MASTER LISTS FOR WRITERS: Thesauruses, Plots, Character Traits, Names, and More (9 page)

NOUNS

accuracy

adrenaline

agility

assailant

assassin

barricade

bastard

blade

blaze

bone

bottle

bravura

brawl

brick

bridge

bruise

bus

chaos

clash

cockpit

concrete

control

damage

danger

daredevil

darkness

destruction

determination

devastation

dust

effort

elevator

enemy

escape

fist

flame

flesh

focus

fracture

fray

fuel

fugitive

fury

gang

getaway

gore

granite

grenade

gut

hazard

headlock

heart

hell

henchman

ice

impact

inferno

instant

invasion

jaw

knuckles

ledge

lightning

madness

marauder

mayhem

menace

mud

oblivion

obstacle

opponent

pain

pavement

pipe

posse

precision

purpose

pursuit

rain

rescue

retreat

ribs

ringleader

roof

scuffle

shadow

shards

shock

sidewalk

siege

skill

skin

skirmish

skull

smoke

socket

soldier

sparks

speed

stance

steam

steel

sternum

stone

strength

survivor

sweat

takedown

target

team

threat

throat

thug

train

tunnel

warrior

water

weight

window

wire

wound

wreckage

wrench

ADJECTIVES

airborne

audacious

badass

breakneck

breathtaking

brilliant

brutal

catastrophic

decisive

defiant

deranged

desperate

dislocated

disoriented

dizzy

effective

excruciating

exhausted

extreme

fatal

ferocious

fierce

graceful

hard

heedless

insane

lethal

malicious

massive

maximum

messy

mighty

mindless

monstrous

nauseated

nimble

perilous

pitiless

precarious

quick

reckless

relentless

resourceful

ruthless

savage

slick

solid

spectacular

stark

suicidal

surgical

swift

ugly

unconscious

vicious

500 GREAT WORDS FOR SEX SCENES

A good love scene isn’t a sex recess in a story. It furthers the plot in some way, usually by developing the relationship. It also reveals more facets of the characters.

A lot of people feel nervous the first time they write a sex scene. If you focus on the emotions, thoughts, and sensations of the characters, you should be fine. Remember, if you think something is hot, chances are pretty good that other people out there will find it hot, too. Relax, pour a glass of wine if that’s right for you, and let the words flow.

