Herbs, usually annual, rarely perennial, monoecious (subg. Amaranthus and Albersia) or dioecious (subg. Acnida), glabrous or pubescent. Stems erect, ascending, decumbent, or prostrate, usually branched, occasionally simple or nearly so; without nodal spines (except in A. spinosus). Leaves alternate, petiolate; blade rhombic-ovate, ovate, obovate, spatulate, lanceolate, oblanceolate, or orbiculate to linear, base rounded to narrowly cuneate, margins usually entire, usually plane, slightly undulate, or crispate, rarely undulate-erose, apex acute, obtuse, or emarginate, usually mucronulate. Inflorescences terminal and/or axillary or exclusively terminal, compound dichasia arranged in spikes, thyrses, panicles, or glomerules; components of terminal inflorescences often subtended by reduced leaves (pseudobracts), each dichasium unit subtended by persistent bracts. Bracts ovate, lanceolate, linear, subulate, deltate, or broadly triangular (in A. acanthochiton), or proximal bracts modified into spines (in A. spinosus); bracts of pistillate flowers not keeled (keeled in A. scleropoides and A. crassipes); bracteoles absent or 1-2. Flowers unisexual. Pistillate flowers: tepals absent or (1-)3-5, distinct (connate in proximal 1/3 in A. polygonoides, equal or outer tepals larger than inner ones, usually membranaceous, sometimes scarious at maturity; stamens absent [rudimentary]; pistil 1; ovule 1; style 0.1-1 mm, or absent; stigmas 2-3(-5), slender. Staminate flowers: tepals 3-5, equal or subequal; stamens 3-5, filaments distinct, anthers 4-locular, pseudostaminodes absent; pistils absent or rudimentary. Utricles loosely enclosed by inner tepals, occasionally conspicuously 3(-5)-veined, usually globose, ovoid, or elongate-ovoid, thin walled, membranaceous, rugose or tuberculate, glabrous, dehiscence regularly circumscissile, irregularly dehiscent, or indehiscent. Seeds 1, subglobose or lenticular, usually smooth, shiny, sometimes indistinctly puncticulate or reticulate; embryo annular. x = 16, 17.

Species ca. 70 (38 in the flora, including cultivated species): mostly tropical, subtropical, and warm-temperate zones, some species in temperate zones; some taxa are at present almost worldwide as introduced and naturalized weeds.