Describing Clothes: English Vocabulary List

describing brightly colored clothing made of reflective material in a way that is easily seen

"The vest is high-visibility."

"The high visibility vest kept the road workers safe from passing cars at night."

(of a woman's clothing) having a deep V-shaped neckline that reveals a lot of the top and cleavage

"She wore a plunging neckline."

"She wore a plunging neckline that showed a lot of skin and turned many heads."

(of a woman's clothing) showing most of the back or shoulders

"The dress is backless."

"The backless dress was beautiful but she could not wear a bra with it."

(of women's clothing) designed with a neckline that dips low at the front

"Her blouse is low-cut."

"Her low-cut blouse was not appropriate for the formal business meeting at all."

(of clothes) tight-fitting in a way that shows the shape of the body

"The wet shirt is clinging."

"The wet shirt was clinging to his body after he jumped into the pool fully clothed."

(of a piece of clothing) displaying more of the wearer's body than usual

"Her dress is revealing."

"Her dress is revealing and shows a lot of skin so she wore a jacket over it."

(of a piece of clothing) small and not covering much of the body

"Her outfit is scanty."

"Her scanty outfit was inappropriate for the formal business meeting at the office today."

(of a woman's clothing) having a rounded and low-cut neckline

"She wore a scooped neckline."

"She wore a scooped neckline that showed her collarbone and the top of her chest."

(particularly of clothes) so thin that light passes through and therefore one is able to see through it

"The curtain is see-through."

"The see through curtain offered no privacy because people could see right into the room."

very small, usually smaller than the standard or usual size

"She drives a mini car."

"The mini fridge in the dorm room could hold only a few drinks and some snacks but it was enough for one person."

describing a dress or skirt that falls below the knee but above the ankle

"She wore a midi skirt."

"The midi skirt ended just below her knees and was perfect for the office dress code."

describing something that has been made by interlocking loops of yarn with knitting needles

"My mother made a knitted sweater."

"My grandmother made me a knitted sweater that is warm and comfortable in the winter."

(of a skirt, dress, etc.) being narrow at top and slightly wider at the bottom

"The skirt is A-line."

"The A line skirt was fitted at the waist and flared out towards the hem."

a lifted collar that fits around the neck

"The sweater has polo-neck collar."

"He wore a sweater with a soft polo neck collar that folded over and sat close to his throat."

(especially of clothes) having a shape that slightly widens toward the bottom

"The pants are flared."

"The flared pants were popular in the seventies and are now coming back into fashion again."

‌(of clothes) made with care and style and therefore highly priced

"The suit is well-cut."

"The well cut suit fit him perfectly and made him look confident and professional at work."

(of clothes) very tight

"Her jeans are skintight."

"The skintight jeans were very uncomfortable so she returned them to the store immediately."

(of clothes) without any sleeves

"This is a sleeveless top."

"She wore a sleeveless dress to the wedding because the weather was very hot."

(especially of a dress or bra) having no shoulder straps

"Her wedding dress is strapless."

"The strapless wedding dress kept falling down so she had to keep pulling it up."

(of a piece of clothing) having a neckline in the shape of the letter V

"V-neck sweater comfortable."

"She likes to wear V-neck sweater because it looks elegant and comfortable at the same time."

a plain round neckline on a sweater or shirt that has no collar

"His crew neck shirt is gray."

"He wore a simple cotton crew neck sweater that fit closely around the base of his throat."

an item of clothing with sleeves that extend from one's shoulders to one's elbows

"Short sleeve shirts suit summer."

"She wore a short sleeve blouse on the warm day leaving her arms bare to stay cool."

a style of garment in which the sleeves extend to cover the arm from the shoulder to the wrist

"Long sleeve shirts keep warmth."

"He wore a long sleeve shirt to protect his arms from the sun while he was gardening outside."

clothing or garments that are designed for individuals who require sizes beyond the standard range, typically larger or smaller than the average sizes available

"She wears extra small size."

"The extra small size was too tight on her so she decided to try the small instead."

(of a size) larger than large, often used for clothing, packaging, or other items

"He needs extra large shirts."

"The extra large sweater was very baggy on him perfect for lounging around the house on a cold day."

clothing or garments that are designed for individuals who require sizes larger than the standard range

"He needs extra extra large."

"He had to order the extra extra large size online because the store did not carry shirts that big."

items that are designed to fit a wide range of body sizes or shapes without the need for specific sizing

"The hat is one-size-fits-all."

"The hat was advertised as one size fits all but it was too tight on his large head."

(of clothing) large, comfortable, and not fitting the body closely

"He likes loose-fitting clothes."

"He likes loose fitting clothes because they are comfortable and do not restrict his movement at all."

(of clothes) fitting tightly in a way that is not annoying and shows the shape of the body

"The jeans are close-fitting."

"The close fitting jeans showed every curve and made her feel self conscious about her body."

made in a single piece without separate parts

"She wore a one-piece swimsuit."

"She wore a one piece swimsuit to the beach instead of a bikini this year."

being snug and covering the body closely

"The shirt is tight-fitting."

"The tight fitting shirt was uncomfortable and restricted his movement during the workout at the gym."

being dressed or equipped in a particular way, typically for a specific activity or purpose

"They were outfitted well."

"The car is outfitted with leather seats and a premium sound system for comfort and enjoyment."

(of a piece of clothing) close-fitting in a way that shows the outline of a woman's figure

"The dress is figure-hugging."

"The figure hugging dress showed off her hourglass shape and made her feel confident and beautiful."

not securely fixed or closed, often suggesting openness or looseness

"Her seatbelt is unfastened."

"Her seatbelt was unfastened so the flight attendant reminded her to buckle it for safety."

a high, close-fitting collar that covers most of the neck, often folded over and sometimes extended into a roll-neck

"The turtleneck collar is high."

"She wore a black sweater with a high turtleneck collar that covered her neck completely and kept her very warm."

a sleeve that ends between the elbow and wrist, covering approximately three-quarters of the arm's length

"Three-quarter length sleeve shows forearm."

"The shirt had three quarter length sleeves that ended halfway between her elbow and her wrist."

having decorative threads or strands hanging from the edge of a garment or material

"The jacket is fringed."

"The fringed jacket had dangling threads along the sleeves that swayed when she moved her arms."

neither short nor long, but falls in between in terms of length

"Her hair is mid-length."

"Her mid length hair fell just below her shoulders and was easy to style every morning."

describing the garments that have sleeves

"The shirt is long-sleeved."

"The short sleeved shirt was perfect for the hot summer weather at the beach."

(of an item of clothing) having sleeves that are long enough to reach one's wrist

"I need a long-sleeved shirt."

"I need a long sleeved shirt to protect my arms from the sun while hiking today."

(of clothing) secured with buttons in a vertical row along the entire length of the garment

"The dress is button-through."

"The button through dress had buttons all the way from the collar to the hem."