This article will provide you with a short definition for indirect characterisation, along with 30 + indirect characterisation examples with detailed explanations.
Indirect characterisation is a literary device in which an author makes revelations about the nature of a particular character indirectly. Instead of giving the reader an outright description of a character, with indirect characterisation a writer is able to show the reader what a character is like through their thoughts, actions, speech, etc.
Now, let’s look at some examples of how indirect characterisation may be used in sentences.
30+ Indirect Characterisation Examples in Sentences
- When Priya saw that Ms. Talwar was hurt, she offered to help her up the stairs.
- Shivam spent a long time looking at his younger sister while she slept, and placed a second blanket over her when he saw her shivering.
- When Akash got home, his dog—Pixie—bounded towards him while barking with joy.
- Neha was always in movement when she was sitting: either her feet were vibrating under the chair or she was picking at her nails or drumming a table.
- I was gasping for breath by the time I had finally taken my seat in class.
- Naina was blushing furiously while giving her presentation to the class.
- Kiara looked at the things she owned: a bed, a desk, a stack of books, warm clothes, and then proceeded to fall asleep with a smile on her face.
- Riya’s eyes look red when she comes out of the washroom in the evenings.
- While her son was playing guitar on stage, a small smile played on Laila’s lips.
- After scoring the goal, Nehal clenched his fist victoriously and smiled widely at his teammates.
- Hiya’s grip on her mother’s hands tightened while they were crossing the road.
- Anoushka immediately retracted her hand and leapt back after touching the kettle.
- Isha’s eyes were bright and her mouth was slightly open as she looked at her friend and said, “Do you believe in miracles?”
- James wiped his sweaty hands on his trousers and asked his mother, “have you ever wondered if this house is haunted?”
- “I don’t think the world is meaningless,” Ajay told Salman.
- “I’m tired of not being able to fit into jeans because they’re all too short for me,” Shalini told Sonia.
- “Bani wakes up at 4 am to start her workout routine,” Neha told Arjun.
- Arjun shrugged and said, “There are a lot of things that happened in jail that I couldn’t express even if I wanted to.”
- As Niall walked into the metro, he wondered what the larger purpose of his life was, what he was doing there, and why he was going to work.
- She faked a pleasant smile after taking a bite of her birthday cake, even though she found the marzipan to be overpowering and she hated chocolate.
- I found the shakiness of his hands while he was writing to be frustrating.
- “I don’t like thinking too much about things that are outside of my control,” Daisy told Tom.
- Aisha would often look out of the window of her school bus and imagine the many ways she could improve the city she lived in.
- Karan looked at his ageing dog and wondered how he could ever deal with losing him.
- He had a straight nose and eyes the colour of stone.
- Ms. Prerna had soft brown hair and eyes that lit up when she smiled.
- The cat’s teeth were sharp, and its green eyes were menacing.
- The beast was bigger than any human, but his fur was soft, clean, and untangled—unlike any animal Bella had seen before.
- There seemed to be a halo around Athena’s platinum blonde hair that radiated light in all directions.
- She was a small creature: her eyes were big and wide set, and her eyebrows seemed to be perpetually raised in surprise.
Now, let’s look at some detailed explanations for the 30+ Indirect Characterisation Examples in Sentences:
When Priya saw that Ms. Talwar was hurt, she offered to help her up the stairs.
In this example, Priya’s action of offering Ms. Talwar help indirectly characterises her as a kind and thoughtful person.
Shivam spent a long time looking at his younger sister while she slept, and placed a second blanket over her when he saw her shivering.
In this example, Shivam’s action of placing a second blanket over his sister indirectly characterises him as a caring person who is fond of his sister.
When Akash got home, his dog—Pixie—bounded towards him while barking with joy.
In this example, the dog’s action of bounding towards Akash indirectly characterises him as being very loving towards his owner.
Neha was always in movement when she was sitting: either her feet were vibrating under the chair or she was picking at her nails or drumming a table.
In this example, Neha’s action of constantly fidgeting indirectly characterises her as either a nervous or very active person.
I was gasping for breath by the time I had finally taken my seat in class.
In this example, the subject’s action of gasping indirectly characterises them as being tired from doing something.
Naina was blushing furiously while giving her presentation to the class.
In this example, Naina’s action of blushing indirectly characterises her as being shy while giving her presentation.
Kiara looked at the things she owned: a bed, a desk, a stack of books, warm clothes, and then proceeded to fall asleep with a smile on her face.
In this example, looking at the things she owns has the effect of producing a smile on her face. This indirectly characterises her as being grateful for the things she possesses.
Riya’s eyes look red when she comes out of the washroom in the evenings.
