Ten Best Words for Tattoos (With Meanings)

Tattoos are hot right now, and it doesn’t look like they’re going to cool down anytime soon. However, not all tattoos are created equal – some designs look great on skin and others don’t make the cut. Even if you love the idea of getting inked, it’s important to make sure that you choose your tattoo design wisely so you don’t end up regretting it later on down the road. For inspiration, check out these ten best words for tattoos with meanings and their associated images.

Strong

This is a word that works best in a sleeve tattoo. It’s eye-catching, bold and makes you stand out. Get your hands on one of these words and you’ll soon be feeling strong. Think of all those famous athletes with strong tattooed on their arms—they know what they’re talking about! Strength is not just physical, it’s also emotional and mental. Having something as important as strong written permanently onto your body will remind you every day to have strength in all three areas of life: physically, mentally and emotionally.

Brave

To have a brave heart is to have courage. It’s a core value many of us would like to see in ourselves and others. Brave has more than one meaning, though: A Scotsman might think of Sir William Wallace, who was known as Braveheart. And in America we remember those who died on 9/11—and honor their bravery—when we say Remember on September 11 each year. But having a brave heart is not just about having courage; it’s also about being kind and compassionate toward others, including friends and family members. It might be more helpful to think of having a brave heart as meaning to have compassion or empathy for others.

Creative

Artistic, expressive and wildly imaginative, you’re drawn to unique images that remind you of your own free spirit. Plumes of feathers or curling vines are a little more artistic than most tattoos, but they’re certainly not off-limits if you want something a little less run-of-the-mill. Make sure you know what your design means before getting it permanently etched into your skin—nothing defeats art quite like bad communication! Having an open mind when shopping around will also give you plenty of options. After all, no one knows your taste better than yourself. Looking for meanings behind some of our favorite artistic words? Read on

Unbreakable

Keep your chin up, whether you’re fighting a bad day or facing adversity of any kind. You are strong enough to get through it, and that’s what makes you beautiful. Keep moving forward, one step at a time; let nothing bring you down. Life can be hard sometimes, but you’re capable of fighting through anything that life throws at you. This quote is especially appropriate if your tattoo is going to be on your back—you want it to feel like a sort of personal mantra, so keep it as concise as possible.

Inked

If you’re thinking about getting a tattoo, you may be concerned about choosing a word or phrase that best reflects your personality and values. The good news is there are lots of options! While it’s true that some words, phrases, and symbols have become so overused as to lose meaning, there are still lots of beautiful ideas out there that might work perfectly with your skin—and your personality. Here’s our top ten list of words and phrases to get inked onto your body. If you like any of them, we recommend saving an image of your favorite to use as inspiration while searching for fonts and tattoo artists who can help bring it to life on your skin.

Real

It’s true that fake tattoos are becoming more popular than ever before. In fact, we were surprised to learn that 44% of people with a tattoo regret it . But getting a real tattoo means putting it on your body forever. Make sure you love your new ink—and that you actually want to wear it forever—before you get inked up. Plus, remember that there’s a good chance you’ll want another one someday—so pick something timeless and meaningful to remind yourself why you fell in love with tattoos in the first place. Here are some cool ideas

Enduring

An enduring tattoo represents a cause or belief that will last forever. It’s all about keeping important things close to your heart, which is why you might see many people choose words like love or family as part of their lifelong ink. When choosing an enduring word for your tattoo, think about your relationship with it and how it’s affected you in both good and bad ways. Remember, tattoos are forever so be sure you have a deep connection with whatever word you choose!

Incredible

Unbelievable; amazing; unbelievable; unimaginable. Everyone loves a good tattoo that tells a story, and incredible can be perfect in describing that. The word means exceeding all possible limits or expectations, which is exactly what an incredible tattoo can do! For example, you might get your boyfriend’s name inked onto your arm to show how much he means to you—that is a very incredible thing to do! An amazing person, place or thing could also receive an incredible tattoo. Take Harry Potter for example: wizards aren’t real and Hogwarts isn’t real, but we love them anyway! Harry Potter stories are so incredible that many people have gotten his character name or signature written onto their bodies.

Fierce

People don’t typically think of fierce as a word that holds significance. However, it can be used in place of words like bold, beautiful, or courageous. These are three examples: You’re looking fierce in that red lipstick! or That moment was definitely a fierce one. You looked beautiful and courageous out there.

Meaningful

A tattoo is supposed to be a piece of your heart on your skin. So make sure you pick words that are meaningful to you. What better way to honor someone or something? This will also help prevent you from impulsively picking a tattoo that ends up looking terrible after a few years.