Art: Describing objects

artificial

Made by humans, not occurring naturally. "Cotton is a natural material and nylon is artificial."

vivid

(Colour) very bright and strong. "Red and yellow are vivid colours, while grey is a sombre colour."

sombre

Dark and serious in tone or colour. "Grey is a sombre colour — serious and imposing."

transparent

Clear; able to be seen through. "You can see through a transparent material such as glass."

opaque

Not transparent; impossible to see through. "You can't see through an opaque material."

faulty

Not working correctly; having a defect. "A machine that doesn't work properly is faulty."

stiff

Hard and difficult to bend or move. "Something that is hard and doesn't bend easily is stiff."

flexible

Able to bend without breaking. "Something that bends easily is described as flexible."

delicate

Easily damaged or broken; requiring careful handling. "A delicate material can easily be spoilt, for example by washing."

fragile

Easily broken or damaged. "A material like glass that can be easily broken is fragile."

sturdy

Strong and not easily broken. "A sturdy object is hard to damage and built to last."

genuine

Real; not a copy or fake. "The painting is not a genuine Picasso — it's a fake."

fake

Not genuine; a copy made to look like the real thing. "The watch looked expensive but turned out to be a fake."

vivid

Producing powerful or clear images; extremely bright. "She described it so vividly I could picture the scene exactly."

bizarre

Very strange or unusual. "He sat in a bizarre chair shaped like a giant hand."

plain

Simple; without decoration or pattern. "She preferred a plain frame to a decorative one."

decorative

Serving to make something look more attractive. "The decorative frame was carved from oak."

entire

Whole; complete; all of something. "Between them they ate the entire cake."

trivial

Of little importance or value. "He doesn't write serious novels, just trivial romances."

precise

Exact and accurate in every detail. "We need to take precise measurements before ordering the fridge."

solid

Hard all the way through; not hollow. "The table is made of solid oak."

severe

Very serious and strict; without ornament. "It's a severe building — all concrete and straight lines."

characteristic

Typical of a particular person or thing. "Big windows are characteristic of houses built in the early 1900s."