The Dialogue Thesaurus: A Fiction Writer's Sourcebook of Dialogue Tags and Phrases (6 page)

"Tell me," he asked
defeatedly
, "what's the point of trying?"

"I can't seem to ever get it right," Don said
hollowly
.

"You can do whatever you want," she muttered
miserably
. "Meanwhile, I'm stuck here."

"I won't let you treat me like this!" Carol shouted
tearfully
.

aghastly; alarmedly; alarmingly; alertly; amazedly; astonishedly; astoundedly; awedly; awesomely; awestruckly; baffledly; bafflingly; befuddledly; bewilderedly; bewilderingly; faintheartedly; flabbergastedly; flummoxedly; frenziedly; galvanically; galvanizingly; gaspingly; hair-raisingly; horrifiedly; horrifyingly; hysterically; incredibly; incredulously; jumpily; mystifiedly; outragedly; outrageously; overwhelmedly; overwhelmingly; puzzledly; queryingly; questioningly; quizzically; shakenly; shakily; shakingly; shiveringly; shockedly; shockingly; shrilly; shrinkingly; spellbound; stammeringly; startledly; startlingly; stumblingly; stunnedly; stupefiedly; stutteringly; surprisedly; surprisingly; tremblingly; tremulously; twitchily; twitchingly; unevenly; unexpectedly; wonderingly.

"What are you doing here?" she said
alarmedly
.

"How can you not be upset?" Frank asked
baffledly
.

Outragedly
, she said, "Well, I never expected you would double cross me!"

"Yes, of course I'm here alone," the old man said
startledly
.

"Are you sure?" Nicole croaked
stupefiedly
.

aloofly; amorally; apathetically; barefacedly; blandly; blankly; bluntly; boldly; boredly; brazenly; brusquely; calculatingly; candidly; carelessly; casually; cheerlessly; clinically; cold-bloodedly; coldheartedly; coldly; colorlessly; composedly; conservatively; coolly; critically; cuttingly; cynically; dauntlessly; deadpan; detachedly; directly; disconnectedly; disinterestedly; dismissively; dispassionately; distantly; dryly/drily; emotionlessly; emptily; evenly; expressionlessly; firmly; flatly; forthrightly; forwardly; frankly; freezingly; frigidly; frostily; frozenly; glassily; groundedly; hardheartedly; hardly; heartlessly; hollowly; humorlessly; icily; impersonally; imperturbably; indifferently; ingenuously; inhumanely; inhumanly; insensitively; insincerely; insouciantly; leadenly; lifelessly; matter-of-factly; mechanically; mirthlessly; neglectfully; neutrally; nonchalantly; noncommittally; nonjudgmentally; passionlessly; passively; pessimistically; pointblank; resignedly; shamelessly; soberly; solidly; stably; staidly; steadfastly; steadily; stoically; stolidly; stonily; straightfacedly; tactlessly; unaffectedly; unapologetically; unblinkingly; uncaringly; unemotionally; unfeelingly; unsmilingly; vacantly; wolfishly; woodenly.

"I don't care what you do," Kevin said
aloofly
.

"You have a month to live at best," the doctor said
clinically
.

"Take your stuff and get out," his mother said
emotionlessly
.

"Peter has no one to blame but himself," she said
icily
.

"Yes," he answered
soberly
, "I killed him."

aloud; billowingly; blusteringly; boisterously; boomingly; brassily; cacophonously; chantingly; cheeringly; clamorously; deafeningly; discordantly; ear-piercingly; ear-splittingly; echoingly; enormously; gigantically; gratingly; harshly; hugely; jarringly; loudly; massively; mightily; noisily; piercingly; plangently; powerfully; raucously; resonantly; reverberantly; ringingly; roaringly; rumblingly; screechingly; shrilly; sonorously; squawkingly; strepitously; stridently; thunderingly; thunderously; tumultuously; turbulently; uproariously; vocally; vociferously.

"Hip, hip, hooray!" her parents sang
boisterously
.

"Let go of me!" she cried
deafeningly
into his ear.

"Get your hands off her!" he said
mightily
.

"Ah, a cockroach!" she cried
shrilly
.

