What are good topics to write about? 200 descriptive essay topics by EduBirdie

The major challenge for students with descriptive essay topics is the lack of clear rules in the grading rubric or comments by teachers. It makes the creation of such essays a painstaking process that takes much longer than it should. To improve the situation with descriptive essay writing, our experts at EduBirdie have shaped numerous popular essay topics for you. We shall also help you learn the basics about the writing process you must follow. Our descriptive essay topics will help you create a perfect essay that will make you feel proud!

What is a descriptive essay, and what does it describe?

A descriptive essay is a type of writing where you describe something with creativity and the use of your language skills. Your writing must include numerous details that appeal to certain senses, like hearing, remembering something from imagery, and similar past events. This type of essay is quite challenging, yet it only takes creativity. The list of different important topics to write about we have prepared for you will help you see the possibilities and learn what descriptive writing is.

How to write a descriptive essay?

It will be much easier if you narrow things down to these seven main essay writing steps:

Remember to check your guidelines and the grading rubric twice to ensure you do not miss something important with your hard essay topics!

What makes a good descriptive essay topic?

Let’s take a look at certain aspects that can help you improve your descriptive skills and achieve the best grades with any easy topics to write about: 

Note: Some rules may change if your grading rubric mentions different bits or a specific subject!

Descriptive essay topics for different academic levels

This is where you can discuss many good essay topics based on your educational experience or anything that can help create a vivid picture. Just like with narrative essays, the trick is to tell a good story and describe something. Here are some easy descriptive essay topics divided by academic level.

Descriptive essay topics for high school students

Here are some descriptive essay topics for high school learners: 

1. Living school life as a fearless anti-bullying activist.
2. The most popular trends in my school.
3. Behavioral rules for high school on social media.
4. A vivid image of my first school exam.
5. Finding my best friend in high school.
6. The most influential person in my life.
7. Things I have learned from my childhood friend.
8. The most memorable school trip.

Descriptive essay topics for college students

Here is where you can use your gained writing skills to discuss personal growth or provide a detailed description of your college experience.

1. The cultural identity of different people in college.
2. The World War II monuments in my hometown.
3. Overcoming embarrassing moments in college.
4. Adjusting yourself to modern society as a student.
5. Things that leave a lasting impression on campus.
6. The use of figurative language in shaping public opinion.
7. Mental health problems of college learners.
8. Learning in a digital age.

Descriptive essay topics for university students

Writing an essay as a university student requires a great input. The writing skills are also taken to a different level. The trick is to provide a deeper understanding and use your observation skills to describe.

1. The most memorable trip in my life.
2. The use of AI to explore world history.
3. Cooking my favorite meal differently.
4. The legacy of a family member.
5. Volunteering for children in middle school.
6. The most beautiful childhood memory.
7. The scariest dream that became a reality.
8. Ethical implications of switching universities.

Descriptive subjects to describe a person

Sometimes, you do not wish to write about a favorite park when discussing a sports event or favorite movie. In such a case, it can be a talk about your first memory or a sentimental value related to someone. Here are some life topics to write about:

1. Celebrities in real life.
2. Spending time with my Grandparents.
3. Meeting hosts in a foreign country.
4. Steve Jobs and a historical landmark.
5. Greta Thunberg is combating climate change.
6. Boris Johnson’s life and dream career.
7. My own experience with a famous blogger.
8. Tolkien and the capture of the reader’s mind.

Descriptive topics to describe a place

Here is where you can talk about a favorite season or use sensory details to describe the most beautiful place in your life. It must be in several body paragraphs, and sometimes reminds me of contrast essays, as you use vivid descriptive essay ideas.

1. The memories that describe Alhambra in literature.
2. Writing a descriptive essay in a student’s café.
3. How memories describe our childhood homes.
4. Can a place describe the fear?
5. Visiting Europe for the first time.
6. My first day in Canada.
7. The art of composing descriptive essays on the seaside.
8. The haunted house experience.

Look for various popular places to come up with descriptive paragraph ideas!  

Personal experience description

These may include funny descriptive writing ideas or any experiences you may have had in the past. Here are some good descriptive essay topics to brainstorm:

1. Standing against bullies for my best friend.
2. My method to pass a job interview.
3. Overcoming the fear of flying.
4. Learning to live again after an accident.
5. Learning how to make my essay stand for my opinion.
6. The challenge of writing a love essay.
7. Living life as a college athlete.
8. My experience of being in a TV series.

Things and vital objects in life

This essay topic will talk about the most important things you can encounter. Your thesis statement may revolve around global warming or pursue other interesting topics for essay.

1. The importance of telling the truth to your parents.
2. The experience of visiting a psychologist.
3. Becoming a parent during college experience.
4. Writing my first poem.
5. The art of running a small business.
6. My first experience with AI was creating a descriptive essay generator.
7. Volunteering for the elderly.
8. My first day as a scout.

