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

Henry David Thoreau

In eight words, Thoreau described the color of a bluebird: “The bluebird carries the sky on his back.” (His deeper meaning is a discussion for another time.)

Most writers who include backs in their fiction or poetry need ways to describe human backs. This word list will help.

Emotion Beats and Physical Manifestations

As you write, consider the impact of body language. Emotion beats that include backs, directly or indirectly, can help show how your characters feel.

Anger, fury, irritation, rage

arched back, head held high
hands clasped tightly behind one’s back

Boredom, disinterest

hands held loosely behind one’s back, palm in palm
head supported by hands while character is seated

Concern

hunching forward
clasping hands behind one’s back

Deception

hands balled into fists
hiding palms behind one’s back

Defeat

head down
slumped shoulders and upper back

Disappointment, frustration

slumped posture
hands behind one’s back, one hand gripping opposite wrist or arm

Distraction, anxiety, dread, concern

hands clasped behind one’s back
keeping one’s back facing a wall

Distrust, apprehension, suspicion

cocked head
hands clasped behind one’s back

Feigned disinterest

turning one’s back to an attractive person
turning one’s back during a negotiation session

Flirting, friendship

rubbing someone’s back
putting an arm around someone’s back

Guilt

slumped back
hiding hands behind one’s back

Humiliation

limp posture
backing up against a wall

Overwhelm

slumping back against a wall
sitting or sleeping in fetal position

Superiority

hands behind one’s back, palm in palm
arched back, head held high

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

Adjectives

Scrutinize the many ways you could describe backs, noting POV and opinion adjectives as you write.

A and B

abraded, aggravated, agonizing, arched, arthritic, askew, asymmetrical, atrophied, attractive, bad, baggy, banged-up, bare, battered, beautiful, beefy, bent, better, blood-spattered, bloodstained, bloody, bony, bowed, branded, brawny, breathtaking, bristly, brittle, broad, buckled, buried, burly

C

captivating, carved, chilly, chiseled, clammy, cloaked, cold, compromised, concealed, concrete, conspicuous, cool, corpulent, cottage-cheesy, covered, cracked, craggy, creaky, creased, cricked, crooked, crushed, cured, curvaceous, curved

D and E

damp, decrepit, defenseless, deformed, delicate, deteriorating, developed, dewy, dirty, disfigured, distorted, dodgy, downy, drenched, dripping, dry, durable, elastic, elegant, elevated, emaciated, encrusted, enormous, erect, etched, excruciating, exposed, eye-catching

F

failing, fat, feathered, feathery, feline, feminine, feverish, fickle, filleted, filthy, fine-boned, fit, fixed, flabby, flaccid, flagellated, flaky, flawless, flayed, fleshy, flexible, formidable, fractured, fragile, frail, freezing, furrowed, furry, fuzzy

G and H

gargantuan, gaunt, giant, glossy, gluey, goosepimply, gory, gouged, graceful, grazed, greasy, grimy, grubby, gummy, hairy, handsome, hard, healed, healthy, heavy, hidden, hideous, hirsute, hot, huge, humped, hunched, hurt, hurting, husky, hypersensitive

I to K

icy, ideal, iffy, immense, impaled, impervious, imposing, impressive, improved, improving, incised, infected, inflamed, inflexible, injured, inoperable, invisible, invulnerable, irritated, itchy, knobby, knotted, knotty

L

lacerated, lanced, lanky, large, lashed, lashwelt-crisscrossed, lean, leathery, limber, limp, lissome, lithe, long, loose, lopsided, lovely, lumpy

M and N

magnificent, maimed, mangled, mangy, manly, masculine, massive, meager, mighty, misaligned, moist, molded, monstrous, moonlit, motionless, mucky, muddy, mud-splattered, muscled, muscular, mutilated, naked, nice, nude, numb

O and P

odd-looking, oily, on-the-mend, operable, ordinary, out, out-of-order, out-of-whack, oversized, pain-free, painful, painted, paint-streaked, peculiar, perfect, pliable, pliant, plump, podgy, powerful, pretty, prickly, prominent, protected, pudgy, puffy, puny

Q and R

queenly, radioactive, rain-soaked, ramrod-straight, raw, rawboned, reedy, regal, rehabilitated, repulsive, resilient, resolute, revolting, rheumatic, ricked, rickety, ridged, rigid, ripped, rippling, robust, rough, rugged

