Best 100+ Words for Poets To Improve Your Vocabulary

The English language is full of exciting words for poets, but many people fall into the habit of using the same ones over and over again. Here is our top list.

Why write poems? There are many reasons: for self-expression, as a creative outlet, to express your love to another person, or as a hobby. Every word in poetry is important because poems are usually shorter than free verse works. As a poet, it is essential to learn common poetry terms and new and interesting descriptive words to include in your work. Read on to see our guide of helpful words for poetry writing, including technical words and unique descriptive words that will make your writing stand out in the crowd. For more inspiration, check out our list of the best slam poets.

What Are Words For Poets?

Best 100+ words for poets
Finding poetic words is creative and fun

Words for poets include everything from structural and historical poetry terms to descriptive language commonly used in poetry. Learning these essential words and phrases will benefit old and new poets in learning some of the words that make poetry great.

Poetic Words Printable

Poetic Words List
These words are essential for all poets to understand poetry’s techniques, tone, and structural aspects
AdoredDelightHyperbole
AlliterationDidacticIdyllic
AllusionDirgeImagery
AmbiguityDisgustImagism
AnapestDissonanceIntoxicating
AnaphoraDotingIrony
AssonanceDrearyJoviality
BalladDullJoy
Beat poetsEarnestLush
BeatitudeEclogueMelancholy
Blank verseElationMerriment
BleakElisionMesmerize
BlissEnchantingParadox
BloomingEnchantingParody
BlueEnjambmentPassionate
BreathtakingEnvoiPentameter
CaesuraEpicPersonification
CanonEpigraphPicturesque
Carpe diemEtherealPun
ChapbookEuphoriaQuintain
CherishExhilarationRhyme
ChivalrousFelicityRhythm
CloudyFerocityScorn
ConsonanceFlourishingSeething
ContemptGaietySomber
ContentmentGenreSpite
CoupletGleeSun-drenched
CrispGloriousSweeping
DactylGraveTender
DarkHaikuTowering
DazzlingHendecasyllableTreasure
DecasyllableHexameterVast
DelectationHilarityVivacity
DeliriumHostilityWrath

Technical Words for Poets

Technical words for poets include terms that describe a poem’s structure, techniques, and the historical uses of poetry. These words are essential for all poets to understand poetry’s techniques, tone, and structural aspects.

1. Carpe diem

The billionaire attributed her success to her belief in carpe diem, to embrace the pleasure of life and seize the day.

2. Anaphora

A poem with anaphora repeats the same word or phrase at the beginning of each line.

3. Ballad

A ballad is a beautiful way to tell poetic historical folk stories.

4. Beat poets

Beat poets wrote free verse, surrealistic, and jazzy poems in a popular style in the 1950s.

5. Canon

Canon poetry is authentic, often tied to moral or religious principles, making it popular in Christianity.

6. Blank verse

Shakespeare’s infamous use of blank verse, free of rhymes and metered lines.

7. Anapest

Lord Byron’s “The Destruction of Sennacherib” is written with an anapest meter, consisting of two unaccented syllables followed by an accented syllable.

8. Assonance

She recited the poem with beautiful assonance, repeating vowel sounds in her descriptive language.

9. Caesura

The poet created deliberate rhythmic pauses, breaks, cuts, and turns to add dramatic caesura.

10. Chapbook

Sarah wrote a small chapbook of poetry as her first published booklet.

11. Consonance

Using consonance adds emotion and power to words due to the repetition of sounds.

12. Couplet

Stanzas are best kept short and sweet; a two-line couplet is perfect for imagery poems.

13. Dactyl

Elephant is an excellent example of a dactyl, with one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables.

14. Decasyllable

Decasyllable poems consist of ten-syllable metric lines, standard in Italian and French poetry.

15. Didactic

The poet was a moral philosopher and wrote didactic poetry to share her knowledge and views on morality.

16. Dirge

The congregation of the church sang the dirge beautifully.

17. Eclogue

The priest spoke his powerful eclogue, telling the congregation his political and social views through emotive poetry.

18. Epic

Long narrative poems, also known as “epic,” often have heroic protagonists and mythical settings.

19. Alliteration

Alliteration is common in kids’ poetry books to help them learn consonant sounds through repetition.