Behavior and character descriptive ideas

This type of descriptive essay writing talks about the types of people and diverse characters. Here are some ideas for such a discussion:

1. The art of being kind to strangers.
2. The pros and cons of mischief in children.
3. The attention to detail among musicians.
4. The imagery of love in rock music.
5. The joyful children in Tom Sawyer’s adventures.
6. The behavior of SWAT specialists.
7. The British Queen’s guards.
8. The wisdom of old Tibetan monks.

Cultural description topics

These descriptive essay topics focus on various cultural aspects of life. A good descriptive essay will include some research. It should be an essential part of writing a descriptive essay. Here are some examples of descriptive essay topics:

1. The experience of life with a Muslim girl.
2. Canadians and their way of life.
3. Visiting my friend from Germany.
4. Writing an essay for a foreign language student.
5. Descriptive essay topics you won’t encounter in the United Kingdom.
6. Protestants versus Catholics in religious celebrations.
7. Buddhism in modern cinema.
8. The changing image of country music across the world.

Environmental topics for descriptive writing

Writing an essay about our environment might require several body paragraphs and good research, yet it is a good idea to consider.

1. The global warming perception by young kids.
2. The descriptive writing topics on planet Earth are mentioned on social media.
3. The role of Facebook in promoting a healthy way of life.
4. Mind pollution and environmental stress.
5. Solar energy’s effect on our health.
6. The campaigns on the environment in my school.
7. The bias encountered in modern environmental care.
8. The portrayal of our environment by futurists.

Sensory experience topics

Such descriptive essay topics revolve around hearing, seeing, touching, and smelling experiences. For example, a good descriptive essay may discuss tasting sushi for the first time or touching a monkey’s back!

1. Hearing symphonic rock music on stage.
2. The experience of playing a flute for the first time.
3. My first encounter with the flowers.
4. The smell of the ocean’s shore.
5. The sands of Egypt.
6. My experience of tasting Spanish wine.
7. The castles of France and the taste of eternity.
8. Objects from outer space on Earth.

Famous landmarks and tourist destinations descriptive essay prompts

You can also pursue descriptive essay topics about famous locations and places that will impress anyone looking for descriptive essays. Here are some subjective descriptive essay tips to consider:

1. Visiting Turkey for the first time.
2. Spending a day in New York.
3. Taking a taxi in Los Angeles.
4. Dubai and the taste of wealth.
5. Visiting Russia as a child.
6. Mardi Gras festival and the magic it brings.
7. Playing in a Mexican band live.
8. Visiting Japan and the Asian culture.

Emotional and personal experience topics

Sometimes, descriptive essay topics deal with deeply personal ideas. Here are examples of descriptive essays that fit this description:

1. The day I fell in love for the first time.
2. Mending a broken heart with the help of music.
3. Learning that I will become a sister (or brother) is an experience.
4. Visiting the marine museum for the first time.
5. The most frightening experience in my life.
6. The wedding ceremony in a foreign country.
7. Surviving the challenges of being bullied.
8. The perception of joy by the young kids.

Historical and biographical topics

Some descriptive essays deal with our history or people who play a significant role in our lives. If you are majoring in History or Anthropology, these quite hard topics to write about will fit you well:

1. The description of love in Shakespeare’s sonnets.
2. Sherlock Holmes and his deductive methods in real life.
3. The portrait of a Victorian woman.
4. Queen Elizabeth as the style icon.
5. Social media trend changes in history.
6. My personal growth as a student nurse.
7. Fighting for the originality of my thesis statement story.
8. The distance learning experience.

Imaginative and fantasy descriptive ideas

When you have an odd thesis statement or want to get dreamy with descriptive essay topics, these subjects will be the right fit:

1. What would it be like to do politics with alien life forms?
2. The portrayal of racism and biased attitudes in Star Wars.
3. We might encounter descriptive essay topics in the future.
4. The Biblical significance and symbolism in the Narnia books.
5. The beauty of South American poetry and futurism.
6. The steampunk style’s history.
7. What would life be for Albert Einstein today?
8. Spending a day in a Middle Ages school.

Technology and innovation description essay topics

Many popular descriptive essay topics are related to machine learning, AI, and augmented reality. If you are into innovations, these descriptive essays topics will be helpful to you:

1. The process of talking to an AI.
2. Analysis of descriptive language among teens.
3. The pros and cons of using ChatGPT for education.
4. The style of social media messaging.
5. The risks of using AI to compose your essay topic experience.
6. The outcomes of technology and the modern culture of dating.
7. The voice processing technology in music.
8. The future of education and the Waldorf schools.

Hobbies and personal interests as descriptive writing

You can also start with an essay topic about your hobbies. If you are interested in music or sports, use it as your source of inspiration. Here is what our EduBirdie experts came up with regarding ideas for descriptive essays:

1. The way jazz music can shape our creativity.
2. My first piano lesson.
3. The image of guys with guitars and falling in love.
4. My experience as a rugby girl.
5. The challenges of being a beauty blogger.
6. The influence on kids’ experience.
7. The experience of being a college detective.
8. Cooking Greek food experience.

