Eyes

Start with color, then describe what the gaze is doing.

the scar has its own story

01Start with a plain color

blue · green · brown · hazel · gray · amber · gold · black-brown

02Add shade, variation & detail

Blue: ice-blue, cornflower, steel-blue, glacier, sapphire, faded denim, stormy, midnight
Green: moss, jade, sea-glass, olive, emerald, pine, bottle-green, lichen
Brown: chestnut, amber-brown, whiskey, mahogany, umber, walnut, nearly black, warm as polished wood
Hazel: flecked with gold, green rimmed with brown, shifting between amber and moss, a ring of copper around the pupil
Gray: slate, silver, pewter, fog, storm cloud, flint, wet stone
Amber / gold: honeyed, topaz, lion-gold, lit from within, a candle-flame glow
Unusual: one eye a shade lighter, a dark ring around the iris, flecks of another color, eyes that change with the light

03Shape

almond-shaped · round · hooded · deep-set · wide-set · close-set · downturned · upturned · monolid · heavy-lidded · narrow · protruding

04Size & setting

Use this section for the way the eyes sit in the face, not only their literal size.

wide · large · small · narrow · bright and rounded · set small in the face · taking up half of it · deeply set beneath the brow · wide apart · close beneath the bridge

05Expression

Warm: crinkled at the corners, soft, kind, sparkling, shining
Cold: flat, hard, glassy, shuttered, unblinking, empty
Guarded: unreadable, watchful, shuttered, giving nothing away
Intense: burning, piercing, fierce, searching, magnetic
Tired: red-rimmed, shadowed, heavy, bloodshot, bruised underneath, dull

06Gaze

held their gaze a beat too long · looked straight through them · met their eyes squarely · gaze slid away · stared without blinking · looked up through their lashes · looked past their shoulder · eyes tracked every movement in the room · watched from the corner of their eye · gaze dropped to the floor · looked at the door more often than the person speaking · refused to look away

07Movement

eyes darted · flicked toward the door · narrowed · widened · rolled · squeezed shut · blinked rapidly · glanced down and away · lingered · swept the room · dropped to the floor · locked onto something and refused to move · followed someone across the room · snapped toward a sudden sound · softened · hardened

08Pupils & light

blown wide · shrunk to pinpricks · dilated in the dark · constricted in the glare · black swallowing the color · pupils widening with surprise · a dark center surrounded by a thin ring of color · the iris catching gold in the sun · appearing nearly black in low light · washed pale beneath fluorescent light

09Tears & moisture

eyes welled · glassy · shimmering · brimming · a single tear slid down · blinked hard to keep them back · tears spilled over · eyes stung · lashes clumped and wet · swiped at their eyes with a sleeve · blinked through tears · rubbed at reddened eyes · tears gathered without falling · eyes shone suspiciously bright · looked away before the tears could spill

10Examples in a sentence

Plain + modifier
“She had dark brown eyes, nearly black unless the light caught them.”
Color detail
“His green eyes were darker around the rim, moss fading into amber near the pupil.”
Shape
“Heavy-lidded eyes gave her a permanently unimpressed expression.”
Expression
“His eyes stayed warm even when the rest of his face went still.”
Gaze
“Her gaze flicked to the exit, lingered there, then returned to him.”
Movement
“His eyes swept the room once before settling on the empty chair.”
Tears
“Her eyes shone, but she blinked before anything could spill.”
Minimal
“The clerk had pale gray eyes and a tired stare.”

11Writing notes

Color is only the beginning. Shape, expression, movement, and gaze usually tell the reader more about a character than the exact shade of the iris.
Don't describe eyes like gemstones every time. Sapphire, emerald, and topaz can work, but repeated jewel comparisons quickly become noticeable.
Let the viewpoint matter. One character might notice softness in someone's eyes while another notices only how closely they're being watched.
Use gaze for subtext. Where someone looks, what they avoid looking at, and how long they hold eye contact can reveal more than dialogue.
Don't overuse “orbs.” In most fiction, “eyes” is the clearest word.
Avoid making physical traits equal personality. Dark eyes are not inherently mysterious, pale eyes are not inherently cold, and eye shape does not determine character.
Retire “almond eyes” as a shortcut. It often gets used as code for East or Southeast Asian characters, as if one shape describes a whole group. Describe this person instead: monolid, hooded, upturned, the line of the lashes, or how the eyes move when they laugh.
Skip “inscrutable,” “slanted,” and “exotic.” They sound descriptive but carry old racist baggage, framing a character as foreign, unreadable, or untrustworthy.
Match detail to importance. A passing character may need only “gray eyes.” A major character can accumulate more specific details over time.
Don't describe everything at once. Color at introduction, a gaze later, and a small movement during emotion usually feels more natural than a full inventory.