20. Allusion

The poet used allusion to show the villain’s true intentions.

21. Ambiguity

We could not figure out if she was guilty because of her ambiguity in describing the events.

22. Dissonance

The dissonance in her speech was jarring, a combination of rhythm and sound out of the sink.

23. Elision

In old-style poetry, many poets omit unstressed syllables, also known as elision.

24. Enjambment

Enjambment creates an addictive rhythmic flow evoking passion and emotion in spoken poetry.

25. Envoi

Including an envoi in your ballad can summarize the key points and help listeners better understand your poetry.

26. Epigraph

Including an epigraph in your poem can help readers understand background information not included in the poem itself.

27. Genre

Satire poetry is a genre popular amongst new and creative writers.

28. Haiku (or hokku)

Traditional Japanese Haiku poetry is beautiful and overused to convey love or romance.

29. Hendecasyllable

Writing a hendecasyllable line is challenging because it includes 11 syllables.

30. Hexameter

Poems with 6 metrical feet can be known as a hexameter.

31. Hyperbole

Lee often speaks in hyperbole, so don’t take his exaggerations seriously.

32. Imagery

Poetry with strong imagery created by descriptive language can create a movie in your mind.

33. Imagism

Imagism marked the time period when poetry relied on creating vivid mental images and stories in colloquial language.

34. Irony

The irony of reading political poetry at the socialite event is evident, but Ellie bravely shared her thoughts despite the challenge.

35. Rhythm

The poem’s rhythm had the crowd nodding along with joy and assurance.

36. Rhyme

Some of the most enthralling poems have recurring rhymes throughout the verses.

37. Quintain

Poems composed of five lines or multiple sections with five lines are called quintain.

38. Pun

His jokes included a cheeky pun here and there to add some humor to the dark subject.

39. Personification

With skillful personification, the writer made inanimate objects come to life.

40. Pentameter

A pentameter poem consists of 10 syllables where the first five are stressed and the second five are not stressed.

41. Parody

A poetic parody mimics a specific person with a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor.

42. Paradox

In literature, a paradox is a statement that contradicts itself.

Love Words for Poets

Poetry is a romantic art form often used to convey strong feelings of romantic and platonic love. There are many beautiful words poets can use to describe these strong emotions; we’ll look at some of the top love words below. If you’re looking for famous poets to explore, you might also enjoy our list of famous Irish poets. You can also use our search bar to search for many more poems from different poets.

43. Adored

The princess was adored by her loyal subjects.

44. Intoxicating

He had an intoxicating demeanor that no one could resist.

45. Enchanting

Miss Strot spoke with an enchanting voice that captivated her students.

46. Delight

The child would delight at the sight of new toys and animals.

47. Mesmerize

The stunning sunsets in New Zealand would mesmerize anyone who saw them.

48. Treasure

Treasure the people you love; they won’t be around forever.

49. Passionate
They shared a passionate embrace as Stacey’s husband boarded the train to Germany.

50. Tender
A tender moment between lovers can cure even the saddest souls.

51. Doting

A doting husband makes sure his spouse is happy at all times.

52. Chivalrous

The knight was chivalrous and respectful in the presence of the Queen.

53. Cherish

Cherish the moments of silence, as it is a gift to be alive.

Sad Words for Poets

Poetry can be used to convey a feeling of deep sadness within oneself or the world. Therefore, many great poets have turned to writing deep and melancholy poetry in times of trouble. See below some sad words for poets that will convey the true feelings experienced in times of trouble. 

Tip: If you want to learn more about writing poetry, check out our guide to metaphor poems! You can also use our search bar to search for many more poems from different poets.

54. Bleak

The bleak winter mirrored his dark depression.

55. Dark

A dark soul can be cured only if you are willing to let in some light.

56. Dull

It was a dull conversation, and she couldn’t wait to leave the party.

57. Earnest

With the most earnest smile, the weeping child asked his grandfather for a cuddle.

58. Melancholy

The melancholy sky spoke to her soul; she felt the universe understood her deep sadness.

59. Somber

It was a somber day when Sam cleared out his Father’s old apartment, knowing it was the last day he would be there.

60. Blue

Teenagers often feel blue when their first crush doesn’t like them back, but it will get easier.

