800 Negative Adjectives to Describe People, Places, or Things • 7ESL

Negative adjectives can be hurtful even when they are truthful! Have you ever been so upset with someone that you said some things that you didn’t mean? Or maybe you did mean it. Maybe you described their character in words that weren’t necessarily nice. Maybe you were put in a situation that you were not very happy about. Sometimes bad people or situations elicit negative responses from us. These negative responses or words are called negative adjectives.

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Negative Adjectives

What Are Negative Adjectives?

Negative adjectives are basically descriptive words that we use to describe someone’s character in a bad way. We can use them to describe places or situations that we don’t like.

Places, people, and situations are sometimes very unpleasant. Negative adjectives help people to describe their negative and unflattering opinions about people or situations. These descriptive words can be used for writers to bring a story to life. It helps the reader understand that a character’s personality is distasteful or to explain how bad a certain situation really is.

Negative adjectives can be used to describe any and everything that is not pleasant. Negative adjectives are usually used as a verbal reaction towards something or someone who has hurt you or made you mad. Words like these are frequently used during an argument. Although they may be used correctly and maybe accurate, they are words meant to insult, not compliment.

Negative Adjectives Examples

Below is a list I have complied of several negative adjectives and their meanings and an example of how they are used in a sentence.

Aloof

Meaning: Someone with a very unfriendly manner towards others.
Example: She was aloof about how she made him feel.

Hostile

Meaning: angry, violent feelings towards someone
Example: He was hostile about being fired from his job.

Callous

Meaning: feeling no sympathy for others
Example: They were so callous towards their boss when his wife died.

Nasty

Meaning: Not nice or pleasant to any of the senses
Example: Raymond had a nasty habit of lying and cheating.

Cynical

Meaning: Not trusting anyone, believing that all people are bad or dishonest
Example: People who are cynical usually don’t believe in trust or in love.

Vain

Meaning: Overwhelming pride in one’s own accomplishments or abilities
Example: She is so vain that she stands in the mirror looking at herself for hours.

Self-centered

Meaning: Being too interested in one’s own self.
Example: Rachel is so self-centered that she thinks of no one but herself.

Deceitful

Meaning: lying to get one’s way
Example: She is a very deceitful person.

Impatient

Meaning: wanting something right now, not wanting to wait
Example: Cody was impatient to get his paycheck.

Stubborn

Meaning: refusing to stop doing something, demanding one’s own way
Example: My dog is so stubborn that he absolutely refuses to walk with a leash.

Defensive