SURPRISE/SHOCK
his eyes widened
her eyes went round
she blinkedshe gaped
he gawkedher mouth fell open
his jaw dropped
her jaw went slack
his face went blankhe pulled away
she jerked away
he turned away
she jolted upright
CONFUSION
he squinted
his brows knitted
her forehead creased
his forehead furrowedhis brows drew together
her brows snapped together
his eyebrows rose
she raised a brow
he lifted an eyebrow
his eyebrows waggled
he screwed up his face
she scrunched up her face
ANGER/DISPLEASURE
his eyes flashed
his eyes glinted
his eyes burned with...
her eyes blazed with...
he glaredshe sneered
her mouth set in a hard line
he pressed his lips together
he gritted his teeth
her jaw clenched
his jaw tightened
a muscle in her jaw twitchedhe glowered
her expression hardened
her hands squeezed into fists
his hands tightened into fists
she clenched her fists
she balled her fistsshe put her hands on her hips
she rested a hand on her hip
she folded her arms
he crossed his arms over his chesthe let out a harsh breath
she huffed
he sighedshe gave a bitter laugh
she turned her face away
SADNESS/DISTRESS
tears filled her eyes
his eyes welled up
her eyes swam with tears
his eyes flooded with tears
his eyes glistened
tears shimmered in her eyes
tears shone in his eyes
her eyes were glossy
he was fighting back tears
tears ran down her cheeks
his eyes closed
she squeezed her eyes shut
her lower lip trembled
his lower lip quiveredher face contorted
sadness clouded his featuresher smile faded
his smile slippedhe lowered his head
she hung her head
she bowed her head
he covered his eyes with a handhe wrapped his arms around himself
she rocked back and forthhe went limp
she turned her face away
her shoulders sagged
his shoulders slumped
ANXIETY/FEAR
she bit her lip
he chewed on his bottom lipher jaw clenched
his jaw tightened
a muscle in her jaw twitchedshe paled
he blanched
she went white
the color drained out of his facehis breaths quickened
he drew in a long breath
she took in a sharp breath
he gaspedshe cringed
he shuddered
she flinched
he shivered
she trembled
his body shook
she cowered
he shrank from...
she huddled in the corner
HAPPINESS/AMUSEMENT
his eyes lit up
her eyes twinkled
her eyes sparkled
the corners of his eyes crinkledshe beamed
her mouth curved into a smile
the corners of his mouth turned up
the corner of her mouth quirked up
a corner of his mouth lifted
his mouth twitched
he gave a half-smile
she gave a lopsided grin
her whole face lit up
she brightenedshe rolled her eyes
she winked
she snorted
he giggled
she guffawed
he chuckledshe bounced on her toes
SUSPICION/THOUGHTFUL
his eyes narrowed
his eyes dartedshe gave him a once-over
he sized her up
her eyes bored into himshe scrutinized
he studied
he pursed his lips
EMBARRASSMENT
his face reddened
her cheeks turned pink
his face flushed
she blushed
he turned red
she turned scarlet
he turned crimson
a flush crept up her face
DETERMINATION
she raised her chin
he lifted his chinhe puffed out his chest
she squared her shoulders
FIDGETS
she rubbed her shoulder
he kneaded his shouldershe rubbed her temples
she ran her hand through her hair
he threaded a hand through his hair
he raked his fingers through his hairshe inspected her fingernails
she fiddled with her earring / braceletshe smoothed down her skirt
he rubbed his forehead
he leaned against the wall
she folded her hands in her lap
she drummed her fingers on the table
he tapped his fingers on the table
he leaned back in his chair
she jiggled her foot
she crossed her ankles in front of her
she stretched out her legs in front of her
he sprawled out
he propped his chin on his hand
she rested her chin on her palmshe shifted from one foot to the other
OTHER
his eyes gleamed
her eyes sparked with...
her eyes flickered with...
_____ glowed in his eyesher nose crinkled
she forced a smile
his mouth snapped shut
he grimaced
she winced
recognition dawned on her facehe shrugged
she gave a half shrug
he lifted his shoulder in a half shrughe bobbed his head
she slouched
he loomed closer
YOU ARE READING
List of Facial Expressions and Body Language for Writers
RandomI used Bryn Donovan's master lists of facial expressions and body language and re-sorted them based on the emotion into one list. Since it is useful to me in this format, I thought I'd put it up here for others' use.