(Discover even more words in The Writer’s Body Lexicon.)

In 2010, Stephen Hawking said, “As scientists, we step on the shoulders of science, building on the work that has come before us — aiming to inspire a new generation of young scientists to continue once we are gone.”

Writers step on the shoulders of literature to build on its words, and some of those words might require ways to describe shoulders.

Emotion Beats and Physical Manifestations

Even when not described, shoulders can convey emotion. As you review these beats, remember that movements of shoulders, neck, head, and back often interact.

A few of the following don’t mention shoulders, but do evoke images that include them.

Agitation, anxiety
rolling one’s shoulders
scratching one’s shoulder

Agony, anguish, misery
poor posture
slouched shoulders

Annoyance
crossed arms
tense shoulders and upper body

Anticipation
rolling shoulders and neck
fiddling with a lapel or sleeve

Arrogance, smugness, pride
strong posture, shoulders back, smirking
aggressive stance with legs wider than shoulder width

Boredom
shoulder turned away, indicating a desire to leave
picking at a lapel, or brushing imaginary lint off one’s shoulders

Certainty, confidence, self-assurance
firm stance with legs wider than shoulder width
chest out and raised chin, accentuating assertive posture

Confusion
shrugging
scratching a shoulder

Contentment, optimism
shoulders held back
standing with arms akimbo, head held high

Defeat, disappointment
hunched posture
slumped shoulders and upper back

Defensiveness
shrugging
squishing one’s shoulders toward body

Deference, humility, submission
hunched shoulders
head turned sideways and tilted toward one shoulder

Defiance, rebelliousness
shoulders tattooed with militant slogans
rigid stance with legs wider than shoulder width

Depression
drooping shoulders
neck bent until chin almost touches chest

Desperation
tense shoulders
closed posture, hugging shoulders

Determination
strong posture
shoulders pulled back

Disbelief, doubt
shrugging
scratching a shoulder

Discomfort, embarrassment, shame
slumped shoulders
shoulders turned inward or away

Disgust
tense shoulders
visible shuddering, or cringing away from source of disgust

Dread, fear
hunched shoulders
tensing, and squishing one’s shoulders toward neck

Enthusiasm, happiness
raised shoulders and arms
dancing shoulders and pumping fists

Envy
slightly hunched shoulders
tight shoulders, hands balled into fists

Flirtatiousness
putting an arm around someone’s shoulder
tilting head toward one shoulder, and peeking sideways

Guilt
tugging at collar or lapel
shoulders squished toward ears

Hatred
stiff shoulders
rigid posture

Humiliation
bowed head
hunched shoulders

Impatience
tense shoulders and neck
drumming fingers against shoulder or thigh

Indifference
shrugging
loose shoulders

Insecurity
shrugging
shoulders held tight to body, hands crossed over crotch area

Loneliness
slumped shoulders, wilting posture
self-hugging, holding on to shoulders

Opposition, disapproval, pessimism
shoulders drawn back
picking imaginary lint from one’s shoulders

Paranoia
shoulders flinch with every unexpected noise
peering over one’s shoulder to see if anyone is following

Regret
hunched shoulders
massaging one’s shoulder or chest

Reluctance
crossed arms
tense shoulders and upper body

Remorse
hunched shoulders
shoulders that quiver as character attempts to suppress sobs

Resentment
tense shoulders
tight lips, head tilted toward one shoulder

Resignation
shrugging
slumped shoulders

Satisfaction
strong posture with shoulders back
standing with arms akimbo, head held high

Stress, tension
tight shoulders
self-hugging, holding on to shoulders

Sympathy
hands crossed over chest, and shoulders curled inward
pulling someone close to shoulder for a hug or pat on the back

Uncertainty
drooping shoulders and slumped posture
shoulders raising so slightly that the motion is almost imperceptible

Unhappiness
trembling shoulders
self-hugging, holding on to shoulders

If you need additional beats, consult a body language dictionary. (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Adjectives

What would make shoulders seem ugly? One character might detest muscle-bound physiques, while another can’t tolerate moles or freckles.

The embodiment of beautiful shoulders for one person might mean daintiness, whereas another prefers generous padding.

Match adjectives to the personality of your POV character.

Capable, inexperienced, etc., refer to personal qualities, but writers often choose words like this to modify shoulders. These descriptors are opinion adjectives.

