Theatre Costumes: 500 Interesting Words to Describe Them
Here’s a list of over 500 words that will assist drama students in describing costumes seen in theatre productions. Most senior students go to the theatre as part of their studies and come back to class to prepare a written analysis or evaluation of the show.
Costumes worn by characters on stage can be everything from graceful and elaborate to slovenly and tacky. Sometimes costumes in the theatre are snappy or austere, at other times they are modest or even wispish. This list will help you decide!
If you’re not sure of the meaning of a particular word, then click the dictionary link at the bottom of the table. There is also a list of similar word tables posted elsewhere on the Drama Teacher describing everything from sets and movement, to characters and gestures.
Words Describing Theatre Costumes
| acceptable | forced | scholarly |
| adequate | formidable | scrappy |
| adorned | formless | screwball |
| aesthetic | foxy | seductive |
| airy | fresh | seemly |
| alluring | frightful | sensible |
| alternative | frivolous | sensual |
| amazing | garish | sensuous |
| amiss | gaudy | serviceable |
| amusing | gay | severe |
| annoying | genuine | shabby |
| apparelled | glamourous | shabby |
| applicable | glittery | shapely |
| appropriate | glitzy | sharp |
| apt | gloomy | shoddy |
| arrayed | glorious | showy |
| arresting | good | significant |
| artificial | gorgeous | simple |
| astonishing | graceful | sinful |
| astounding | graceless | sleazy |
| attractive | grim-looking | sleek |
| audacious | guache | slick |
| austere | handsome | slight |
| authentic | happening | slim |
| avant-garde | hard | sloppy |
| awkward | harsh | slovenly |
| bad | heavenly | small |
| balanced | heavy | smart |
| bare | hip | smooth |
| beautiful | historic | snappy |
| becoming | ho-hum | soft |
| befitting | hopeless | solid |
| beguiling | horrible | soothing |
| benign | hot | sophisticated |
| bewitching | hued | spartan |
| bichrome | huge | specked |
| bicoloured | humdrum | speckled |
| big | hypnotising | spectacular |
| bizarre | imaginative | spellbinding |
| bland | important | spiffy |
| bleached | impressive | spiritual |
| bleak | improper | splashy |
| bold | in | splendid |
| boring | inappropriate | spotted |
| brave | inconsequential | spruce |
| breathtaking | inconspicuous | square |
| bright | indigenous | stained |
| brilliant | innocent | stale |
| calculating | innovative | stark |
| canny | insignificant | stately |
| captivating | interesting | stereotyped |
| charming | intolerable | sterile |
| cheap | intricate | stiff |
| checkered | intriguing | stirring |
| cheesy | irksome | straight |
| chic | ironed | straightforward |
| chromatic | irrelevant | strained |
| civilised | irritating | strange |
| clam | jaded | streaked |
| classic | lace | striped |
| classy | lacklustre | structured |
| clean | large | stuffy |
| clear | learned | stunning |
| clownish | light | stupid |
| coarse | little | styleless |
| coloured | loud | stylised |
| colourful | loutish | stylish |
| colourless | lukewarm | stylistic |
| comfortable | mainstream | suave |
| common | majestic | subdued |
| commonplace | marbled | substantial |
| compact | marvellous | subtle |
| complex | masculine | suitable |
| complicated | masked | summery |
| conservative | meaningful | super |
| conspicuous | meaningless | surprising |
| contemporary | mellow | svelte |
| contoured | mesmerising | swanky |
| contrived | messy | swish |
| conventional | minimalist | tacky |
| cool | minor | tame |
| correct | mismatched | tantalising |
| cosmopolitan | modern | tasteful |
| couture | modest | tasteless |
| crafty | monochromatic | tawdry |
| creative | monochromic | tawdry |
| crinkled | mottled | tepid |
| crude | multicoloured | terrestial |
| cultured | multihued | terrible |
| curious | muted | terrific |
| curvaceous | mysterious | thin |
| curvy | naïve | thoughtful |
| daily | naked | thrilling |
| dandy | natural | tidy |
| dapper | naturalistic | tinged |
| dappled | naughty | tiny |
| daring | neat | tolerable |
| dark | negligible | toned |
| dazzling | neutral | toned-down |
| debonair | newsworthy | transcendent |
| decent | notorious | trashy |
| deceptive | obscure | trendy |
| decorated | odd | trichromatic |
| desirable | old-looking | tricoloured |
| dichromatic | oppressive | trifling |
| dim | ordinary | trimmed |
| diplomatic | original | trivial |
| dirty | ornate | two-tone |
| discreet | orthodox | ugly |
| disguised | ostentatious | ultrachic |
| dishevelled | other-worldly | ultracool |
| distinguished | outmoded | ultrasmart |
| doggish | outstanding | unacceptable |
| dotted | overdone | unadorned |
| dowdy | overstated | unattractive |
| down-market | pale | unbecoming |
| drab | palish | unchic |
| drag | patterned | uncivilised |
| dramatic | peaceful | uncool |
| dreadful | peculiar | uncouth |
| dreary | pedestrian | undecorated |
| dressy | perfect | underdone |
| dry | period | understated |
| dubious | pertinent | undistinguished |
| dull | plaid | undramatic |
| dumb | plain-vanilla | unearthly |
| dusty | pointed | uneducated |
| dyed | pointless | unembellished |
| educated | polished | unexciting |
| effectual | polychromatic | unfashionable |
| elaborate | posh | unglamourous |
| electrifying | posh | unimportant |
| elegant | powerful | uninteresting |
| embellished | practical | unkempt |
| embroidered | pretentious | unobtrusive |
| enchanting | pretty | unoriginal |
| engrossing | problematic | unpolished |
| enormous | prominent | unpretentious |
| enthralling | proper | unreal |
| entrancing | provocative | unrealistic |
| ethereal | psychedelic | unseemly |
| everyday | purposeful | unsophisticated |
| evocative | purposeless | unspectacular |
| exaggerated | questionable | unsuitable |
| exciting | quiet | untidy |
| exhilarating | ravishing | unusual |
| exquisite | raw | upmarket |
| extraordinary | real | upscale |
| extreme | realistic | useful |
| eye-opening | refined | veiled |
| eye-popping | relevant | vibrant |
| fabulous | remarkable | voguish |
| faded | respectable | wacky |
| fair | restrained | warm |
| fake | right | washed-out |
| fancy | risky | washed-up |
| fascinating | risque | weary |
| fashionable | ritzy | weighty |
| feminie | riveting | wintry |
| fit | robust | wispish |
| fitting | roughened | wonderful |
| flamboyant | routine | wondrous |
| flashy | royal | worldy |
| flattering | rude | wrinkled |
| flecked | rugged | wrong |
| fleshy | satisfactory | young-looking |
| foppish | savvy |
Not sure of the meaning of a word on the list? Look it up in the dictionary.
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