Screenwriting : Tone and Mood Descriptors by Bill Costantini

Here is a nice list of descriptive words for tone and mood. It's not a complete list. I don't remember where I got it, and if anyone can cite the source, that would be great.

Tone is pretty well-defined as the writer's attitude towards the subject, and mood is the emotions felt by the reader/viewer. I used to struggle with tone in my stories, in terms of having a consistent tone. Sometimes an inconsistent tone can confuse and even turn off a reader/viewer. Industry pros always had asked me the tone of my story, if I had not stated it in the beginning of my pitch. I hope some of you find this helpful.

Positive Tones

Admiring, adoring, affectionate, appreciative, approving, bemused, benevolent, blithe, calm, casual, celebratory, cheerful, comforting, comic, compassionate, complimentary, conciliatory, confident, contented, delightful, earnest, ebullient, ecstatic, effusive, elated, empathetic, encouraging, euphoric, excited, exhilarated, expectant, facetious, fervent, flippant, forthright, friendly, funny, gleeful, gushy, happy, hilarious, hopeful, humorous, interested, introspective, jovial, joyful, laudatory, light, lively, mirthful, modest, nostalgic, optimistic, passionate, placid, playful, poignant, proud, reassuring, reflective, relaxed, respectful, reverent, romantic, sanguine, scholarly, self-assured, sentimental, serene, silly, sprightly, straightforward, sympathetic, tender, tranquil, whimsical, wistful, worshipful, zealous

Neutral Tones

Commanding, direct, impartial, indirect, meditative, objective, questioning, speculative, unambiguous,

unconcerned, understated

Negative Tones

Abhorring, acerbic, ambiguous, ambivalent, angry, annoyed, antagonistic, anxious, apathetic, apprehensive, belligerent, bewildered, biting, bitter, blunt, bossy, cold, conceited, condescending, confused, contemptuous, curt, cynical, demanding, depressed, derisive, derogatory, desolate, despairing, desperate, detached, diabolic, disappointed, disliking, disrespectful, doubtful, embarrassed, enraged, evasive, fatalistic, fearful, forceful, foreboding, frantic, frightened, frustrated, furious, gloomy, grave, greedy, grim, harsh, haughty, holier-than-thou, hopeless, hostile, impatient, incredulous, indifferent, indignant, inflammatory, insecure, insolent, irreverent, lethargic, melancholy, mischievous, miserable, mocking, mournful, nervous, ominous, outraged, paranoid, pathetic, patronizing, pedantic, pensive, pessimistic, pretentious, psychotic, resigned, reticent, sarcastic, sardonic, scornful, self-deprecating, selfish, serious, severe, sinister, skeptical, sly, solemn, somber, stern, stolid, stressful, strident, suspicious, tense, threatening, tragic, uncertain, uneasy, unfriendly, unsympathetic, upset, violent, wry

Positive Moods

Amused, awed, bouncy, calm, cheerful, chipper, confident, contemplative, content, determined,

dignified, dreamy, ecstatic, empowered, energetic, enlightened, enthralled, excited, exhilarated,

flirty, giddy, grateful, harmonious, hopeful, hyper, idyllic, joyous, jubilant, liberating, light-hearted, loving, mellow, nostalgic, optimistic, passionate, peaceful, playful, pleased, refreshed, rejuvenated, relaxed, relieved, satiated, satisfied, sentimental, silly, surprised, sympathetic, thankful, thoughtful, touched, trustful, vivacious, warm, welcoming

Negative Moods

Aggravated, annoyed, anxious, apathetic, apprehensive, barren, brooding, cold, confining, confused, cranky, crushed, cynical, depressed, desolate, disappointed, discontented, distressed, drained, dreary, embarrassed, enraged, envious, exhausted, fatalistic, foreboding, frustrated, futile, gloomy, grumpy, haunting, heartbroken, hopeless, hostile, indifferent, infuriated, insidious, intimidated, irate, irritated, jealous, lethargic, lonely, melancholic, merciless, moody, morose, nauseated, nervous, nightmarish, numb, overwhelmed, painful, pensive, pessimistic, predatory, rejected, restless, scared, serious, sick, somber, stressed, suspenseful, tense, terrifying, threatening, uncomfortable, vengeful, violent, worried