People have asked me for a list of angry expressions and angry body language

Let’s get into it!

Annoyed Expression

An annoyed or irritated facial expression might include any of the following! You can probably use these if someone is impatient or if they’re irritated by something that someone else has said or done.

•rolling their eyes or looking upward

•twisting their mouth to one side

•tightening their lips into a narrow line

•pursing lips

•turning the corners of their mouth downward

•furrowing their eyebrows

•raising their eyebrows as in disbelief

•scrunching up face

•giving the annoying person the side-eye

•giving the person a wide-eyed or a “dead” stare

Annoyed Body Language

Annoyed body language and general reactions may include any of the following:

•looking away

•throwing their head back/looking upward

•crossing their arms

•tapping/drumming their fingers

•tapping their foot

•jiggling their foot, if sitting cross-legged

•raising one or both hands, palm upward…an “are you kidding me?” gesture

•tilting their head to one side

•shaking head slightly

•pinching the bridge of their nose

•rubbing their face 

•leaning their forehead on their hand

•sighing (this isn’t really angry body language, but such a common reaction, I wanted to include it!)

Angry Expression

An angry or even furious facial expression might include any of these things! Of course, there’s some overlap here with “annoyed expression,” and different characters express anger in different ways.

•tightening their lips into a narrow line

•pursing lips

•turning the corners of their mouth downward

•drawing their upper lip up/back in a snarl (this is a more extreme angry expression, for fury or rage)

•tightening/locking their jaw

•furrowing their eyebrows

•narrowing their eyes

•glaring

•dropping their jaw/opening their mouth wide in outrage

•widening their eyes

•looking wild-eyed/showing the whites of their eyes (also a more extreme angry expression)

•nostrils becoming flared

•becoming red in the face (this may be a telltale sign even when they’re hiding it!)

•a visible vein throbbing in their neck or forehead

Angry Body Language

Angry body language and gestures may include any of the following. 

•looking away

•crossing their arms

•holding up palm of hand (“I’ve had enough”)

•sitting up straighter

•standing up taller

•squaring their shoulders

•balling their hands into fists (this one and the three above are examples of “ready to fight” body language)

•gripping something tightly—a the arm of a sofa, a coffee cup, a pen (a variation of the above)

•grabbing the sides of their head

•grabbing/tearing at their hair

•giving someone or something the middle finger or another rude gesture

•throwing hands up in the air

•pointing finger at person they’re angry at—or even waving their finger right in the person’s face

•lowering their head while glaring (think “ready to charge”—angry bull)

•leaning toward or getting closer to the person they’re angry at—getting “up in their face”

•crying (not exactly angry body language, but I’m including it because it’s a very common response to anger, especially among women)

Check Out the Book

If you’re enjoying this list, please check out my book Master Lists for Writers to inspire you and to help you write faster and write more. You won’t be angry you did. 🙂 Many bestselling authors have told me they have this book sitting right on their desk when they write!