What are personality adjectives? Here you will find a comprehensive list of adjective words to describe personality in English with examples and pictures. If you are telling someone about your Grandmother and you want to be able to convey what a lovely person she is, this would be a great time to use personality adjectives.
In English, when you are talking about someone’s personality, there are some great adjectives that you can use to do this. Not only will it add words to your vocabulary but it will also make it much easier for you to talk about this kind of thing.
Personality Adjectives
What Are Personality Adjectives?
A specific set of adjectives is used to describe personality. Personality is a description of how someone acts, behaves, or reacts. Adjectives that describe personality are often called personality adjectives. Personality adjectives can be one of the most important types of adjectives to understand. They can help you know whether someone is happy or sad, tough or easy, fast or slow. They help us know what to expect from the people around us, and that can be a really great thing to know.
Positive Adjectives Describing Personality
Many adjectives to describe personality are positive ones. Below is a list of some positive personality adjectives. These are good to use for people you like, for people you admire, for people you want to impress, and for yourself.
- Active
- Adaptable
- Adventurous
- Affable
- Amiable
- Amicable
- Amusing
- Brave
- Bright
- Calm
- Careful
- Charming
- Circumspect
- Communicative
- Compassionate
- Conscientious
- Considerate
- Courageous
- Courteous
- Creative
- Determined
- Diligent
- Diplomatic
- Discreet
- Dynamic
- Empathetic
- Energetic
- Faithful
- Fearless
- Friendly
- Funny
- Generous
- Gentle
- Good
- Gregarious
- Helpful
- Honest
- Hopeful
- Humorous
- Imaginative
- Intelligent
- Intuitive
- Inventive
- Joyful
- Kind
- Loving
- Loyal
- Lucky
- Mature
- Motivated
- Neat
- Nice
- Optimistic
- Passionate
- Patient
- Plucky
- Polite
- Popular
- Powerful
- Practical
- Rational
- Realistic
- Reliable
- Resourceful
- Romantic
- Sensible
- Sincere
- Smart
- Sociable
- Sympathetic
- Tidy
- Understanding
- Willing
- Wise
- Witty
Learn more with a list of positive adjectives in English.Â
Negative Adjectives Describing Personality
Other adjectives to describe personality are negative ones. Below is a list of some negative personality adjectives. These should be used with caution since negative words to describe someone’s personality are usually taken pretty poorly.
- Abrasive
- Aggressive
- Apathetic
- Argumentative
- Boring
- Bossy
- Callous
- Catty
- Childish
- Cocky
- Confrontational
- Controlling
- Cowardly
- Cruel
- Cynical
- Defensive
- Deceitful
- Dense
- Devious
- Dim
- Dishonest
- Disloyal
- Disorganized
- Disrespectful
- Disruptive
- Egotistical
- Evasive
- Evil
- Fanatical
- Flaky
- Foolish
- Forgetful
- Frivolous
- Gossipy
- Greedy
- Grumpy
- Gullible
- Hostile
- Humorless
- Hypocritical
- Ignorant
- Impatient
- Impractical
- Inconsiderate
- Irrational
- Jealous
- Judgemental
- Lazy
- Manipulative
- Mean
- Moody
- Morbid
- Nasty
- Nosy
- Obsessive
- Paranoid
- Pessimistic
- Petty
- Posessive
- Prejudiced
- Pretentious
- Reckless
- Resentful
- Rotten
- Rude
- Selfish
- Sleazy
- Spoiled
- Stingy
- Stupid
- Unlucky
- Unmotivated
- Unreliable
- Untidy
- Vain
Neutral or Contextual Personality Adjectives
Some adjectives aren’t really negative or positive on their own, but they can still be used to describe personality. Some of the following adjectives are generally neutral. Others can be either positive or negative, depending how they’re used. These are often good to use in place of negative words, because they’re a way to say something that isn’t overtly positive but that isn’t always negative, either. They’re also good for people you don’t know well enough to know whether to use negative or positive words.
- Ambitious
- Anxious
- Breezy
- Businesslike
- busy
- Casual
- Cerebral
- Cautious
- Chatty
- Childlike
- Competitive
- Complex
- Conservative
- Decisive
- Emotional
- Enigmatic
- Extravagant
- Extroverted
- Exuberant
- Folksy
- Forceful
- Frank
- Frugal
- Idiosyncratic
- Impartial
- Impressionable
- Independent
- Inhibited
- Intellectual
- Intense
- Introverted
- Irreverent
- Loud
- Martyr
- Mercurial
- Mischievous
- Modern
- Modest
- Moralistic
- Neutral
- Noncommittal
- Noncompetitive
- Opportunistic
- Ordinary
- Outspoken
- Perfectionist
- Persistant
- Philosophical
- Political
- Predictable
- Private
- Questioning
- Rebellious
- Relaxed
- Reserved
- Sarcastic
- Sensitive
- Serious
- Shy
- Silly
- Smooth
- Soft
- Solemn
- Straightforward
- Strict
- Subservient
- Surprising
- Timid
- Tough
- Unassuming
- Unchanging
- Uncompromising
- Undemanding
- Unyielding
- Quiet
When to Use Personality Adjectives
You can use personality adjectives when you’re explaining what somebody is like. You can use them when telling someone why you love (or hate) a particular teacher. You can also use personality adjectives to describe animals or sometimes even plants.
