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

Mary Quant believed that a woman is as young as her knees. Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “Ankles are nearly always neat and good-looking, but knees are nearly always not.”

These sometimes-not-so-shapely joints have also been described in a more abstract manner.

Emilio Zapata: “It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.”

Ross Perot: “Failures are like skinned knees, painful but superficial.”

And Rod Stewart injected a bit of humor into his opinion of knees: “Surely if God had meant us to do yoga, he would have put our heads behind our knees.”

This post includes options for both literal and figurative representations of knees.

Emotion Beats and Physical Manifestations

Emotion beats, when viewed in context, show how characters feel. If you pay attention to a person’s knees, you might notice one or more of the following:

Approval of or interest in another person
crossing one’s knees so that they point toward the person

Alarm, fear
weak knees
knees that shake
walking with locked knees
sitting or lying with knees pulled toward one’s chest

Amusement
slapping one’s knee(s)

Anxiety
weak knees
knees that tremble

Craving, yearning
weak knees

Defeat
rubbery knees that may twitch or buckle

Defensiveness
squeezing knees together while one is seated

Determination
leaning forward with one hand on a knee
firm stance, knees locked, hands on hips

Eagerness
leaning forward with one hand on a knee

Elation
sinking to one’s knees

Embarrassment, humiliation, shame
rubbery knees
squeezing one’s knees together
sitting or lying with knees pulled toward one’s chest

Gratitude
kneeling to pray

Grief
weak knees

Infatuation, love
rubbery knees

Insecurity
standing knock-kneed

Nervousness
bouncing a knee while one is seated
crossing legs while one is seated, and grasping one knee in both hands

Overwhelm
sitting or lying with knees pulled toward one’s chest

Relief
knees that collapse

Resignation
sitting with elbows on one’s knees

Restlessness, impatience
leaning forward in chair with hands on one’s knees, as though signaling a desire to leave

Uncertainty
repetitive bending and straightening of knees

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

Adjectives

Adjectives, literal and figurative, can show or tell. Chubby knees show readers that a character failed at the latest fad diet. Helpless knees tell everyone the character is vulnerable. Choose with care, mindful of POV and opinion adjectives.

A
active, adorable, agile, ample, ancient, angular, aproned, armored, arthritic, artificial, awkward

B
baby-plump, baby-soft, bad, baggy, bare, bashed-up, battered, beautiful, beefy, big, blobby, bloody, blotched, bonny, bony, boyish, braw, brawny, brittle, broad, bulbous, bumpy, busted

C
callused, capacious, charred, chubby, clad, clean, clumsy, cold, colossal, contrite, craggy, cramped, crippled, crooked, cute

D and E
dainty, damp, deformed, dependable, devout, dimpled, dirt-stained, dirty, disobedient, disproportionate, dusty, dysfunctional, elastic, elephantine, exquisite

F and G
fat, fawning, feeble, feminine, flaccid, flaky, flappy, fleshy, flexible, floppy, fragile, frail, functional, furrowed, fuzzy, gaunt, gawky, giant, gimpy, gnarled, good, gouty, graceful, greasy, grimy, gross, grubby

H and I
hairless, hairy, half-bent, half-turned, hard, healthy, heavy, hefty, helpless, hidden, high, hirsute, horsey, hot, huge, humble, impotent, ineffectual, infected, inflamed, insubstantial, iron-shod

J to L
jeaned, knobbly, knobby, knock-kneed, knotty, lame, lanky, large, leaden, lean, limber, limp, little, long, loose, low, lumpy

M and N
mangled, manly, masculine, massive, meaty, middle-aged, mighty, misshapen, moist, motionless, mountainous, muddy, muscular, mushy, naked, nervous, nice, nimble, non-existent, nubby, nude, numb

O and P
obedient, obsequious, old, osteoarthritic, padded, painful, pampered, penitential, perverse, pesky, pimply, pious, pitiful, pliant, plump, pockmarked, pointed, ponderous, porcine, porky, powerful, powerless, pretty, prosthetic, pudgy, puffy