Sa to Sn

salty, sandy, scabby, scaly, scarified, scarred, scored, scourged, scraggy, scraped, scratched, scrawny, scuffed, sculpted, seductive, sensitive, sexy, shaggy, shaved, short, shrouded, silken, silky, sinewy, sinuous, skeletal, skinny, sleek, slender, slick, slim, slinky, slippery, smooth, smudged, snow-covered

So to Sy

soaked, sodden, solid, sooty, sore, speared, spindly, spiny, splendid, sprained, squat, squeaky-clean, stabbing, stable, steaming, sterile, sticky, stiff, stooped, straight, strained, striking, strong, stubbly, sturdy, submerged, sun-damaged, sun-drenched, supple, svelte, swathed, sweat-pebbled, sweaty, swollen, sylphlike, symmetrical

T and U

tacky, taped, taut, tender, tense, thick, thick-skinned, thin, thin-skinned, tight, toned, touchable, touchy, tough, trim, twisted, ugly, unadorned, unbelievable, unblemished, uncomfortable, uncovered, unguarded, unpredictable, unprotected, unreliable, unshaven, unstable, unsuspecting, unyielding, useless

V to Y

vast, velvety, visible, vulnerable, warm, warped, wasted, weak, weather-beaten, weathered, weedy, weird, well-defined, well-developed, wet, whipped, wide, willowy, winged, wispy, withered, wonky, worn-out, worse, worsening, worthless, wounded, wrapped, wrenched, wrinkled, youthful

Similes and Metaphors

Readers enjoy creative figures of speech. However, if they see several per page, the creativity soon screams purple prose and drags focus away from the narrative. Bearing that in mind, consider phrases such as the following.

arched like a witch’s cat

bruised like a football quarterback

curved like a snail’s carapace

flat as the roof of a school bus

humongous as a blue whale’s dorsal ridge

muscled like a well-bred stallion

pearlescent velveteen covered by dewdrops of perspiration

pinned by a spear like a butterfly to a board

raw as fresh liver

ribbed like a skeleton wrapped in plastic

rippled like a tidal pool

smoother than a velvet cushion

stinging as though pierced by a voodoo-doll pin

tense as a tiger about to spring

textured like a plucked goose

tough as a crocodile’s hide

wrinkled like elephant skin

Colors

Characters who cover themselves with clothing will have backs lighter in color than their face or arms. However, a nudist, a beach volleyball player, or a surfer will break that rule.

Here are a few colors. You’ll find more in the Color/Tone section of 300+ Words to Describe Skin.

B to T

brown, bruised, chocolate, creamy, fair, freckled, ghastly grey, manila-brown, molasses, olive-brown, otherworldly white, pale, paper-white, persimmon-orange, pink, ruddy, sunburnt, taffy, tanned, toffee, translucent

For the next few years, Trump-orange will evoke instant mental images. Use if appropriate.

Scents

The sweaty shirt on a rancher’s back might reek of manure — but so could the T-shirt stretched across the back of a livestock trucker. Someone whose back smells like a morgue might be an undertaker — or a serial killer.

How many story ideas can you find in this list of scent-transferring items?

A to C

an ashtray, baby barf, a bait bucket, a bakery, a bathroom accident, beer, black mold, broiled pork, a brothel mattress, bubble bath, burning plastic, burnt fudge, a candy shop, car exhaust, a car freshener, a cedar chest, a cheap motel, cheap women, cigarettes, coffee, a college dorm, cookie crumbs

D to L

damp moss, dead fish, a dead skunk, a deep fryer, deodorant soap, dirty feet, dirty towels, a distillery, a dog house, exotic fruit, a fake tan, fear, flowers (name the flowers), a frat party, a garage, gasoline, harsh chemicals, a haystack, last night’s beer fest, a loo

M to W

mildew, a morgue, old sheets, popcorn, a privy, rancid farts, a rat-hole bar, rhino sweat, rotten eggs, sawdust, sewer, sourdough, stinky cheese, a sweaty sleeping bag, urine-soaked cardboard, varnish, vinegar, wood chips

Shapes for Backs

Perhaps you need a shape:

B to T

blocky, concave, convex, flat, narrow, rectangular, round, shapeless, shapely, square, s-shaped (spine), sunken, tapered, tapering

Verbs and Phrasal Verbs (1): Transitive

Some editors will tsk-tsk at backs that quiver with excitement or brace against a wall, preferring sentences such as:

Heloise quivered with excitement.
Braden braced his back against the wall.