Arts and Aesthetics descriptive essay questions

Some of the best descriptive essay topics are always related to the arts and the use of smart aesthetics. Such descriptive essays talk about many different aspects of life, like things that interest you or various challenges brought up in literature. We have provided seven categories for descriptive essay topics to help you see the variety.

Memories and associations descriptive essay topic ideas

If you have something important to remember or wish to share your feelings, these descriptive essays will be a good start:

1. My memory of a thing that no one remembers.
2. The taste of something ancient in Athens.
3. The South of America, or my life in Georgia.
4. The memory of dolphins.
5. Spending a month in the wilderness.
6. The last day on Earth experience.
7. My first day in high school.
8. The day I learned how to ride a bike.

Objects of significance: descriptive summary essay topics

These descriptive essays talk about certain objects that may be animate or inanimate. For example, some descriptive essays may talk about an old desk you love or your first car. Think over these list essay topics for your next essay:

1. The memories of mountain stones.
2. The most significant place in my hometown.
3. The most beautiful object in my home.
4. The reasons why I love my Christmas sweaters.
5. I still keep the baseball player cards.
6. My teddy bear that I still have.
7. The culture of small boutique shops in the USA.
8. Vintage lamp posts in my village.

Hobbies and interests topics for a descriptive essay

If you are asked to compose an essay based on things that you really like, focus on your interests. Remember that descriptive essays should always have a thesis and a main idea. Have a look at these hot topics to write about:

1. The styles popular on social media in 2025.
2. The major cultural points related to rugby.
3. My first experience with yoga practices.
4. Living life as a goth girl.
5. The challenges of being nerdy as a college student.
6. My story of organizing an ’80s college party.
7. The warmth of having good friends on campus.
8. The rustic charm of playing golf.

Daily life experiences in descriptive essays

Sometimes, your experience can turn into amazing descriptive essay topics. You can use something fresh and vivid, as you can still remember the experience. These tips might be helpful:

1. Visiting a boutique vintage store for antique things.
2. Changing the style of my campus room experience.
3. Running away to spend a day with nature.
4. Studying overseas cultural experience day.
5. Meeting my teacher beyond the school environment.
6. Revising my essay while listening to classical music.
7. The use of AI helpers to compose an essay.
8. Walking my pet through the city park sensory journey.

Historical events and figures of importance to describe

You can also write an essay on particular historical happenings. The only thing that you have to do is include a setting and explanations. This way, your essay will become more advanced. Here are some descriptive essay topics to start with:

1. The symbolism of the French Revolution.
2. The vulture and the nurses in the Crimean War.
3. The culture of the British Royal family.
4. Winston Churchill’s character and style.
5. The imaginary lands in Tolkien’s writing.
6. Queen Elizabeth and her fashion styles.
7. Middle school language in the 19th century.
8. The path to adulthood in Australian suburbs.

TV, Literature, & Arts topics

Many descriptive essays can be related to TV series and the Arts. You can start an essay with one of these great ideas:

1. The use of pressure and fear in modern TV series.
2. The portrayal of the ocean in digital art.
3. The Trail of Tears in historical poetry.
4. Classic English literature and the subject of honesty.
5. A description of love by the modern superheroes.
6. Television hosts and the use of sensory language.
7. The use of historical manuscripts to shape an essay about wedding traditions.
8. The body image in the 17th-century paintings.

Science and intellectual descriptive writing topics

It is also possible to compose descriptive essays that approach the field of science and raise the bar with more complex topics. Here are some ideas you can brainstorm:

1. The dialogue process with a robotic assistant.
2. The use of artificial intelligence with autistic children.
3. The digital poetry descriptive analysis.
4. The emotions on the verge of discovery.
5. A passion for music and troubadours.
6. AI assistance to create book characters.
7. The symbolism of a mad scientist.
8. Smartphones and how they shape our lives.

Helpful tips to create a great description of unique essay topics

These are some bits that you should consider before you start: 

• Do not overuse cliches to describe things. 
• Avoid repetitions when telling of places. 
• Check your facts twice before you write. 
• Add more details and explanations. 
• Have a check reminder on metaphors and other elements of descriptive writing. 

Read your writing aloud and use the checklist where you address all five sensory elements to work on all vivid descriptions. 

Quick help with a descriptive essay writing

The most important thing is to feel inspired and appeal to your readers with clarity and a topic that moves you in the first place! Now, if you cannot choose a good descriptive topic or need assistance with the start or the final bit, approach one of our EduBirdie experts. We are available 24/7 to buy descriptive essays and will help you make the topic appealing, ensure that you have sufficient descriptions, and proofread the text to perfection!

Good luck with your topic ideas hunting!