155 Words to Describe an Author’s Tone

155 Words to Describe an Author’s Tone Tone Absurd Accusatory Acerbic Admiring Aggressive Aggrieved Ambivalent Amused Angry Animated Apathetic Apologetic Appreciative Ardent Arrogant Assertive Awestruck Belligerent Benevolent Bitter Callous Candid Caustic Cautionary Celebratory Chatty Colloquial Comic Compassionate Complex Compliant Concerned Conciliatory Condescending Confused Contemptuous Critical Cruel Curious Cynical Defensive Defiant Demeaning Depressing Derisive Meaning illogical; ridiculous; silly; implausible; foolish suggesting someone has done something wrong, complaining sharp; forthright; biting; hurtful; abrasive; severe approving; think highly of; respectful; praising hostile; determined; forceful; argumentative indignant; annoyed; offended; disgruntled having mixed feelings; uncertain; in a dilemma; undecided entertained; diverted; pleased incensed or enraged; threatening or menacing full of life or excitement; lively; spirited; impassioned; vibrant showing little interest; lacking concern; indifferent; unemotional full of regret; repentant; remorseful; acknowledging failure grateful; thankful; showing pleasure; enthusiastic enthusiastic; passionate pompous; disdainful; overbearing; condescending; vain; scofÏng self-confident; strong-willed; authoritative; insistent amazed, filled with wonder/awe; reverential hostile; aggressive; combatant sympathetic; tolerant; generous; caring; well meaning angry; acrimonious; antagonistic; spiteful; nasty cruel disregard; unfeeling; uncaring; indifferent; ruthless truthful, straightforward; honest; unreserved making biting, corrosive comments; critical gives warning; raises awareness; reminding praising; pay tribute to; glorify; honour informal; lively; conversational; familiar familiar; everyday language; informal; colloquial; casual humorous; witty; entertaining; diverting sympathetic; empathetic; warm-hearted; tolerant; kind having many varying characteristics; complicated agree or obey rules; acquiescent; flexible; submissive worried; anxious; apprehensive intended to placate or pacify; appeasing stooping to the level of one’s inferiors; patronising unable to think clearly; bewildered; vague showing contempt; scornful; insolent; mocking finding fault; disapproving; scathing; criticising causing pain and suffering; unkind; spiteful; severe wanting to find out more; inquisitive; questioning scornful of motives/virtues of others; mocking; sneering defending a position; shielding; guarding; watchful obstinate; argumentative; defiant; contentious disrespectful; undignified sad, melancholic; discouraging; pessimistic snide; sarcastic; mocking; dismissive; scornful Detached Dignified Diplomatic Disapproving Disheartening Disparaging Direct Disappointed Dispassionate Distressing Docile Earnest Egotistical Empathetic Encouraging Enthusiastic Evasive Excited Facetious Farcical Flippant Forceful Formal Frank Frustrated Gentle Ghoulish Grim Gullible Hard Humble Humorous Hypercritical Impartial Impassioned Imploring Impressionable Inane Incensed Incredulous Indignant Informative Inspirational Intense Intimate Ironic Irreverent Jaded aloof; objective; unfeeling; distant serious; respectful; formal; proper tactful; subtle; sensitive; thoughtful displeased; critical; condemnatory discouraging; demoralising; undermining; depressing dismissive; critical; scornful straightforward; honest discouraged; unhappy because something has gone wrong impartial; indifferent; unsentimental; cold; unsympathetic heart-breaking; sad; troubling compliant; submissive; deferential; accommodating showing deep sincerity or feeling; serious self-absorbed; selfish; conceited; boastful understanding; kind; sensitive optimistic; supportive excited; energetic ambiguous; cryptic; unclear emotionally aroused; stirred inappropriate; flippant ludicrous; absurd; mocking; humorous and highly improbable superficial; glib; shallow; thoughtless; frivolous powerful; energetic; confident; assertive respectful; stilted; factual; following accepted styles/rules honest; direct; plain; matter-of-fact annoyed; discouraged kind; considerate; mild; soft delighting in the revolting or the loathsome serious; gloomy; depressing; lacking humour;macabre naïve; innocent; ignorant unfeeling; hard-hearted; unyielding deferential; modest amusing; entertaining; playful unreasonably critical; hair splitting; nitpicking unbiased; neutral; objective filled with emotion; ardent pleading; begging trusting; child-like silly; foolish; stupid; nonsensical enraged disbelieving; unconvinced; questioning; suspicious annoyed; angry; dissatisfied instructive; factual; educational encouraging; reassuring earnest; passionate; concentrated; deeply felt familiar; informal; confidential; confessional the opposite of what is meant lacking respect for things that are generally taken seriously bored; having had too much of the same thing; lack enthusiasm Joyful Judgmental Laudatory Light-Hearted Loving Macabre Malicious Mean-Spirited Mocking Mourning Naïve Narcissistic Nasty Negative Nostalgic Objective Obsequious Optimistic Outraged Outspoken Pathetic Patronizing Pensive Persuasive Pessimistic Philosophical Playful Pragmatic Pretentious Regretful Resentful Resigned Restrained Reverent Righteous Satirical Sarcastic Scathing Scornful Sensationalistic Sentimental Sincere Skeptical Solemn Subjective Submissive Sulking positive; optimistic; cheerful; elated critical; finding fault; disparaging praising; recommending carefree; relaxed; chatty; humorous affectionate; showing intense, deep concern gruesome; horrifying; frightening desiring to harm others or to see others suffer; ill-willed; spiteful inconsiderate; unsympathetic scornful; ridiculing; making fun of someone grieving; lamenting; woeful innocent; unsophisticated; immature self-admiring; selfish; boastful; self-pitying unpleasant; unkind; disagreeable; abusive unhappy, pessimistic thinking about the past; wishing for something from the past without prejudice; without discrimination; fair; based on fact overly obedient and/or submissive; fawning; grovelling hopeful; cheerful angered and resentful; furious; extremely angered frank; candid; spoken without reserve expressing pity, sympathy, tenderness condescending; scornful; pompous reflective; introspective; philosophical; contemplative convincing; eloquent; influential; plausible seeing the negative side of things theoretical; analytical; rational; logical full of fun and good spirits; humorous; jesting realistic; sensible affected; artificial; grandiose; rhetorical; flashy apologetic; remorseful aggrieved; offended; displeased; bitter accepting; unhappy controlled; quiet; unemotional showing deep respect and esteem morally right and just; guiltless; pious; god-fearing making fun to show a weakness; ridiculing; derisive scornful; mocking; ridiculing critical; stinging; unsparing; harsh expressing contempt or derision; scathing; dismissive provocative; inaccurate; distasteful thinking about feelings, especially when remembering the past honest; truthful; earnest disbelieving; unconvinced; doubting not funny; in earnest; serious prejudiced; biased compliant; passive; accommodating; obedient bad-tempered; grumpy; resentful; sullen Sympathetic Thoughtful Tolerant Tragic Unassuming Uneasy Urgent Vindictive Virtuous Whimsical Witty Wonder World-Weary Worried Wretched compassionate; understanding of how someone feels reflective; serious; absorbed open-minded; charitable; patient; sympathetic; lenient disastrous; calamitous modest; self-effacing; restrained worried; uncomfortable; edgy; nervous insistent; saying something must be done soon vengeful; spiteful; bitter; unforgiving lawful; righteous; moral; upstanding quaint; playful; mischievous; offbeat clever; quick-witted; entertaining awe-struck; admiring; fascinating bored; cynical; tired anxious; stressed; fearful miserable; despairing; sorrowful; distressed