"We're through!" he said
thunderously
.

airily; breathily; breathlessly; brittlely; damply; diminutively; faintly; fragilely; frailly; gaspingly; gently; hissingly; hushedly; inaudibly; inhalingly; laboredly; lightly; lowly; mentally; mousily; muffledly; mumblingly; murmuringly; mutedly; mutely; mutteringly; noiselessly; nonverbally; quiescently; quietly; reservedly; reticently; secretively; sighingly; softly; squeakily; subduedly; thinly; voicelessly; weakly; whisperingly; wispily; wordlessly.

"Thank you," she said
breathily
, taking his hand.

He spoke
faintly
, "Are you alright, miss?"

"I have a secret," Kelly whispered
lightly
into his ear.

"Yes," Mark agreed
mutedly
.

"Not here!" she objected
softly
.

airily; brassily; breathily; brittlely; coarsely; coughingly; creakily; creamily; crescendingly; crisply; croakily; croakingly; deeply; drawlingly; dulcetly; euphoniously; fragilely; frailly; gratingly; grindingly; grittily; groaningly; groggily; growlingly; gruffly; gruntingly; gurglingly; gutturally; harmonically; harshly; hoarsely; huffily; huskily; jaggedly; lispily; lispingly; mellifluously; melodically; melodiously; metallically; monotonously; musically; nasally; raspily; raspingly; resonantly; reverberantly; roughly; rustily; scratchily; shrilly; sibilantly; singingly; squeakily; thickly; thinly; throatily; tonelessly; tunefully; tunelessly.

"Kevin, clean that damn room!" said his mother
brassily
.

"No one can help me," she said
croakily
.

"I have a cold," he said
hoarsely
.

The voice replied
metallically
, "Enter if you dare."

"Oh, alright," Susan acknowledged
raspily
.

aridly; avidly; breathlessly; carnivorously; cravingly; deprivedly; eagerly; edaciously; emptily; esuriently; faintly; famishedly; gluttonously; greedily; hoggishly; hollowly; hungrily; keenly; lightheadedly; peakily; piggishly; rapaciously; raspily; raspingly; ravenously; sighingly; slobberingly; slothfully; starvingly; thirstily.

Eagerly
, she asked, "What's for lunch?"

"Thanks," he said
famishedly
. "I'm starving."

"Bring me more!" the King demanded,
greedily
.

"What time," he asked
hungrily
, "is supper?"

"Fetch me a beer, woman!" Mr. Snow shouted
thirstily
.

achingly; colorlessly; debilitatedly; dizzily; drunkenly; feebly; feverishly; flushedly; gingerly; hazily; hoarsely; inebriatedly; intoxicatedly; lifelessly; limply; nauseatingly; nauseously; painedly; painfully; painstakingly; palely; pallidly; perspiringly; pestiferously; queasily; raspily; raspingly; roughly; scratchily; shakily; shakingly; shiveringly; shudderingly; sickly; sighingly; simperingly; sluggishly; slurringly; sorely; squeamishly; strainingly; strangledly; strenuously; stressedly; sufferingly; tearily; thinly; throatily; tinglingly; tipsily; tonelessly; tormentedly; traumatically; tremblingly; tremulously; waifishly; wanly; weakly; wheezingly; wincingly; woozily.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Katherine said
dizzily
.

"Phew," George said
gingerly
. "I don't feel so hot."

"Is it just me, or is it hot in here?" she asked
perspiringly
.

"I had too much to drink," the old man said
slurringly
.

"Mommy," Nicholas breathed
wheezingly
, "I feel ill."

absently; absentmindedly; catatonically; comatosely; crabbily; crankily; dizzily; drainedly; drowsily; dully; effetely; effortfully; emptily; exhaustedly; exhaustively; faintly; foggily; frazzledly; groggily; grouchily; grumpily; haggardly; irritatedly; lethargically; listlessly; moodily; pantingly; perspiringly; raggedly; sedately; serenely; sleepily; sluggishly; soporifically; tiredly; tiresomely; tiringly; tranquilly; transfixedly; wearily; wearisomely; windedly; yawningly.

"Dear, come back to bed," she said
drowsily
.

"I'm beat," he breathed
exhaustedly
.

"Sorry I'm late," she said
listlessly
to her boss.

"Just ten more minutes," Alex said
sleepily
.