VERBS

abandon

ache

arch

arouse

assault

awaken

beg

bite

brace

breathe

brush

buck

burn

bury

capture

caress

choke

circle

claim

clasp

clench

cling

clutch

coax

coil

command

consume

consummate

convulse

course

cover

cradle

crash

crave

crush

cry

cuddle

cup

curl

dart

delve

demand

desire

devour

dip

dive

drag

drink

drive

drown

ease

electrify

enchant

enclose

encourage

enfold

entwine

escalate

explode

explore

exult

fascinate

feast

feed

fill

flare

flex

fling

flood

flush

flutter

force

fuck

fulfill

fuse

galvanize

gasp

gaze

grab

grasp

graze

grip

groan

growl

haul

heave

hiss

hold

immerse

impale

imprison

incite

inflame

inhale

intoxicate

invade

invite

jerk

kiss

kneel

lap

lave

lick

lift

lower

lunge

massage

melt

moan

move

murmur

need

nibble

nip

nuzzle

offer

open

overwhelm

pant

part

penetrate

pet

pinch

play

plunder

plunge

pound

press

provoke

pull

pulse

push

quiver

rack

rage

ram

ravish

redden

relax

relish

restrain

reveal

revel

rise

roam

roar

rock

roll

rub

sate

savor

scoop

scrape

scratch

scream

seek

seep

shake

shatter

shiver

shove

shudder

sigh

sink

skim

skyrocket

slam

slide

slip

snuggle

sob

soothe

spark

spread

squeeze

squirm

stagger

stare

steal

stimulate

stir

strain

stretch

strip

stroke

struggle

stun

succumb

suck

surge

surrender

swallow

sweep

swell

swirl

taste

tease

tempt

thrash

thrill

throb

thrust

tickle

tighten

tilt

tingle

torment

torture

toy

trace

trail

transfix

transport

travel

tremble

trust

tug

tumble

twist

twitch

urge

want

warm

whimper

whisper

wiggle

wind

work

worship

wrap

wriggle

writhe

yank

yearn

NOUNS

abdomen

act

ankles

ardor

back

beauty

belly

bliss

blood

bond

chest

climax

curves

devastation

ear

ecstasy

edge

elation

embrace

encounter

euphoria

eyes

feet

fever

fingers

flavor

flesh

fragrance

freedom

frenzy

friction

frisson

gentleman

goddess

goosebumps

grace

gratification

greed

hair

hands

heart

hips

hug

hunger

inamorata

instinct

jaw

jolt

joy

legs

lips

lobe

longing

lover

madness

mess

mouth

nails

nape

navel

neck

nerves

obsession

passion

peak

persuasion

plea

pleasure

power

pupils

rake

rapture

rhythm

rumble

rush

satin

satisfaction

scent

scoundrel

seduction

sensation

service

shock

shoulder

siren

skill

skin

soul

soul mate

spice

steel

strength

stubble

sweat

tang

teeth

texture

toes

tongue

torso

touch

treasure

veins

velvet

vision

welcome

wonder

wrists

ADJECTIVES

addictive

alive

alluring

amazed

anguished

bare

blinding

blunt

bold

breathtaking

brilliant

broken

bronzed

brutal

careful

carnal

clever

creamy

dangerous

daring

deep

deft

delicate

delicious

delirious

desperate

determined

devout

drugged

eager

erect

erotic

exposed

exquisite

fast

feral

fervent

fierce

fiery

filthy

firm

forbidden

frantic

full-bodied

furious

generous

gentle

glorious

gorgeous

guttural

hard

heady

heartbreaking

heated

heavy

hesitant

hoarse

hot

hungry

impossible

incandescent

insane

insistent

intense

intimate

irrepressible

irresistible

irrevocable

juicy

languorous

lax

lean

lithe

lovely

luscious

lush

luxurious

magnificent

male

meaningful

merciless

molten

naked

nude

patient

persistent

pliant

plump

potent

primal

pure

radiant

rapid

ravenous

raw

responsive

reverent

rich

rigid

ripe

rosy

rough

savage

scorching

searing

sensual

sexy

shameless

shapely

shy

silken

sincere

sinful

single-minded

slack

slick

slow

smoky

smoldering

smooth

soft

solid

spent

starved

stiff

stormy

strong

sublime

succulent

suggestive

sultry

sumptuous

supple

sweet

swift

tangled

tart

taut

tempestuous

tentative

thick

tousled

unbidden

undone

unguarded

unrelenting

untamed

violent

volatile

voluptuous

vulnerable

wasted

weak

wet

wicked

wild

willing

yielding

SYNONYMS FOR INTIMATE PARTS OF THE BODY

Some people still believe all romance novels contain hilarious euphemisms for genitalia. Most romance writers don’t get too fanciful. Still, sometimes we need synonyms, so I’ve collected some here. This is really an addendum to the previous list. I thought it would be more helpful to have those separated out.

I personally wouldn’t use some of the things on the list, but every writer has her own preferences. Some words may be more appropriate to one point of view than to another, and some might make more sense when your character is just looking at the other person or thinking about sex as opposed to actually having it.

If you are writing a historical story, do the research to make sure you’re choosing terms that are appropriate for the period…but remember that many slang terms go way back.

PENIS

This can sometimes be referred to indirectly—“arousal,” etc.

cock (probably used the most often in romance)

shaft

dick

length

arousal

hard-on

hardness

erection

phallus

manhood

male part

prick

member

if he’s hard but still has his pants on:

ridge/hard ridge

bulge

SEMEN

seed

come

vitality

VAGINA

Some of these might benefit from an appropriate adjective in front. Again, this includes ways to refer to the genitalia indirectly.

pussy (a few people hate this one)

core

sheath

cleft

slit

quim (historical)

cunny (historical)

cunt (many people hate this one)

sex

well

between her legs

between her thighs

heat

wetness

into her/into her body

in certain contexts

entrance

walls

LABIA

folds

petals

female flesh

private flesh

secret flesh

lips/nether lips

CLITORIS

clit

bud

bundle of nerves

knot / knot of pleasure

center of pleasure

berry

pearl

jewel

button

most sensitive place

VAGINAL SECRETIONS

juices

cream

honey

dew

nectar

elixir

arousal

Note that almost everybody hates the word moisture. I wouldn’t use “secretions,” either.

BREASTS

mounds

globes

tits

NIPPLES

peaks

tips

buds

points

beads

nubs

You might want adjectives in front of these: dark tip, tight bud, etc.

BUTTOCKS

ass

butt

backside

derriere

rear

arse (British)

bum (British)

cheeks

globes