neck
  • awe transformed his face
  • fear crossed her face
  • sadness clouded his features
  • terror overtook his face
  • recognition dawned on her face

SOURCE

T h i s h e l p s s o m u c h t h a n k y o u

100 Words for Facial Expressions

smut-101:

1. Absent:

not attentive, preoccupied, absent-minded

2. Agonized: as if in pain or tormented
3. Alluring:

powerfully and mysteriously attractive or fascinating; seductive

4. Appealing: attractive, in the sense of encouraging goodwill and/or interest
5. Beatific:

bestowing bliss, blessings, happiness

6. Bilious:

spiteful; bad-tempered

7. Black:

gloomy, pessimistic, dismal

8. Bleak:

without hope or encouragement; depressing; dreary

9. Blinking: surprise, or lack of concern
10. Blissful: showing a state of happiness or divine contentment
11. Blithe: carefree, lighthearted, or heedlessly indifferent
12. Brooding:

showing unhappiness of thought or appears darkly menacing

13. Bug-eyed: frightened or surprised, having the eyes bulging

14. Chagrined: humiliated or disappointed
15. Cheeky:

impudent or irreverent, typically in an endearing or amusing way

16. Cheerless:

joyless, depressing

17. Choleric: hot-tempered, irate
18. Coy:

shyness or modesty that is intended to be alluring
19. Crestfallen:

dejected, dispirited, discouraged

20. Darkly:

vaguely threatening or menacing manner

21. Deadpan:

deliberately impassive or expressionless

22. Dejected: downcast, depressed, dispirited

23. Derisive:

expressing contempt or ridicule

24. Despondent:

showing profound hopelessness, discouragement, or gloom

25. Doleful:

expressing sorrow, mournful
26. Dour:

relentlessly severe, stern, or gloomy in manner or appearance

27. Downcast: low in spirit
28. Dreamy:

pleasant, peaceful, and relaxing

29. Ecstatic:

in a state of ecstasy, full of joy, rapturous:

30. Etched: a feeling clearly visible on someone’s face

31. Faint: cowardly, weak, or barely perceptible
32. Fixed:

set or intent upon something; steadily directed

33. Furtive:

suggestive of guilty nervousness

34. Gazing:

look intently, especially in admiration, surprise, or thought

35. Glancing:

to look quickly or briefly

36. Glaring:

having a fixed look of hostility, fierceness, or anger

37. Glazed:

a fixed, dazed, or lifeless expression

38. Gloomy:

filled with or showing gloom; sad, dejected, or melancholy.

39. Glowering:

sullen dislike, discontent, or anger
40. Glowing:

showing the radiance of health, excitement

41. Grim: very serious or gloomy

42. Grave:

something that is serious or doing something in a solemn manner

43. Haunted:

showing signs of mental anguish or torment

44. Hopeless: depressed by a lack of encouragement or optimism
45. Hostile: aggressively angry, intimidating, unfriendly
46. Hunted:

appearing worn or harassed as if one is being pursued.

47. Impassive:

without emotion; apathetic; unmoved.

48. Inscrutable: mysterious, unreadable
49. Jeering: insulting or mocking
50. Languid:

lacking in spirit or interest; listless; indifferent

51. Leering:

look or gaze in an unpleasant, malicious, or lascivious way

52. Meaningful:

full of meaning, significance, purpose
53. Mild: easygoing, showing gentleness

54. Mischievous: annoyingly or maliciously playful; teasing
55. Moody:

gloomy, depressed, or sullen; ill-humored

56. Pained:

expressing distress, anguish, or resentment

57. Pallid:

lacking in vitality or interest

58. Peering: look keenly or with difficulty at someone or something

59. Peeved:

annoyed; irritated; vexed

60. Petulant: impatient irritation, especially over some trifling annoyance

61. Pitying: sympathetic, expressing pity
62. Pleading: seeking apology or to appeal earnestly or humbly

63. Pouting:

to show displeasure or wearing a sullen expression

64. Quizzical:

indicating mild or amused puzzlement

65. Radiant:

bright with joy, hope

66. Roguish:

playfully mischievous, especially in a way that is sexually attractive

67. Sanguine:

cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confident

68. Sardonic:

grimly mocking or cynical

69. Scornful: contemptuous or derisive
70. Scowling:

to have a gloomy or threatening look

71. Searching:

acutely observant or penetrating

72. Set:

to direct with fixed attention

73. Shamefaced:

feeling or expressing shame or embarrassment
74. Slack-jawed:

an indication of astonishment, bewilderment

75. Sly:

showing a cunning and deceitful nature

76. Snarling: surly or threatening manner

77. Sneering:

contort the face in a manner that shows scorn or contempt

78. Somber:

oppressively solemn or sober in mood; grave

79. Sour:

harsh in spirit or temper; austere; morose; peevish

80. Stolid:

calm, dependable, and showing little emotion or animation

81. Straight-faced:

with a blank or serious facial expression

82. Sulky: morose, bad-tempered, and resentful; refusing to be cheerful.

83. Sullen:

showing irritation or ill humor by a gloomy silence or reserve

84. Taunting:

to reproach in a sarcastic, insulting, or jeering manner; mock

85. Taut: strained or tense
86. Tense:

in a state of mental or nervous strain; high-strung
87. Tight:

firmly or closely fixed in place; secure
88. Unblinking:

looking at something in a honest and accurate way

89. Vacant:

having or showing no intelligence or interest ; blank
90. Veiled:

not openly or directly expressed; masked; disguised; hidden
91. Wan:

of an unnatural or sickly pallor; pallid; lacking color

92. Wary:

watchful, cautious, or alert
93. Wide-eyed: having one’s eyes wide open in amazement

94. Wild-eyed:

an expression of panic or desperation in their eyes

95. Wistful:

showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing

96. Withering: weak, thin
97. Woeful: full of grief; wretched; unhappy

98. Wolfish:

resembling a wolf, in being rapacious, voracious, or lascivious

99. Wrathful:

full of or characterized by intense anger

100. Wry: an expression of disgust, disappointment, or annoyance.