The Most Popular Descriptive Essay Topics

by Simon White Essay Topics To Write About

Last modified on May 6th, 2022

A descriptive essay is one that takes the time to fully explain a given topic. These essays are naturally more creative than other essay formats. Unfortunately, while these essays can be a very useful tool, they can also be quite difficult to work with. There are so many descriptive essay topics – how do you know where to start? Our article is here to give you some ideas for good essay topics. Read on and learn!

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Descriptive Narrative Essay Topics

When you are writing a narrative essay, try and use essay topics that allow you to use all five senses. This will make the narrative a lot more compelling. Describing your senses allows people to immerse themselves in your writing. You want people to feel as though they can relate to your essay.

  • Fear is a sincere and relatable emotion. Describe the moment you overcame your biggest concern.
  • Heroism takes bravery… or stupidity in different situations. Write about your experience of courage.
  • Nobody is perfect and everybody makes mistakes. Talk about a mistake you’ve made and the lessons you’ve learned.
  • When life gets too boring, it’s always good to get out of your comfort zone. Share memories of the time you’ve experienced something new.
  • A time when you felt embarrassed because you did not know a certain aspect of a group of people’s culture
  • How culture changes upon circumstances
  • The influence of media on culture

Descriptive Essay Topics for College Students

Descriptive essay topics for college will normally be slightly more in-depth than other essays. College asks for a more mature outlook than school. The descriptive essays you get will be more complex. This is an opportunity – the more you need to write, the more descriptive you can be.

  • First work experiences teach responsibility and give students a glimpse into adulthood. Write about your first work experience or job.
  • People change; some stay together, and some fall apart. Write about an old friend you’ve lost touch with and why it happened.
  • A few words can change a person’s perception of things. Write about a conversation you’ve had that changed your life.
  • Discuss a productive business relationship where you’ve achieved something great while working with your partner.
  • Dads can be the voice of reason and moral discipline. Talk about the way your father has influenced you.
  • As people grow and move around, they change their circles of friends. Have you had this experience? Talk about what it feels like to meet an entirely new group of people while sharing experiences, making friends, and building relationships.
Descriptive Essay Structure
Descriptive Essay Structure

Good Descriptive Essay Topics

Remember what a descriptive essay is. These types of essays are focused on describing various experiences or ideas. A good descriptive essay can also focus on a particular place or person. It doesn’t need to be complicated. All you need for this type of essay is something to describe. Keep that in mind when you start writing.

  • United States Capitol and Capitol Hall
  • The White House
  • The Lincoln Memorial
  • The Washington Monument
  • National Mall and Veteran Memorials
  • The Statue of Liberty
  • Central Park
  • Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Broadway and the Theatre District
  • 9/11 Memorial and Museum
  • Times Square
  • San Antonio’s River Walk
  • The Alamo
  • Space Center Houston
  • Big Bend National Park
  • Padre Island National Seashore
  • The Texas State Capitol in Austin
  • Colonial Williamsburg
  • Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive
  • Virginia Beach
  • Monticello and Charlottesville
  • Jamestown and Yorktown
  • San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Yosemite National Park
  • Disneyland/Disney World
  • Death Valley National Park

Descriptive Essay Topics for High School Students

You will probably need to write a descriptive essay no matter what level of education you are at. They are a common essay because they are less restrictive than other essays. They allow for creativity and originality, while also having some rules to follow in writing.

  • Have you ever seen a movie that inspired you to go out and do great things?
  • Have you ever been inspired by a book character to behave a certain way? How do you empathize with this character?
  • The most successful people have failed millions of times to reach success. Tell us about a successful person that inspires you to keep trying.
  • If you had your reality show, what would it be like?
  • If you could travel back in time to your childhood, would you? Would you change anything about it?
  • If you had a superpower, which one would you choose and why? Would you use it for personal gain or help people?

Easy Descriptive Essay Topics

Descriptive essays don’t need to be hard. They can be on any subject that you please, so long as it involves the description of some sort. You will likely get to write at least some easy essays during your time in education. Easy topics are good if you need to write an essay, but don’t have a lot of time for research.