You can also use personality adjectives to make yourself look good on things like resumes and applications for jobs or for school. It’s important to have a list of adjectives ready to describe yourself. Make sure you include plenty of positive ones! Positive personal adjectives can make you seem better to others and can help increase your own self-esteem. It’s amazing what vocabulary can do for you!
Adjectives Describing Personality
English is full of different kinds of words. It’s great to know as many as possible, but it’s even more important to make sure you know specific words well. Knowing how to use them really helps proper communication! It can help you get across the exact meaning you’re trying for, and it can help you understand exactly what other people are trying to tell you.
Adjectives are words that describe people, places, and things. There are many, many different adjectives., and they can be used to describe virtually any noun This lesson focuses specifically on adjectives that are used to describe personality.
Top 100 Words to Describe Personality
- Anxious
- Naughty
- Stubborn
- Sensitive
- Intelligent
- Nice
- Emotional
- Bad-tempered
- Nervous
- Mean
- Distracted
- Dishonest
- Rude
- Discreet
- Crazy
- Cheeky
- Cheerful
- Energetic
- Untidy
- Pessimistic
- Optimistic
- Unpleasant
- Talkative
- Calm
- Passionate
- Proud
- Sincere
- Lazy
- Lively
- Funny
- Silly
- Shy
- Determined
- Versatile
- Sociable
- Worried
- Thoughtful
- Humble
- Friendly
- Frank
- Obedient
- Honest
- Fearless
- Unfriendly
- Generous
- Compassionate
- Warm-hearted
- Disobedient
- Straightforward
- Selfish
- Imaginative
- Placid
- Jealous
- Helpful
- Enthusiastic
- Persistent
- Sensible
- Rational
- Reserved
- Self-confident
- Bossy
- Plucky
- Patient
- Impatient
- Easygoing
- Careless
- Messy
- Hard-working
- Creative
- Broad-minded
- Faithful
- Kind
- Courageous
- Loyal
- Modest
- Tidy
- Confident
- Attentive
- Loving
- Reliable
- Scared
- Conscientious
- Good-tempered
- Careful
- Gentle
- Neat
- Dynamic
- Fair-minded
- Impartial
- Supportive
- Timid
- Intellectual
- Brave
- Ambitious
- Polite
- Happy
- Romantic
- Diplomatic
- Courteous
- Humorous
- Self-disciplined
- Popular
- Smart
- Serious
- Hypocritical
- Adventurous
Personality adjectives | words to describe someone’s personality and character
Words to Describe Someone’s Personality (with Examples and Pictures)
Anxious
– He was anxious to preserve his reputation.
Naughty
– You’re a very naughty boy! Look what you’ve done!
Stubborn
– He was too stubborn to admit that he was wrong.
Sensitive
– She is very sensitive to other people’s feelings.
Intelligent
– She seemed intelligent and well educated.
Nice
– He’s a nice guy when he’s sober.
Emotional
– He got quite emotional during the speech.
Bad-tempered
– He was bad-tempered and graceless in defeat.
Nervous
– I get very nervous before a big race.
Mean
– He was hyper-critical and mean.
Distracted
– The chairman was distracted between different opinions.
Dishonest
– The dishonest manager defrauded the company of millions of pounds.
Rude
– He is so rude that nobody can bear him.
Discreet
– He is very discreet in giving his opinions.
Crazy
– He’s crazy to drive his car so fast.
Cheeky
– He is cheeky to his teacher.
Cheerful
– Josephine was bright, lively and cheerful.
Energetic
– He seemed a dynamic and energetic leader.
Untidy
– I’ve got more untidy since I stopped going out to work.
Pessimistic
– Don’t be so pessimistic.
Optimistic
– I’m very optimistic about our chances of success.
Unpleasant
– She thought him an unpleasant man.
Talkative
– She’s either really talkative and you can’t shut her up or else she’s silent.
Calm
– She’s so calm, nothing seems to faze her.
Passionate
– I’m a passionate believer in public art.
Proud
– He is too proud to see his own mistake.
Sincere
– He was sincere in his wish to help us.
Lazy
– He felt too lazy to get out of bed.
Lively
– He is an outgoing and lively person.
Funny
– She was always so funny and entertaining.
Silly
– Stop being so silly and immature, Ben!
Shy
– He was too shy to ask her to dance with him.
Determined
– He was determined to retrieve his honor.
Versatile
– He’s a versatile actor who has played a wide variety of parts.
Sociable
– I’m not in a sociable mood.
Worried
– You look worried. What’s the matter?
Thoughtful
– She’s a very kind and thoughtful person.
Humble
– He’s very humble about his success.
Friendly
– He is friendly to us all.
Frank
– He was very frank about his relationship with the actress.
Obedient
– We’re absolutely obedient to the superior.
Honest
– I believe my sister to be honest.
Fearless
– The boy seems completely fearless.
