Nose
Describe the shape from the bridge down, then show what it does.
01Start with a plain description
straight · long · short · small · large · broad · narrow · upturned · prominent
02Add shape
aquiline · Roman · button · snub · hooked · flat · delicate · wide-based · narrow-bridged · long and thin
03Size & proportion
small and neat · large · dominant · too big for the face · a nose that arrives before the rest of them · a nose set small in a wide face
04Bridge
high · low · flat · straight · bumped · dipped · broken and reset · narrow at the top · wide at the base
05Tip
rounded · pointed · bulbous · blunt · upturned · drooping · slightly bent to one side
06Nostrils
narrow · flared · wide · delicate · pinched · visible from the front
07Distinctive features
freckles across the bridge · a crooked line from an old break · a stud · a septum ring · a sunburn peeling off the tip · a cold-pink tip · a scar along one side
08Expression & movement
wrinkles in disgust · flares in anger · twitches with amusement · scrunches when laughing · sniffs, snorts, or sniffles · turns red first when crying · pressed against cold glass
In context
a nose that reddens first when they cry · a nose pinched by glasses · a nose wrinkled over a smell they won't mention
09Alternatives to “nose”
profile · bridge · tip · nostrils · features · the line of the nose
10Examples in a sentence
Shape
“He had a long, straight nose that made every expression look disapproving.”
Distinctive
“Her nose was crooked at the bridge, a souvenir from a childhood fall.”
Movement
“His nostrils flared once, a tell she'd learned to read.”
Detail
“Freckles crossed the bridge of her nose, thicker where the sun hit hardest.”
Minimal
“The small clerk had a button nose.”
11Writing notes
- Describe the individual. Treat the nose as one person's feature, not a marker of an entire group.
- Avoid shorthand and stereotype. Specific shape words say more than a generic label.
- Give it a job. Noses are good for reactions: a wrinkle at a smell, a flare at an insult.
- Don't inventory every part. Bridge, tip, nostrils, and size are tools, not a checklist that must all appear in one description.
- Let proportion matter. A nose can feel prominent, delicate, crooked, or memorable because of how it sits in the entire face.
- Use movement sparingly. A single nostril flare can communicate more than repeatedly describing the nose itself.