Heed that fact as you review the following list.

A to F

ache (from, with), bear, bend over, block, brace (against, for), brush (against, up to), bug, carry, crash (against, into), crunch (against, into), disappear (around, into), dislodge, drive into, emphasize, enhance, erupt (in, with), face, feel [a breeze, a fabric, the sun], fit into

G to Q

glisten with, hide, hit, impress, knock (against, over), lean (against, on, over), matt with, nestle against, obscure, occupy, pillow against, pin, plant against, press (against, into), prevent, prop against, protect, push (against), quiver with

R to S

radiate [cold, heat, warmth], reach, rebound (from, off), reek of, reflect, relax against, resemble, rest against, rub (against, on), scrape (against, on), shield, shove (against), slam (against, into), slide (against, along), smell like, snuggle (against, into), soak in, stink of, support

Verbs and Phrasal Verbs (2): Intransitive

When contemplating intransitive verbs, pay attention to point of view. The character of focus will be aware of an aching, stinging, or tiring back, but it’ll be invisible to others unless revealed, perhaps in dialogue: “Crap, my back is aching — worse than the tooth I had pulled last week.”

A to C

ache, appear, arch (back, forward, over), bend, bleed, blister, bow, break, bristle, buck, buckle, bulge, burn, chafe, collapse, contort, cool, crack, cramp, crunch, curl, curve

D to J

deteriorate, disappear, drench, droop, dry, extend, flare, flex, flush, give out, gleam, glint, glisten, grate, heal, hunch (forward, over), hurt, improve, itch, jerk

K to R

kink, knot, lean (forward, backward, sideways), lengthen, lock, mend, move, numb, ooze, peel, pop, prickle, quiver, reek, relax, rest, ripple

S

seize (up), settle, shake, shift, shimmer, shine, shrivel, sink, slump, smart, snap, spasm, square, steady, steam, stiffen, sting, stink, straighten, strain, strengthen, stretch, surface, sway, sweat, swell, swivel

T to W

tense, thaw, thicken, throb, tighten, tingle, tire, tremble, turn, twinge, twist, twitch, undulate, vanish, warm, warp, weaken, widen, wriggle, writhe

Nouns

The best noun is usually back. However, one of the following might also suit your needs.

D to U

dorsal aspect, hollow of one’s back, lower back, posterior aspect, spinal column, spine, upper back

Props

Why does your character apply liniment or visit the chiropractor? What’s with the ripped T-shirt or misspelled tattoo? Props provide rich opportunities for plot twists.

A and B

acupuncture, athletic bra, Ayurvedic treatment, back belly-chain, back body-chain, back brace, back massage, backdrop necklace, backless dress, bandage, bikini, blemish, broken ribs

C to E

chiropractic treatment, cropped top, depilatory cream, disc degeneration, electric stimulation therapy, embedded microchip, ergonomic office chair, exfoliation

G to N

gym workout, hammock, high heels, hot car seat, hyperpigmentation, lace shawl, laser treatment, liniment, low-backed dress, lumpy mattress, melanoma, mud packs, nude artist’s model

O and P

opioid pain reliever, orthopedic surgeon, pain patch, paraffin wax, personal trainer, photographer, physical therapy, piggyback game, pole-dancing, ponytail, pregnancy

Q to W

quarter, quarterback, quicklime, ripped T-shirt, sciatica, scoliosis, spa, spina bifida, surgery, tan lines, tattoos, topical pain reliever, weightlifter’s belt

Clichés and Idioms

Eliminate tired phrases by replacing them with short alternatives such as these.

able to do with one’s arm tied behind one’s back: accomplished, adept, capable, overqualified

behind someone’s back: covertly, secretly, surreptitiously

flat on one’s back: debilitated, disabled, incapacitated

like water off a duck’s back: brief, temporary, transitory

monkey on one’s back: addiction, affliction, burden, liability

no skin off one’s back: inconsequential, non-threatening, unimportant

to be on someone’s back: badger, harass, nag, pester

to break one’s back: strain, strive, struggle, toil

to knife in the back: betray, deceive, double-cross, sell out

to nail someone’s back to the wall: rebuke, reprimand, reprove

to pat on the back: commend, congratulate, praise

with a back up to the task: able, capable, competent

with one’s back against the wall: blocked, stuck, trapped

with one’s back up: angry, defensive, hostile, irritable