61. Cloudy

Her eyes were cloudy with tears as she swallowed her pride and apologized for her actions.

62. Dreary

Dark and dreary times are ahead; the war has just begun.

63. Grave

It is a grave task to combat oncoming battles, but it must be done.

Happy Words for Poets

Poetry can be used to show feelings of pure elation and indescribable happiness. Peruse our happy words that can be used in poetry to describe specific feelings and convey moments of joy.

64. Bliss

Newlywed bliss is a beautiful thing to behold.

65. Contentment

I feel a sense of contentment as I sit by the window in my warm home.

66. Elation

We felt total elation after winning the race.

67. Euphoria

He was in a state of euphoria all night after his big speech.

68. Exhilaration

Setting a world record leaves you with an undeniable feeling of exhilaration.

69. Glee

She was giddy with glee as she opened her birthday present.

70. Joy

My mom brings so much joy into my life.

71. Beatitude

She expressed her beatitude for the beautiful jewelry her partner bought her.

72. Delectation

The bakery owner bakes fresh bread every morning for the delectation of her customers.

73. Delirium

She was in a state of delirium from all the excitement when she fainted.

74. Felicity

I have the felicity to travel and explore new places.

75. Gaiety

Although he means well, there is a forced sense of gaiety and hilarity about his manner.

76. Hilarity

There was much hilarity around dinner time as everyone joked and chatted.

77. Joviality

The host greeted his guests with abundant joviality, which was infectious to be around.

78. Merriment

The festive season is full of merriment and cheer.

79. Vivacity

She was striking, with wonderful vivacity and sprightliness.

Nature Words for Poets

Oftentimes, poetry is used to describe the beauty of the world we live in. Describing nature with beautiful imagery words can be an excellent way to set the scene in a poem. Admiring the beauty of nature is the subject of many wonderful works of poetry. Browse our natural words to build your poetic vocabulary.

80. Blooming

The garden was blooming with beautiful spring flowers.

81. Breathtaking

The views from the top of the mountain were breathtaking.

82. Crisp

The morning air was fresh and crisp.

83. Dazzling

The night sky is dazzling with stars.

84. Enchanting

The enchanting forest is full of lush greenery and vivid flowers.

85. Ethereal

The ethereal palace was glimmering in the sunlight.

86. Flourishing

Flourishing gardens surround the cottage.

87. Glorious

The sunshine was glorious as it beamed through the trees.

88. Idyllic

The hotel was located nearby an idyllic white sand beach.

89. Lush

Lush grass swayed in the breeze while we enjoyed our picnic.

90. Picturesque

The views from the window were picturesque as they looked onto the waterfront.

91. Sun-drenched

The patio was sun-drenched and delightful to bask in.

92. Sweeping

The sweeping fields of golden flowers were dazzling to behold.

93. Towering

Ancient trees were towering over us in the peaceful forest.

94. Vast

The deep ocean is vast and full of mystery.

If you want more words like this, check out our companion articles of other words for happy.

Anger Words for Poets

Words of anger can be used in poetry as an outlet for the most challenging experiences in life. Many poets turn to write poetic verses to show their anger and contempt for society, personal experiences, grief, and more. Finding the words to express your darkest feelings can be challenging. Discover some specific anger words you can use in your next poem.

95. Disgust

She felt a deep disgust for her ex-partner after how she was treated.

96. Envy

Envy fuelled her desire to win at all costs.

97. Contempt

He showed contempt for billionaires and the greedy actions of his peers.

98. Ferocity

She was kind until you crossed her, then she would show her ferocity and wicked tongue.

99. Hostility

The hotel owner showed hostility towards the rude guests.

100. Scorn

After the split, she treated him with scorn.

101. Spite

The crime was committed out of spite; the only motive was revenge.

102. Wrath

If you fail at this task, you will feel the wrath of your supervisor.

103. Seething

She was seething when the professor embarrassed her in front of the class; she won’t forget this.

To learn more on this topic, check out our round-up of the best poetry books you must read!

Author

  • Meet Rachael, the editor at Become a Writer Today. With years of experience in the field, she is passionate about language and dedicated to producing high-quality content that engages and informs readers. When she's not editing or writing, you can find her exploring the great outdoors, finding inspiration for her next project.

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