A and B
aching, ample, angular, armored, arthritic, athletic, bare, bearish, beautiful, beefy, bestial, big, big-boned, birdlike, black-robed, blanketed, blood-flecked, bloody, bony, bowed, brawny, brittle, bulky, bull-like, bumpy, burly

C
capable, capacious, caped, chilly, chubby, chunky, clad, classic, cold, comfy, compact, competent, confident, cool, covered, cramped, crooked

D and E
dainty, damp, defenseless, defiant, deformed, dejected, delectable, delicate, delicious, diminutive, dimpled, distinctive, dusty, elegant, enormous, expansive, exposed, expressive, exquisite

F and G
familiar, fat, fatigued, faultless, feeble, feminine, feral, fine, firm, flat, fleshy, flexible, fragile, frail, frozen, full, furry, gangly, gargantuan, gaunt, generously padded, gigantic, girlish, glossy, gnarled, graceful, greasy, grotesque

H and I
hairless, hairy, hard, heavy, hefty, Herculean, heroic, high, hirsute, hollow, hot, huge, hulking, humble, hunched, husky, immense, immortal, impatient, impervious, impotent, inadequate, inexperienced, inflamed, inflexible, injured, intimidating, itchy

J to L
jacketed, jagged, jittery, jutting, knobby, knotted, laden, lanky, large, lathered, lazy, leaden, lean, leathery, leprous, lifeless, Lilliputian, limber, limp, linebacker, lithe, little, liver-spotted, lofty, loose, lopsided, lovely, low, lumpy

M
macho, magnificent, male, mammoth, manly, mannish, masculine, massive, meager, meaty, menacing, middle-aged, mighty, military, misshapen, moist, molded, monumental, mortal, motionless, mountainous, muscular

N to P
naked, nice, nude, numb, obdurate, oil-slicked, overdeveloped, oversized, packed, padded, painful, paralyzed, passive, perfect, perfumed, perspiring, petite, plucked, plump, powdered, powerful, pretty, prim, prodigious, prominent, protective, proud, provocative, puffy

Q and R
qualified, queenly, ramrod-stiff, rancid, rash-covered, ravishing, raw, rawboned, rebellious, regal, relaxed, repentant, reptilian, repulsive, resistant, resolute, restive, rheumatic, rigid, ripped, robust, rocky, rough, rugged

S
saggy, sandy, satin, saucy, scanty, scrawny, sculpted, shaggy, shapeless, shapely, sharp, silken, simian, sinewy, sinuous, skeletal, skinny, sleek, slender, slight, slim, slumping, small, smooth, soaked, sodden, soft, solid, sore, spindly, splendid, spongy, sprained, stalwart, stately, steadfast, steep, stiff, stocky, stooped, stout, straight, strapping, strong, stubborn, sturdy, submissive, substantial, sumptuous, sun-kissed, superb, supple, sweat-covered, sweaty, swollen, symmetrical, sympathetic

T and U
taut, tender, tense, thick, thin, tight, tiny, tired, titanic, toned, translucent, tremendous, twisted, ugly, unblemished, unclad, uncovered, uneven, unflinching, unprotected, unresponsive, unsteady, unwilling, unyielding

V to Y
valiant, vast, velvety, vigorous, voluptuous, warm, weak, weary, weedy, well-defined, well-developed, well-muscled, well-set, well-toned, wet, willing, windswept, wiry, wounded, wrinkled, young, youthful

Similes and Metaphors

Figures of speech offer unique opportunities to exercise your creativity. Careful not to overdo, though. Consider phrases like the following.

• a buttress of fortitude
• bony as chicken wings
• burly as a buffalo hump
• cool as a marble statue
• fragile as a Faberge egg
• glistening like lip gloss
• hunched-up like bat wings
• loose as a rag doll
• pointed like twin mountain peaks
• rigid as rebar
• rounded like twin sand dunes
• sagging like the spirit of a jilted lover
• solid as a wall
• square as a soldier’s stance
• stiff as a two-by-four
• sunburnt and scaly as crab claws
• the shape of defeat
• translucent as gossamer wings
• twitching like a horse trying to dislodge a fly

Colors

A character’s shoulders usually echo skin color. Try one of these, or check the Color/Tone section of 300+ Words to Describe Skin.

A to W
alabaster, black-and-blue, bronzed, brown, bruised, caramel, copper, creamy, dark-skinned, discolored, dusky, fair, freckled, golden, olive, pale, pink, porcelain, red, rosy, sun-browned, sunburnt, tanned, tawny, white

Scents

Sensory details transform a flat passage into a multi-dimensional tableau. Any of the following could transfer scent to shoulders, literally or figuratively.