  • The first car you ever bought
  • Something that really ‘grinds your gears’
  • The worst day ever
  • Your guide to dancing at parties
  • The moment you realized that Google saves all of your data
  • Your guide to relieving stress
  • Your favorite fast food and why
  • Your guide to reading books, listening to music, and watching movies
  • Things to do while waiting in line
  • Your favorite hobby and why
  • If you had a billion dollars for one day
  • A dream that came true—by accident or through hard work
  • The moment when math saved your life
  • The most random way you’ve made a friend
  • The most imposing building structure you’ve ever seen
  • Your favorite historical place
  • The scariest place you have ever gone to
  • Your ideal partner for studying
  • The image of your perfect town
  • The experience of bungee jumping
  • The tastiest foods you have ever eaten
  • The most interesting work of art you have ever seen
  • The experience of falling in love
  • Your first day as a student
  • Your Graduation day
  • The most embarrassing day of your life
  • An event that changed your life
  • The house of my dreams
  • My first memory

Descriptive Essay Topics for Middle School

Descriptive essays for people in high school and college can center around serious topics like politics and sexuality. Essays for students who are younger than that will normally focus on their own lives and thoughts. This allows people to set descriptive essays without needing to find age-appropriate essay topics. Descriptive essays are very popular because they are so flexible. You can write a descriptive essay about absolutely anything.

  • Recall the craziest party from your childhood
  • Write about your first experience of physical or emotional pain. How did you overcome it?
  • Kids often have role models who are like superheroes in their eyes (from Hollywood actors to rock band players). Who was your role model and why?
  • Write about a dream you remember from your childhood.
  • Hobbies (football, guitar, gaming, traveling) are what you looked forward to when you completed your homework. What was your after-school hobby?
  • Write about your greatest school achievement.

Interesting Descriptive Essay Topics

An interesting narrative essay is something that is unique to you. Talking about your favorite book, for example, would make for an interesting essay. Be on the lookout for essay topics that will make you stand out.

  • A tough decision you had to make
  • A person that changed your life forever
  • A time when you flooded your neighbour’s apartment
  • A day that you wish to relive
  • A time when you failed a class
  • The scariest moment of your life
  • A time you got very sick
  • The time you saved someone’s life
  • The time you ventured into a haunted house
  • The time you won a prize
  • Your favorite restaurant
  • The time you got a flat tire
  • The things you do in your alone time
  • The first time you were in the emergency room
  • Your first encounter with the police

Descriptive Essay Topics about Natural Disasters

Natural disasters are a very pertinent topic for a descriptive essay, because of the increasing effects of climate change. You will always be able to find good topics to write about. More than that, you will always be able to find plenty of accurate information on the topic. Natural disasters are good for narrative essays because everybody has a different viewpoint on them. How they affect you is not how they will affect others, and so on. There is a lot to work on within these essays.

  • Psychological distress in natural disasters
  • The economics of an imagined natural disaster
  • Local preparations for a natural disaster
  • What was the most devastating natural disaster in the twentieth century?
  • What was the most devastating natural disaster in history?
  • What family member has been involved in a natural disaster?
  • Socialism and natural disasters
  • Humanitarian aid in natural disasters. Does it help or hinder?
  • Hurricane Sandy
  • What is your disaster preparedness plan?
  • Economic impact of natural disasters

Descriptive Essay Topics of Global Issues

These are essay topics for descriptive papers that are more serious in nature. Global issues are, by their very nature, ones that affect us all. These issues make for interesting papers, as you can take in the different approaches around the world.

  • Are there any boys in your company that regard women as “prey”?
  • Is there too much pressure on women to have ideal bodies?
  • The difference between male and female roles based on your family and parents
  • Effective preventive measures to deal with online adult content
  • What are your feelings on the best way to learn about sex in school
  • The basic principles and purposes of the feminist movement
  • Is it acceptable to have gender and sexual education at school?
  • Why so many parents possess different hopes for their sons than they do for their daughters
  • The way sexuality is presented in the “Game of Thrones” book series
  • Did you have any negative experiences with gender bias in school?

Descriptive Essay Topics on Places

These are all good topics for a descriptive essay. Just because it is about a place doesn’t mean it has to be a simple topic. These are good choices because you can evoke all kinds of sensations. These narrative essays can take readers to the very place they talk about, so choose them wisely! There are a lot of choices for these essays.

  • Tales from history: a childhood memory of a visit to the National Museum of U.S. History
  • The first time in your life you took a trip abroad. Describe your thoughts about that flight
  • The very first time you traveled to Paris—as compared to your last visit to the ‘City of Love’
  • Tasting your favorite dish in a cozy restaurant by the sea
  • Going to see one of your favorite rock bands in one of the best venues

This article has many topics to write a descriptive essay on. You can use them as-is, or use them as a springboard for your own creativity. Finding a good topic can be hard. It can be difficult to know where to start. Just take a breath, take a look at your topics for a descriptive essay, and go on from there. Finding good topics that you can work with gets easier over time.

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