75 Interesting Descriptive Essay Topics

Working on academic papers is a must, no matter how intensely students hate this task. Descriptive writing could be interesting, but for reaching success here, it is essential to find good descriptive essay topics. A lot of things depend on creativity and imagination, but your personal interest is even more important. We’re going to help you find a topic that will suit your tastes, but first, let’s figure out what is a descriptive essay? These assignments are a piece of writing focused on re-creating a specific experience, place, person, or event: a writer’s goal is to present it in a detailed and clear way. So, each student must pick a subject and describe it, building a vivid picture of it in the minds of their audience.

Descriptive writing prompts are important because they help you sharpen your memory, analyze your thoughts and reactions, and train your writing as well as expand your vocabulary.  They are also exciting, but of course, this factor relies on which topic you select. There are some tips and suggestions that could guide you in this process, so if you need assistance, we are here to help you.

Strategies for Choosing Great Descriptive Essay Ideas

Many students underestimate the importance of topics. They are happy to grab the first one they see, and then they face hours or even days of boring research and inefficient drafts, ending up with a mediocre paper a professor cannot evaluate highly. This is a big mistake, so if you’d like to avoid such unfortunate results, keep tips below in mind.

1. Go for personal focus. Never choose descriptive essay prompts that you don’t care about. They should be personally interesting for you — this is the only way to make sure that your paper is pleasing to everyone related to it. Writers can do a good job only if they enjoy what they’re doing (unless they are already experienced enough, but it’s a rarity among students). So, look into your memory. Think about something you’d like to describe: it could be a trip somewhere, a favorite place, or even a beloved person.
2. Consider the volume. It is vital to base a topic on the word count you’ll have to cover and the amount of details available to you. Let’s look at these examples: you decided to write about an instance where you met your favorite actor. The problem is, you saw him briefly and nothing truly of note happened, so you could come up with several descriptive paragraph topics, but it won’t be enough for a 5-page essay. You’d have to choose another theme in this case. Equally, if you have a large idea that could make for 10 pages while the task requires you to write only 1, this isn’t the best decision. So never forget about word count and adjust volume of your ideas accordingly.
3. Adjust topic based on vocabulary. If you study at college, you likely have an average vocabulary fitting the academic sphere. In case you study at university, your word supply is more complex, so you could afford to look at more creative descriptive topics. High school students have less diverse vocabulary, so evaluate your skills objectively. This factor affects the choice you will make, so if you plan to describe a fight you witnessed, you should assess whether you know enough words and expressions for it.
4. Look for supporting sources. They are not always necessary, but they’ll definitely be a plus. If you choose a more scientific kind of work, you should support your opinions and impressions with other people’s words. Look for such sources, but be sure they are credible. Focus on articles and books, not on blogs and general sites.

75 Topics for Descriptive Essay on Different Levels

Another option for choosing an inspiring topic entails looking through relevant lists. We composed one specifically for the sake of students who are looking for inspiration yet can’t settle on any exciting ideas. You won’t experience any troubles with using it: either pick an option directly from it or use some of them as a foundation for developing your own.  We concentrated on five major categories, each having 15 descriptive topics in it.

Descriptive Essay Topics About Famous People

There are lots of ideas for descriptive essay in this category. With how many famous people have changed our world, you could pick any of them to craft your essay.

1. Donald Trump: Describe His Rise to Power and His Eventual Downfall
2. Explain What Diaries Belonging to Marilyn Monroe Revealed About Her Past
3. Why Is Mother Theresa Known All Over the World? Describe Her Life and Personality
4. Describe the Real Circumstances Surrounding Discoveries That Christopher Columbus Made
5. Describe the Productive Life of Walt Disney & His Legacy
6. Explain Why Leonardo Da Vinci Is Considered Unique:  Focus on His Discoveries and Inventions
7. Explore Rise of Any Popular Soviet Leader to Absolute Power
8. Who Is Greta Thunberg? Talk About Her Personality as Expressed By Her Ideas

There are also fictional famous people: they could make for good descriptive essay titles.

1. Harry Potter: Describe His Heroic Attributes and How They Relate to His Personality
2. Explain the Mystery Posed by the Figure of Merlin: What Do We Know About Him?
3. Describe All Heroics Attributed to King Arthur
4. Describe Changes in Attitude toward Vampires That Jacob Black Experienced
5. Talk About the Love Story between Jack and Rose from Titanic
6. Voldemort: What Events in the Life of Tom Riddle Created a Monster
7. Describe What Makes Katniss from Hunger Games an Inspiring Power Leader

Descriptive Topics About Celebrities

We are surrounded by celebrities. If you’d like to explore one of them, check this descriptive essay topics list.

