Adjectives Used to Describe Tone

The tone of a piece of writing refers to the stylistic manner in which opinions and emotions are expressed. Consider using these adjectives when analyzing compositions.

  • admiring
  • angry
  • apprehensive
  • bantering
  • benevolent
  • biting
  • bitter
  • burlesque
  • candid
  • clinical
  • colloquial
  • compassionate
  • complimentary
  • concerned
  • condescending
  • confident
  • contemptuous
  • contentious
  • cynical
  • detached
  • determined
  • didactic
  • diffident
  • disdainful
  • disgusted
  • dramatic
  • ecstatic
  • effusive
  • elegiac
  • facetious
  • factual
  • fanciful
  • flippant
  • hopeful
  • impartial
  • incisive
  • indignant
  • inflammatory
  • informative
  • insipid
  • insolent
  • ironic
  • irreverent
  • learned
  • lugubrious
  • mock-heroic
  • mocking
  • mock-serious
  • moralistic
  • mournful
  • neutral
  • mournful
  • neutral
  • nostalgic
  • objective
  • patronizing
  • pedantic
  • petty
  • pretentious
  • respectful
  • restrained
  • sarcastic
  • sardonic
  • satiric
  • scholarly
  • scornful
  • sentimental
  • solemn
  • somber
  • sympathetic
  • taunting
  • threatening
  • turgid
  • urbane
  • urgent
  • vibrant
  • whimsical
  • worshipful

One Comment

  1. Aria

    You guys are so helpful! This is my year for taking AP English and this compiled list has really helped me in assignments. My teacher even gave this list out to the class.

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