In this example, Riya’s visit to the washroom in the evenings has the effect of making her eyes red. This indirectly suggests that it is characteristic for her to be sad or cry in the evenings.
While her son was playing guitar on stage, a small smile played on Laila’s lips.
In this example, seeing her son play guitar on stage has the effect of producing a smile on Laila’s face. This indirectly characterises her as being proud of her son.
Hiya’s grip on her mother’s hands tightened while they were crossing the road.
In this example, crossing the road has the effect of making Hiya’s grip on her mother’s hand tighten. This indirectly suggests that it is characteristic of Hiya to be nervous or scared while crossing roads.
Anoushka immediately retracted her hand and leapt back after touching the kettle.
In this example, touching the kettle has the effect of causing Anoushka to retract her hand and leap back. This indirectly suggests that the kettle has a characteristic that makes it surprising to touch—a good guess would be that it is very hot to touch.
Isha’s eyes were bright and her mouth was slightly open as she looked at her friend and said, “Do you believe in miracles?”
In this example, Isha’s speech (i.e. the question she asks) along with her expression indirectly reveals that she either does believe in or is wondering about the existence of miracles.
James wiped his sweaty hands on his trousers and asked his mother, “have you ever wondered if this house is haunted?”
In this example, James’ speech (i.e. the question he asks) along with his “sweaty hands” indirectly reveals that he is nervous about the house being haunted and is an easily spooked person.
“I don’t think the world is meaningless,” Ajay told Salman.
In this example, Ajay’s speech (i.e. the statement he makes) indirectly reveals that he is a hopeful, positive person.
“I’m tired of not being able to fit into jeans because they’re all too short for me,” Shalini told Sonia.
In this example, Shalini’s speech (i.e. the statement she makes to Sonia) indirectly reveals that she is a tall girl.
“Bani wakes up at 4 am to start her workout routine,” Neha told Arjun.
In this example, Neha’s speech (i.e. the statement she makes to Arjun) indirectly reveals that Bani is a hard working person to whom working out holds great importance.
Arjun shrugged and said, “There are a lot of things that happened in jail that I couldn’t express even if I wanted to.”
In this example, Ajay’s speech (i.e. the statement he makes) indirectly reveals that he has a past that is very painful for him to remember and that affects him very deeply.
As Niall walked into the metro, he wondered what the larger purpose of his life was, what he was doing there, and why he was going to work.
In this example, Niall’s thoughts indirectly reveal that it is characteristic of him to feel existential and that he is confused about his purpose.
She faked a pleasant smile after taking a bite of her birthday cake, even though she found the marzipan to be overpowering and she hated chocolate.
In this example, the subject’s thoughts indirectly reveal that she is a thoughtful person—since she pretends to enjoy something in order to please those around her.
I found the shakiness of his hands while he was writing to be frustrating.
In this example, the subject’s thoughts potentially reveal that they are easily irritated or that a lack of strength in others is a point of frustration for them.
“I don’t like thinking too much about things that are outside of my control,” Daisy told Tom.
In this example, Daisy’s thoughts indirectly characterise her as someone who likes to be in control of things.
Aisha would often look out of the window of her school bus and imagine the many ways she could improve the city she lived in.
In this example, the Aisha’s thoughts indirectly characterise her as someone who is very civic-minded and wants to improve the world for the better.
Karan looked at his ageing dog and wondered how he could ever deal with losing him.
In this example, Karan’s thoughts indirectly reveal that he is a very anxious person and worries about the people who are close to him.
He had a straight nose and eyes the colour of stone.
In this example, the subject’s looks indirectly reveal that he is likely a very stern and unfeeling person—because of how sharp and cold his appearance is described to be.
Ms. Prerna had soft brown hair and eyes that lit up when she smiled.
In this example, Ms. Prerna’s looks indirectly suggest she is a kind and easily approachable person.
The cat’s teeth were sharp, and its green eyes were menacing.
In this example, the description of the cat’s looks indirectly suggest that it is a dangerous animal that is difficult to approach.
The beast was bigger than any human, but his fur was soft, clean, and untangled—unlike any animal Bella had seen before.
In this example, the description of the beast’s looks indirectly suggest that it takes care of itself and is more human-like than animal-like.
There seemed to be a halo around Athena’s platinum blonde hair that radiated light in all directions.
In this example, the description of Athena’s looks indirectly suggest that she is a very powerful being.
She was a small creature: her eyes were big and wide set, and her eyebrows seemed to be perpetually raised in surprise.
In this example, the subject’s looks indirectly suggest she is very small and innocent and not a threat to anyone.
Hi, I am Srishti Mukherjee. I have completed my M.A. in English.
I always like to explore new zones in the field of English Literature
Apart from this, I like to read Novels and watch movies.