Gothic vocabulary bank
Extend the vocabulary of your English students with this list of Gothic words. It’s ideal as a creative writing prompt to help students when writing atmospheric gothic stories, and can also support with choosing more engaging synonyms for creative writing tasks.
The vocabulary list is sorted into eight handy categories, for example, 'words to describe characters' and 'words to create atmosphere'.
If you are exploring the gothic genre, you might also like our KS3 Gothic teaching pack, which features a range of gothic literature and gothic writing activities.
Example words from the vocabulary bank:
Words to describe the unknown:
a figure
an amorphous creature
hazy air
indistinct
it appeared to …
opaque water
something moved
tenebrous
unintelligible sound
Words to create atmosphere
dank
desolation/desolate/barren/bleak
dreary/grey
festering
fog/mist/cloud/darkness
insidious
malevolent
nefarious
ominous/menacing
oppressive
respite
shadows
sinister
sombre
suffocating
tragic
wretched
Words to describe emotions
aghast
appalled
depressed
despondent
impatient
lugubrious
melancholy
petrified
quailing
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