Words Used to Describe Theatre Costumes
Here’s a list of 500 words I have compiled to assist drama students and teachers in describing theatre costumes on stage. This list should prove useful for class discussions and essays after theatre visits.
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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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