"What do you want?" he asked
tiredly
.

absently; aimlessly; aloofly; apathetically; blandly; blindly; boredly; boringly; catatonically; cheerlessly; despondently; detachedly; disconnectedly; disinterestedly; distantly; distractedly; dully; feebly; flatly; halfheartedly; idly; immovably; indifferently; joylessly; lackadaisically; lacklusterly; lethargically; limply; listlessly; mellowly; monotonously; mopingly; mundanely; nonchalantly; nonplussedly; numbly; passively; perfunctorily; remotely; resignedly; restlessly; routinely; sedatedly; sedately; slackly; sourily; spiritlessly; stuporously; subduedly; trailingly; unambitiously; unconcernedly; unenthusiastically; unexcitedly; unfocusedly; uninquisitively; uninspiredly; uninterestedly; unmotivatedly; unmovingly; unproductively; unresponsively; vacantly; weakly; wearily; yawningly.

"No, I don't want to," Peter said
apathetically
.

"The name sounds familiar," she said
boredly
. "I may have been there before."

"I have nothing in common with her anyway," he said
indifferently
.

"No one understands what it's like," she said
remotely
.

Unexcitedly
, Cathy asked, "What are they going to do here?"

absently; absentmindedly; absurdly; addledly; aimlessly; ambivalently; asininely; baffledly; bafflingly; befuddledly; bewilderedly; bewilderingly; blankly; blindly; capriciously; cluelessly; confusedly; confusingly; daftly; dazedly; deludedly; densely; derangedly; dimly; dimwittedly; discombobulatedly; disconcertedly; disorganizedly; disorientedly; ditzily; dully; dumbfoundedly; dumbly; erratically; fatuously; flummoxedly; foolishly; forgetfully; glibly; groundlessly; hyperbolically; idiotically; ignorantly; illogically; implausibly; inaccurately; inanely; inaptly; incoherently; incompetently; incomprehendingly; incomprehensibly; inconclusively; incorrectly; ineptly; inexactly; irrationally; ludicrously; meanderingly; meaninglessly; mindlessly; misguidedly; misguidingly; mistakenly; moronically; morosely; muddledly; mystifiedly; nonsensically; obliviously; obtusely; perplexedly; pointlessly; preposterously; puzzledly; ramblingly; randomly; rantingly; reasonlessly; repetitiously; ridiculously; stumpedly; stupidly; thickheadedly; transfixedly; uncleverly; uncomprehendingly; uncritically; unenlightenedly; uninformatively; unintelligently; unknowingly; unquestioningly; unsurely; unwisely; uselessly; vacuously; witlessly.

"Those men can live on sunlight, you know," she said
absentmindedly
.

"Uh, yeah," Ben replied
befuddledly
. "I think so."

"The house was right here," she exclaimed
confusedly
.

"Now, where did I put my car keys?" Lucy said
forgetfully
.

"What?" Markus said
puzzledly
. "What is he talking about, Andrew?"

admonishingly; adversarially; analytically; appraisingly; approvingly; argumentatively; assessingly; belittlingly; biasedly; bitingly; captiously; cavillously; censoriously; challengingly; condemningly; condescendingly; correctively; critically; cuttingly; cynically; damningly; demandingly; demeaningly; denouncingly; deploringly; deprecatingly; deprecatively; derogatorily; disapprovingly; disbelievingly; discernibly; discerningly; discriminatingly; disfavorably; dismissingly; dismissively; disparagingly; doubtfully; doubtingly; evaluatingly; exactingly; exceptively; fastidiously; ficklely; finickily; finickingly; floutingly; fussily; impartially; intolerantly; judgmentally; judiciously; knowingly; naggingly; narrow-mindedly; nigglingly; nit-pickingly; objectively; opinionatedly; opposingly; overcritically; patronizingly; pejoratively; pessimistically; pickily; prejudgementally; prejudicedly; priggishly; pushily; rebukingly; remonstrantly; remonstratively; reprimandingly; reproachfully; reprovingly; sardonically; scoldingly; self-critically; self-deprecatingly; self-effacingly; self-mockingly; severely; sharply; skeptically; slanderously; trenchantly; unbelievingly; unbiasedly; unconvincedly; witheringly.

"Samantha," her father said
admonishingly
. "Be nice to your cousin."

"So," he said
assessingly
, "I see you only scored a 94 on your entrance exam."

"Stop slouching, Amanda!" Madam Bromell hissed
critically
.

Judgmentally
, he said, "You know, your son is a bad egg."