Q and R
quailing, ragged, rash-covered, raw, rebellious, recalcitrant, reluctant, reptilian, restless, reverent, rheumatic, rickety, rigid, rocklike, rough, rubbery, rugged, ruined, rusty

Sa to Sl
salt-encrusted, sandy, scabby, scaly, scarred, scented, scorched, scrawny, self-willed, sensitive, servile, sexy, shaky, sharp, shiny, shivery, shrunken, silken, sinewy, skeletal, skinny, slack, sleek, slender, slimy, slippery

Sm to Sy
small, smooth, soaked, soapy, sodden, soft, soggy, solid, sore, spindly, stable, stalwart, steel, sticky, stiff, still, stockinged, stocky, stolid, straight, strong, stubborn, sturdy, submissive, subservient, supple, sweaty, swift, sycophantic

T and U
temperamental, tense, thick, thin, ticklish, tired, titanium, traitorous, tremulous, trick, trousered, ugly, uncertain, unclad, uncooperative, undependable, uneven, unprotected, unreliable, unresponsive, unstable, unsteady, untiring, useless

V to Y
vulnerable, warm, wayward, weak, weary, wee, well-cut, well-developed, well-rounded, wet, wide, willful, withered, wobbly, worn-out, wrinkled, young

Similes and Metaphors

Watch everything and everyone around you. Pay attention to visual media. Note phrasing in books. Your attentiveness will inspire new figures of speech. When stuck, leverage the following as springboards.

juddering like an airplane in a hurricane

like a penitent’s knees as she pleads for compassion

limber as a well-oiled grandfather clock

limper than grannie’s overcooked pasta

lumpier than a bag of spring potatoes

protruding like pregnant broomsticks

slavish knees unbefitting a nobleman

trembling like the gut of a convict on his way to the noose

weak as a politician’s promise

Colors

Knees, like elbows, are usually similar to that of skin and arms. This list presents a few idea-starters:

A to Y
ashen, berry-stained, blue, bruised, fair, freckled, golden, grass-stained, pale, pallid, pink, purple, red, scarlet, speckled, sun-browned, sunburnt, swarthy, tanned, waxen, white, yellow

See also 1000+ Ways to Describe Colors

Scents

Knees will absorb scent from the environment, especially after prolonged exposure. Do you see any story ideas in this list?

B to H
baby powder, barnyard, bubble bath, ex-(girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife, lover), freshly mown grass, garden weeds, greasy rags, hand sanitizer, hay, horse lather, hospital ward

L to T
liniment, locker room, lotion, meadow, moss, over-chlorinated swimming pool, saddle, smelly exercise mat, smoke, soap, stale towels, subway seat, sweaty office chair, topsoil

Shapes

Adjectives such as chubby, angular, or wide will usually suffice for knee shapes. However, you might find some of the following more suitable for your WIP.

B to T
blocky, bowed, concave, conical, egg-shaped, elliptical, flat, globe-shaped, oval, oviform, ovoid, rectangular, round, spherical, spheroid, square, sunken, triangular

The Versatility of Verbs and Phrasal Verbs

Knees move, cause sensations in their owners, and evoke emotions in others. Some verbs could appear in all three of the following sections, but to maintain brevity, I chose a single section for most verbs.

For example, let’s consider hold:

Jake’s knees held on to the horse like grappling hooks.

Sherri’s knees held, even after she piled twenty more pounds onto her back.

Barak held on to his knees and doubled over with laughter.