1. Mads Mikkelsen as the Most Atypical Star in the Global Movie Industry
2. Describe Problems that Johnny Depp Has Been Experiencing Recently
3. Tragedy and Comedy of Jim Carrey’s Life: Describe This Mix
4. Describe the Changing Array of Roles Performed by Emma Watson
5. Daniel Radcliffe and His Attempts to Move On From Harry Potter
6. Explore and Explain Leonardo DiCaprio’s Struggles to Receive Oscar
7. Dive Into Descriptions of Reasons for Charles Chaplin’s Popularity
8. How Morgan Freeman Changed Entertainment Industry
9. Acting in Violent Movies: Describe What Roles Sylvester Stallone Played
10. Elaborate on How George Clooney Started Being Considered an Icon of Attractiveness
11. Describe Career of Steven Spielberg Along with His Success and Failures
12. Sad Stories: Describe What Choices Kate Winslet Makes in Her Movies
13. Being a Pirate: Talk About Adventures Orlando Bloom Had When Playing Will Turner
14. Creativity and Elegance of Keira Knightley:  Describe Life Journey of This Actress
15. Describe Singing Career of Hugh Jackman and How It Mixed with His Actor Choices

Descriptive Essay Topic Ideas About Places

People love travelling all over the world, so there is a thousand of descriptive writing topics to select from.

1. Talk About the Most Beautiful City You Have Ever Visited
2. Quiet Night in a Forest: Describe Beauty Around It
3. Seeing Red Sea for the First Time: Focus on Details Surrounding This Experience
4. Describe Your Home and Elements That Make It Dear to You
5. The Coziest Café with the Most Delicious Food: Share Your Experience
6. Garden That Stays in Your Memory: Describe What Plants It Had
7. Visiting Museum: Discuss Atmosphere, Interior, and Displayed Objects
8. First Visit to 3D Movie: How Did It Go?
9. Moving to a New House: Describe First Impressions of How It Looked Liked
10. Choose a Church That Impressed You & Share Details About Its Design

How about descriptive writing ideas for fictional places? They could be just as exciting.

1. Describe Hogwarts As It Is Portrayed in Harry Potter Books
2. Narnia, Its Delights and Horrors: Focus On Attributes That Make It Memorable
3. Describe Gritty Setting of Games of Thrones (TV Show or Book)
4. How Does Universe of Hunger Games Function? Describe Its Major Features
5. House of Cullens From Twilight: Talk About Its Inward and Outward Appearance

Descriptive Essay Prompts About Objects

Wherever you look, you’ll see objects of different kinds. Pick a good descriptive essay topic from the ones that trigger your interest.

1. How Cell Phone of Your Dreams Would Look Like
2. The Most Comfortable Bed in This World: Give a Detailed Description
3. Describe Each Component of Your Make-Up: What Are They, What Color They Have, & What Are They For?
4. Describe the Scent of Your Favorite Perfume: Focus on Each Undertone to Create a Clear Image
5. Your Favorite Food: Describe a Meal Complete with Three Different Dishes
6. Talk About Diary You Had: Its Cover, Pages, Purpose, & Importance
7. Describe How the Most Exquisite Box of Chocolates You Have Seen Looks
8. Book Cover That Made You Immediately Want to Buy Book Itself
9. Backpack You Carry Every Day: What Makes It Comfortable & Special?
10. Describe How You Choose Your Handbag From Start to Finish
11. Kitchen in Your House: Describe Its Design, Key Objects, & Their Purposes
12. The Most Exquisite  Bouquet of Flowers That Stands Out in Memory
13. Blanket You Use During Winter: What Is Its Appearance, Thickness, and Warmth Level?
14. Movie You Watched for More Than Ten Times
15. A Pair of Shoes That Begs to Be Bought: How Would You Describe It?

Memories Topics

We all have memories that make us into who we are. These examples of descriptive essay topics could help you recall meaningful events that deserve to be written about.

1. Describe the Best Birthday Celebration You Have Ever Had
2. The  Day When Someone You Love Broke Your Heart
3. Seeing My Future Pet for the First Time & Falling in Love With It
4. Day of Heartbreaking Loss and My Reaction to It
5. Finale of a Movie I Watched That Made Me Feel Over the Moon From Joy
6. Terrible Disappointment After the Show I Loved Ended Badly: Details & Reaction
7. How My Best Friend and I Shared Our First Serious Secret We Never Disclosed to Others
8. Your First Joined Trip with Family: Fun and Excitement of It
9. Guilt I Felt After Betraying Someone I Loved
10. How Going on the First Date Felt Like: Describe This Time and Your Emotions
11. Getting a Gift I Always Dreamed About: Celebration That I Could Never Forget
12. Describe an Event That Helped You Understand What Career You Would Like to Have
13. City I Used to Live In: Describe Its Physical Appearance and Places It Had
14. Visiting Escape Room: Challenges, Excitement, Fear, & Complexity
15. The Happiest Day I Could Remember in My Life

Make Writing Exciting and Look for Help When In Need

As you had a chance to see, there are plenty of diverse ideas for descriptive essays. So, if you cannot come up with something on your own, don’t let it worry or embarrass you. Look for assistance: check related lists online, talk to other people, visit forums for discussions and brainstorm with your classmates. If you aren’t sure whether you feel up to writing, you could always let us know, and our team will gladly help. Inspiration is a big part of writing success, so it’s vital not to make a mistake when choosing what your paper is going to be about. Try to find it, and your chances at succeeding will grow!