Unfriendly
– She was really unfriendly to me.
Generous
– They are generous although they are poor.
Compassionate
– My father was a deeply compassionate man.
Warm-hearted
– She’s a good warm-hearted woman.
Disobedient
– I was very disobedient towards my father.
Straightforward
– He was quite straightforward with us about the difficulties involved.
Selfish
– He is not only arrogant but also selfish.
Imaginative
– She’s very hard-working but not very imaginative.
Placid
– There was a worried look on her normally placid face.
Jealous
– Why are you so jealous of his success?
Helpful
– She was unfailingly courteous and helpful.
Enthusiastic
– He is enthusiastic about pop music.
Persistent
– She can be very persistent when she wants something.
Sensible
– If you are sensible you will study for another year.
Rational
– He was too upset to be rational.
Reserved
– Helen was diffident and reserved.
Self-confident
– She has now changed into a happy, self-confident woman.
Bossy
– She’s terribly bossy and nobody likes her much.
Plucky
– She’s a plucky lady.
Patient
– The doctor is very patient with his patients.
Impatient
– He is impatient with those who decry the scheme.
Easygoing
– He was an easygoing man of very moderate views.
Careless
– He was very careless in his work, so he really deserved to get the gate.
Messy
– Vicky cooks really well but she’s rather messy.
Hard-working
– He was too honest and hard-working.
Creative
– He is a very creative musician.
Broad-minded
– I like to think I’m broad-minded.
Faithful
– He was faithful to his promise wife.
Kind
– She has such a kind, friendly personality.
Courageous
– We all honour courageous people.
Loyal
– He’d always been such a loyal friend to us all.
Modest
– He is a very modest person.
Tidy
– I’m a tidy person.
Confident
– She sounded more confident than she felt.
Attentive
– She was very attentive to her guests.
Loving
– A friend is a loving companion at all times.
Reliable
– I will warrant him an honest and reliable fellow.
Scared
– I wonder who is scared to lose me.
Conscientious
– We are generally very conscientious about our work.
Good-tempered
– He is good-tempered, he gets along with everyone.
Careful
– He was careful to keep out of sight.
Gentle
– He’s very gentle with his kids.
Neat
– She was small and neat of person.
Dynamic
– He was a dynamic personality in the business world.
Fair-minded
– She is one of the most fair-minded people I know.
Impartial
– He was not an impartial witness because of his affinity with the accused.
Supportive
– He was strongly supportive of my career.
Timid
– Lucy is a rather timid child.
Intellectual
– He was an intellectual, scholarly man.
Brave
– She was very brave to learn to ski at fifty.
Ambitious
– She is an ambitious career woman.
Polite
– I’m afraid I wasn’t very polite to her.
Happy
– You don’t look very happy today.
Romantic
– She has a romantic nature.
Diplomatic
– You must be more diplomatic in handling the situation.
Courteous
– The hotel staff are friendly and courteous.
Humorous
– She had not intended to be humorous.
Self-disciplined
– Are you a self-disciplined person?
Popular
– Mary is popular among the students.
Smart
– Mark is a smart and sophisticated young man.
Serious
– I don’t want to get serious yet.
Hypocritical
– I don’t like her because she is a hypocritical person.
Adventurous
– Andy isn’t a very adventurous cook.
Adjectives Describing Personality | Pictures
Words to Describe Personality in English | Personality Adjectives Image 1
Words to Describe Personality in English | Personality Adjectives Image 2
Adjectives Describing Personality | Personality Adjectives Image 3
Adjectives Describing Personality in English | Personality Adjectives Image 4
Adjectives Describing Personality | Video
Learn useful adjective words to describe personality with American English pronunciation.
Related Resources
- Words to Describe Someone
- Descriptive Adjectives
- Negative Adjectives
- Adjectives To Describe A Person
- Adjectives to Describe Yourself
- Describing Physical Appearance
- Personality Traits
- Character Traits
- Mood Words
- Feeling Words & Emotion Words
- Opposite Adjectives
- Strong Adjectives
- Positive Adjectives to Describe a Person
- Positive Adjectives that Start with A
- Positive Adjectives that Start with B
- Positive Adjectives That Start with C
- Positive Adjectives that Start with D
- Positive Adjectives that Start with E
- Positive Adjectives that Start with O
- Positive Adjectives that Start with H
- Positive Adjectives that Start with I
- Positive Adjectives that Start with L
- Positive Adjectives that Start with J
- Positive Adjectives that Start with M
- Positive Adjectives that Start with N
- Positive Adjectives that Start with P
- Positive Adjectives that Start with R
- Positive Adjectives that Start with S
- Positive Adjectives That Start with T
- Positive Adjectives that Start with Y
- Positive Adjectives that Start with W
Last Updated on February 27, 2023
Oh by the way …. your pictures are cute!! I’m sure they help others because I know people that learn by visual! Just had to add that!! Thanks again!
Hi I teach students with mild to moderate learning disabilities and I just know that this is going to be so helpful for them (in general and esp.) during our independent reading/read aloud unit in which they need to use adjectives to describe characters in the story! Thank you so very very much!!!!