A to G
barbecue starter, bubble bath, burnt toast, campfire smoke, cheap cologne, Christmas, cinnamon, clover, cookies, daisies, dessert, dirty laundry, dirty money, eggnog, fabric softener, a fish market, fresh air, gardenias, gingerbread, goats, gym locker

H to R
hairspray, incense, jasmine, last night’s supper, lavender, leather, lye soap, maple syrup, mossy soil, a musty closet, the ocean, peanut oil, perm solution, pipe tobacco, road kill, rotten meat

S
a saddle blanket, saddle soap, sawdust, sheep, smoke, soiled sheets, sour earth, spring rain showers, strawberries, sulfur, sunscreen, sunshine, sweaty football players, swine

T to W
turpentine, vomit, wet mink, wet towels, wet wool, whiskey, wood chips, woodsmoke

Shapes

Body shapes are the preferred descriptive approach for many writers: apple, hourglass, pear, rectangle, straight, triangle, trapezoid, oval, inverted triangle, etc.

However, the following adjectives might provide the perfect description for your character’s shoulders.

A to W
arched, blocky, broad, narrow, pointed, pointy, rectangular, round, rounded, sloping, square, tapered, V-shaped, wide

Verbs (1): Transitive

Besides characters shouldering through a crowd, shouldering someone out of the way, or shouldering a burden, their shoulders might:

A to D
absorb, accentuate, ache with, bang (against), bend (over, toward), block, brace (against, for), brush (against), bulldoze (through), bump (against, into), burrow under, burst through, bury [themselves] in, butt (against), change [position], collide with, connect with, crash into, curl toward, dig into, dip below, drive into

F to P
face, fill [a suit, etc.], fit (into, under), hide, hit (against), hold (back, up), hover (above, over), jam against, jostle, knock (against), lean (against, into, toward), lie (across, against), meet, nestle against, nudge, pin, poke, pop through, press against, prop against, protect, push (against)

R to W
ram (into), rest against, roll toward, rub (against), shield, shift toward, shove, shrug (into, off, out of), slam into, slump against, smash into, span, strain toward, strike, support, touch, wedge (against, under)

Verbs (2): Intransitive

It’s unnecessary to say that characters shrug their shoulders. They shrug. Period. Besides shrugging, shoulders might:

A to C
ache, align, angle, appear, arch, bend, bob, bounce, bow, brace, break, broaden, bruise, buckle, bulge, bunch (up), burn, cave (in), cramp, creak, curl (in), curve

D to G
dance, dip, disappear, dislocate, draw (back, up), droop (forward), drop, ease (backward, forward, sideways, to the left, to the right), extend, fall (back), flex, flinch, fracture, freeze, give (out, way), gleam, glisten, glow

H to L
hang, heal, heave, hike up, hunch, hurt, inch (backward, forward, sideways, to the left, to the right), jerk, jut, knot, lock (up), loom, loosen, lower, lurch (backward, forward, sideways, to the left, to the right)

M to R
move (backward, forward, sideways, to the left, to the right), narrow, protrude, quake, quiver, raise, relax, rest, ripple, rise, roll (back, inward), rotate

S
sag (forward), sink, scrunch, settle, shake, shine, shiver, shrink, slacken, slide down, slip down, slouch, slump, spasm, square, squeeze, stiffen, sting, stretch, sway, sweat, swell, swing, swivel

T to W
taper, tense, throb, tighten, tilt, tingle, tire, tremble, turn, twinge, twist, twitch, undulate, widen, writhe

Nouns

Although I didn’t find any replacement nouns for shoulder, I located a few common words for shoulder parts. Unless you’re writing a technical piece, these should suit most purposes.

B to T
bursa, clavicle, humerus, scapula, shoulder blade, trapezius

Props

Well-chosen props add to a storyline.

B to W
bandage, bandana, blemish, blemish cream, cape, collar, dandruff, dysmorphia, fingernail scratches, freckles, frostbite, hirsutism, jewelry, laceration, lice, makeup, massage, mole, mosquito bite, piercing, powder, ripped shirt, scar, shawl, shoulder brace, shoulder pads, pushups, sling, spider veins, stray hairs, tic, taping, tattoo, torn muscle, wood tick

Clichés and Idioms

Shoulders might enhance a storyline, but clichés and idioms detract. Replace them when feasible.

head and shoulders above: nonpareil, outstanding, superior

straight from the shoulder: direct, forthright, unembellished

to give the cold shoulder treatment: ignore, shun, snub

with a chip on one’s shoulder: angry, antagonistic, hostile, resentful

with a good head on one’s shoulders: intelligent, practical, prudent, sensible

looking over one’s (own) shoulder: anxious, nervous, paranoid

looking over someone’s shoulder: eavesdropping, hounding, lurking

to offer a shoulder to cry on: condole, empathize, sympathize

to offer a shoulder to lean on: back, bolster, support

to put one’s shoulder to the wheel: hustle, labor, slog, strive, toil

to square one’s shoulders: brace, prepare

to stand shoulder to shoulder: agree, encourage, support

weight off one’s shoulders: relief, respite

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