How to Write a Descriptive Essay: Example & Tips
A descriptive essay provides a vivid, thorough account of something — typically a place or item, but something more abstract, such as an emotion, is also possible. Like the narrative essay, this sort of essay is more imaginative than conventional academic writing.
Descriptive essays assess your ability to utilize language in a unique and creative way to create a memorable image of whatever you are describing for the reader. They are frequently assigned as writing assignments in high school and composition programmes.
Descriptive essay topics
When you’re assigned a descriptive essay, you’ll usually be given a single prompt or a list of prompts to choose from. They will frequently ask you to narrate anything from your own life.
Personal descriptive essay prompts
- Describe a spot where you enjoy spending time.
- Describe an object that holds special meaning for you.
You may also be asked to describe something that isn’t familiar to you, in which case you’ll have to use your imagination.
Imaginative descriptive essay prompts
- Describe a soldier’s experience in the trenches during World War I.
- Describe what it would be like to live in another world.
You may be asked to describe something more abstract, such as an emotion, at times.
Conceptual descriptive essay prompt
- Describe the sensation of envy.
If you aren’t given a specific prompt, think of something you are comfortable explaining in detail. Consider familiar items and places that elicit specific feelings or experiences and those you can explain in an unusual way.
Tips for writing descriptively
Finding ways to bring your subject to life for the reader is the key to producing an excellent descriptive essay. As opposed to other formal essay kinds, you are not bound to presenting a literal description.
To make a memorable description, employ figurative language, sensory elements, and strong word choices.
Use figurative language
Figurative language includes elements such as metaphor and simile, which use words in non-literal ways to generate a memorable impression. This is critical in a descriptive essay; it is what gives your writing a creative edge and distinguishes your description.
Consider the following park description.
Literal description
The park contains some wooded areas.
This gives us something about the location, but it’s a little too literal and unlikely to stick with us.
We can employ figurative language to make the description more likely to stick in the reader’s mind.
Figurative description
Small groves are strewn across the park’s face like a patchy beard.
We used a simile to compare the park to a face and the trees to facial hair in this example. This is remarkable because it is not what the reader anticipates; it forces them to reconsider the park.
You don’t have to use figurative language in every line, but applying it in new ways throughout your essay will keep the reader involved and show your distinct perspective on your subject.
Use your senses
The utilization of sensory elements is another important aspect of descriptive writing. This includes not just the appearance of something, but also its smell, sound, touch, and taste.
Sensory details
I can feel the heat of the bonfire on my face and smell the heavy smoke filling the air.
Obviously, not all senses will apply to every subject, but it’s always a good idea to dig beneath the surface of your subject to see what’s interesting about it.
Even if your subject is more abstract, you can use metaphor to combine the senses, like in this descriptive essay about anxiety.
Sensory details used metaphorically
Fear is the smell of sweat and the sensation of being unable to breathe.
Choose the right words
Writing descriptively necessitates careful word selection. Effective adjectives are crucial, but so are your adverbs, verbs, and even nouns.
It’s easy to fall into clichéd phrases like “cold as ice,” “free as a bird,” but strive to think more deeply and generate more precise, creative word choices. Clichés are common methods of describing things, but they don’t reveal anything about your unique perspective on what you’re explaining to the reader.
Examine your phrases for areas where an alternative word would more exactly or powerfully convey your impression. A thesaurus can assist you in finding different word alternatives.
❌My cat runs across the garden quickly and jumps onto the fence to watch it from above.
✅My cat crosses the garden nimbly and leaps onto the fence to survey it from above.
However, be cautious in your selections; don’t blindly go for the most impressive-looking synonym for every term. Excessive usage of a thesaurus can result in absurd phrases like this one:
❌My feline expertly perambulates the allotment and capers atop the palisade to observe it from above.
Descriptive essay example
The following is an example of a brief descriptive essay produced in answer to the prompt “Describe a place you enjoy spending time in.”
Hover your mouse over various portions of the text to discover how a descriptive essay works.
On Sunday afternoons, I enjoy relaxing in the yard behind my house. The garden is tiny but long, with a green corridor stretching from the back of the home, and I sit on a lawn chair at one end to read and relax. I’m in my own little tranquil heaven, with the shade of the tree, the feel of the grass under my feet, and the calm activity of the fish in the pond beside me.
My cat dashes across the garden and leaps atop the fence to view it from above. From his perch, he can keep an eye on his little domain and the neighbors. He continues to do so until the barking of the dog next door frightens him from his perch and he rushes for the cat flap to control from the safety of the kitchen.
That leaves me alone with the fish, whose entire world is the pond beneath my feet. Every day, the fish explore the pond as if for the first time, poking and inspecting every stone. I occasionally feel the same way about sitting here in the garden; I know it better than anyone, but every time I return, I feel obliged to notice all of its subtleties and novelties — a new bird perched in the tree, the growth of the grass, and the movement of the insects it shelters…
I’m at peace while sitting in the garden. I am at ease. Nonetheless, I always have the impression that there is more to learn. My garden may be small in size, but it contains an entire world that I will never be wary of exploring.
Frequently asked questions about descriptive essays
- What’s the difference between a narrative essay and a descriptive essay?
The primary distinction is that a narrative essay is intended to tell a whole story, whereas a descriptive essay is intended to express a vivid depiction of a certain place, item, or concept.
Narrative and descriptive essays both allow you to write more personally and artistically than other types of essays, and both require similar writing skills.
2. How do I come up with a topic for my descriptive essay?
If you aren’t given a specific prompt for your descriptive essay, consider familiar places and objects that you may describe in intriguing ways, or that have deep personal importance for you.
Choose an object that is precise enough that you can discuss its specific attributes in detail — don’t choose something too vague or general.
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