If you’re struggling to write a werewolf character in your novel, don’t despair. In this article, we show you how to describe a werewolf in a story!
1. Ferocious
Definition
- Prone to uncontrolled aggression or cruelty.
- Extreme in degree.
Examples
“He turned into a great white ferocious werewolf, capable of taking down whoever got in his way.”
“We hid in the closet in hopes that the ferocious werewolf outside would leave in search of more easily found prey.”
How it Adds Description
If you want to highlight how aggressive the werewolf is, then use ferocious to describe its actions. This is especially useful if you want to emphasize the goriness and fierceness of the werewolf’s attack.
2. Beastly
Definition
- Having characteristics or traits usually associated with animals.
- Extremely harsh, crude, or brutal.
Examples
“I lock myself in the cellar so that people aren’t subjected to my beastly werewolf form.”
“‘The werewolf was beastly!’ she cried. ‘Even though it stood on its hind legs, there was nothing human about it!’”
How it Adds Description
Beastly is a perfect adjective to describe a werewolf because it emphasizes how different the animal form is from the human it usually is. Beastly can also be used to describe the particularly aggressive or angry actions werewolves perform after they’ve transformed.
3. Primal
Definition
Concerned only with base needs such as food, shelter, and safety.
Examples
“Turning into a werewolf reduced her to a primal being focused only on her need to feed.”
“The werewolf lived in a primal state: eating whatever it could hunt, sleeping where it fell, and protecting itself from outside dangers.”
How it Adds Description
If your werewolf acts like an animal rather than a shifted human, then use primal to help the reader see how uncivilized it is. Primal suggests that the werewolf can only think like a wolf, focusing only on those things that will keep it alive like food and shelter.
4. Hairy
Definition
Covered in more than average amount of hair.
Examples
“The worst thing about being a werewolf is how hairy one gets. I find it all over the place when I wake up the next morning.”
“All he could see in the mirror was the werewolf’s hairy back heaving up and down as it breathed heavily.”
How it Adds Description
Like wolves, werewolves are covered in hair from the tips of their ears to the tip of their tail. Especially if you are describing the transformation from human to werewolf, using hairy to describe how the werewolf looks shows the reader that they are becoming more like a wolf.
5. Bloodthirsty
Definition
Yearning for blood or acts of violence that result in bloodshed.
Examples
“The bloodthirsty werewolf hunted all night, killing and eating whatever happened to cross its path.”
“Whenever he turned into a bloodthirsty werewolf, he found himself insatiable; no amount of food or killing could make him happy.”
How it Adds Description
Use bloodthirsty to show a werewolf who is hungry for live meat, especially after it’s transformed. Bloodthirsty is especially useful if you want to create suspense and fear in the reader, making them wonder who the werewolf will kill next in its search for blood.
6. Deadly
Definition
With a tendency for causing death.
Examples
“The werewolf wasn’t just dangerous; it was deadly to whoever or whatever it met out there in the night.”
“The town was being hunted by a deadly werewolf; nearly 90 people had been murdered over the last four full moons.”
How it Adds Description
If you want your reader to see the werewolf as dangerous, then describing it as deadly will show that it has killed or is willing to kill. This is especially important if your werewolf hurts a lot of people after transforming.
7. Grizzled
Definition
Having hair that is streaked or turning gray.
Examples
“We spied the grizzled werewolf as it roamed the main street.”
“When he turned, he turned into a grizzled werewolf, covered in gray fur from head to tail.”
How it Adds Description
If you want to describe how a werewolf looks, use grizzled to show a grayer, older werewolf. This might be useful if you want to differentiate between younger and older werewolves or if you just want your reader to picture the werewolf more easily.
8. Feral
Definition
Untamed, like a wild animal.
Examples
“If werewolves weren’t so feral, they’re strength would be quite useful.”
“The man became so feral when he turned into a werewolf that, even if presented with his own baby boy, he would attack him the same as anybody else.”
How it Adds Description
When a human transforms into a werewolf, it usually forgets that it was a human. Using feral to describe the werewolf’s actions highlights that no sense of humanity is left once the werewolf has transformed. The werewolf is only concerned with what it needs to survive, like any other wild animal.
9. Brutal
Definition
- Lacking in higher-order thinking skills or empathy.
- Like a beast.
Examples
“The werewolf attack was so brutal that the victims couldn’t even be identified.”
“The brutal werewolf growled and swiped at the scared townspeople.”
How it Adds Description
Because werewolves are more concerned with protecting and feeding themselves, their attacks are often worse than normal animal attacks. Once they’ve transformed, there is no memory of being a human, only a confused understanding of its animalistic need to hunt and feed. Describing the werewolf and its attacks as brutal shows it doesn’t understand or care about the consequences of its actions.
10. Snarling
Definition
Aggressive growling with teeth showing.
Examples
“The werewolf snarled as he burst through the wooden door.”
“We could hear the snarling werewolf prowling through the hallways.”
How it Adds Description
If you are trying to create suspense, describing the sounds a werewolf makes will give the reader the same sense of fear and anticipation as the characters in the story. Because they are like wolves, werewolves would likely make the same sounds as wolves do, especially if they feel threatened, so describing a werewolf attack with snarling or growling will add sensory details to the scene.