Verbs (1): Transitive Verbs Whose Subject Could Include Knee or Knees

B to L
bang (against, into), bear, beat (against), bounce (against, off, over), brace against, buckle under, bump (against, into), catch, collide with, connect with, crack against, dig into, disappear into, encircle, fit (into, through), hold (onto), hook over, hug, lean (against, on, over)

M to R
meet (with), nudge, peek through, point (at, toward), poke (into, through), press (against, into, through), project (out of, through), protrude (out of, through), push (against, into, through), ram (against, into, through), rest (atop, against, on)

S to W
scuff against, settle (against, into), sink into, slam (against, into), slide into, spear, strain (against, toward), strike, support, sustain, thud against, touch, wedge (against, in)

Verbs (2): Intransitive Verbs Whose Subject Could Include Knee or Knees

A to F
ache, act up, appear, bang together, bend, bleed, bloat, blow out, bob, bow, buckle (together), bulge, burn, chafe, click, clunk, collapse, contort, cramp, creak, crumple, dance, disappear, fail, falter, freeze, function

G to R
give out, grind (together), heal, hold, jerk (up), jut, knock (together), lock (up), loosen, pop (back, out), pump, quake, quiver, rattle (together), recover, relax

S to W
sag, seize, shake, shiver, spasm, splinter, spread (apart), stiffen, straighten, strengthen, swell, swivel, throb, tire, tremble, twinge, twitch, weaken

Verbs (3): Transitive Verbs Whose Object Could Include Knee or Knees

A to C
aim, angle (in the direction of, toward), bandage, bang, blow, blow out, bother, bounce, brace, break, bring (down, up), bruise, burn, caress, clench, cling to, close, clutch, cover (with), crawl on, cross, crouch on, crush, curl, curse, cut

D to O
damage, discover, dislocate, drape (in, with), draw (in, up), drive (into, through), drop, elevate, examine, expose, extend, feel, flex, fold, force (against, into, through), free, graze, grip, hold onto, hurt, injure, jiggle, lacerate, land on, lift, lower, move, open, operate on

P to W
patch up, perfume, poke, prod, pull (apart, together), pump, punch, raise, relax, rest, rub, scrape, scrub, shatter, shift, skin, slap, sprain, stiffen, swing, thrust (against, into, forward, toward, up), tighten, trap, turn (up), twist, wound, wrench

Nouns

Most often knees is the best word choice. However, you might prefer one of the following:

B to P
bulges, bumps, knobbles, knobs, lumps, nubbins, nubs, patellae (kneecaps)

Props

A well-chosen prop adds depth to narrative. How creative can you get with items from this list?

A to D
activity that requires standing or sitting for extended periods, acupuncture, arthritis, arthrogram, ballet, ballroom dancing, a bandage, the beach, a bicycle, bursitis, cartilage, a cello, a cold compress, depilatory cream

F to K
fishnet stockings, football, a fracture, golf, gravel, a gym workout, a harp, hiking, hockey, holey jeans, horseback riding, inflammation, an injury, jogging, a knee brace, knee pads, knee-high boots, knee-high socks

L to P
a lawn chair, a lesion, ligaments, line dancing, a marriage proposal, martial arts, a maxi dress with thigh-high slit, a mini skirt, a motorcycle, an MRI, mud, a nail, a park bench, pavement, a prayer mat

R to Y
a razor, a religious service, road rash, rugby, a rupture, sand, shorts, a spider, a steering wheel, a strain, surgery, sutures, a tack, a tattoo, an uncomfortable chair, a yoga mat

Clichés and Idioms

Some of these phrases function well in dialogue or certain types of fiction. However, replace them if they don’t suit the voice of your narrative.

knee-deep: buried, inundated, mired, swamped

knee-high to a grasshopper: short, young

knee-jerk: automatic, autonomic, involuntary

knee-mail: prayer, supplication

knee-slapping: hilarious, hysterical, uproarious

on one’s knees: humble, self-effacing, submissive

out at the knees: destitute, impoverished, poor

the bee’s knees: excellent, first-rate, superb

to bend the knee: submit, swear fealty, yield

to bring to their knees: defeat, overthrow, rout, trounce

to put over one’s knee: paddle, spank, tan, thrash

weak-kneed: indecisive, irresolute, vacillating

with knees a-knocking: afraid, nervous, uneasy

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