90 Adjectives to Describe People’s Character

Adjective

Meaning

Example sentence

Adventurous

eager and willing to try new things.

Brian was an adventurous young man, always ready to embark on a new enterprise.

Ambitious

having a strong desire to be successful.

Anne is ambitious but also lazy, so I doubt she will be successful.

Brave

strong and fearless in the face of danger.

Mary was so brave to learn to drive at 55.

Bright

intelligent.

Tom’s children are quite bright; they’ve got the best grades at school.

Calm

peaceful, free from anxiety.

After the sauna treatment, Sofia felt calm and relaxed.

Charming

pleasant and likeable.

Your friend is very charming but has a rather strange way of dressing.

Cheerful

happy, optimistic.

A cheerful waiter brought us our drinks and danced away to the bar.

Compassionate

showing sympathy and care.

Ryan was a good listener and a compassionate man.

Confident

certain of your skills and abilities.

Mark is a confident speaker.

Considerate

thoughtful and kind. 90 Adjectives to Describe People’s Character

He’s always considerate towards children and elderly people.

Creative

original and imaginative.

They need talented and creative designers for the job.

Curious

interested in exploring and learning new things.

Simon was so curious to know all about the country they were visiting.

Decisive

able to make quick, effective decisions.

If you want employees to respect you, then you must be decisive.

Determined

not letting anything stop you.

Sarah is a totally determined lady.

Diligent

careful and hard-working.

Cheryl was a diligent worker. She always did her work with great care.

Eager

strongly wanting to do something.

The students were eager to study new things.

Energetic

full of energy.

Martin was energetic all day long.

Extroverted

outgoing, sociable.

Diana has always been extroverted.

Faithful

loyal and supportive.

Ryan is a loyal and faithful man.

Friendly

pleasant and kind.

Our neighbours are so friendly.

Funny

humorous and amusing.

Jay Malone is the funniest comedian I’ve ever seen.

Generous

willing to give or share. 90 Adjectives to Describe People’s Character

David is generous. He always gives money to charities.

Gentle

calm and kind.

Nurse Karen is a gentle lady.

Gregarious

enjoys being with others.

Amy was a gregarious, lively girl.

Hard-working

works a lot.

Laura is a hard-working lawyer.

Helpful

ready to help.

Our neighbours are kind and helpful.

Honest

tells the truth, trustworthy.

Colin is an honest man.

Humble

modest, not boastful.

Although he was the best in class, he was humble.

Independent

not controlled by others.

Although only 18, she’s completely independent.

Intelligent

able to learn easily.

Helen is intelligent and hard-working.

Intuitive

understands things by feeling.

Astrologists often rely on intuition.

Kind

helpful, caring, generous.

They were so kind that they let us stay for free.

Mature

sensible and emotionally developed.

April is very mature for her age.

Modest

doesn’t show off.

Although a valedictorian, he’s modest about his achievements.

Motivated

enthusiastic about goals.

Employees are highly motivated because salaries are good.

Neat / Tidy

keeps things in order.

Tim is neat; his flat is always clean.

Optimistic

hopeful about the future.

The new president is optimistic.

Organized

keeps things carefully planned.

My secretary is highly organized.

Passionate

having strong feelings.

Sally was passionate about her religion.

Patient

waits calmly.

Pamela is a patient and diligent person.

Polite

socially pleasant.

Sean has always been polite.

Practical

focused on real solutions.

They need someone practical to solve the crisis.

Proud

respect for oneself.90 Adjectives to Describe People’s Character

Although poor, he was a proud man.

Realistic

having practical, true-to-life views.

Brian is always realistic about what he can and cannot do.

Reliable / Trustworthy

can be depended on.

She’s never late; she’s reliable.

Respectful

showing respect for others.

We taught our children to be respectful.

Responsible

showing good judgment.

Mark was a responsible manager.

Sensible

showing good sense.

She’s a sensible girl.

Skilful / Talented

good at doing something.

Tom is a talented writer.

Sympathetic

showing care for others’ suffering.

Laura is a sympathetic woman.

Talkative

enjoys talking.

Sheila is such a talkative lady.

Thoughtful

considers things carefully.

Will is thoughtful.

Tolerant

accepts other people’s views.

This job is for tolerant people.

Adjective

Meaning

Example sentence

Aggressive

behaving angrily or violently.

He is a fast and aggressive player.

Boring

not interesting.

People in my office are boring.

Bossy

likes giving orders.

People don’t like her. She’s too bossy.

Childish / Immature

behaves in an immature way.

Chris is rather immature for his age.

Conservative

resists change. 90 Adjectives to Describe People’s Character

In small towns, conservative people usually stick to the same routines year after year.

Dishonest

not telling the truth.

Sean lied at his job interview. He is dishonest.

Forgetful

easily forgets things.

Maria is becoming forgetful from overwork.

Greedy

always wants more.

That politician is greedy.

Grumpy

bad-tempered, complaining.

Some people are grumpy when they wake up.

Gullible

easily tricked.

Gullible people often believe everything they read on the internet.

Hostile

unfriendly.

The protesters looked hostile.

Ignorant

lacking knowledge.

Some people are so ignorant they can’t read.

Impatient

can’t wait calmly.

He’s impatient; teaching doesn’t suit him.

Introverted

shy, withdrawn.

He is too introverted to be a DJ.

Judgmental

criticises quickly.

Our boss is judgmental; nobody likes him.

Lazy

unwilling to work.

Bob was the laziest person I’ve ever met.

Mean / Stingy

cruel or unwilling to spend money.

Our landlord is mean; we’ve been freezing all winter.

Moody

changes moods easily.

Teenagers tend to be moody at times.

Nervous

anxious, worried.

He was a nervous person.

Pessimistic

expects bad things to happen.

Diana is pessimistic.

Reserved / Shy / Timid

quiet, not open with feelings.

He was a reserved man who kept to himself.

Rude

impolite. 90 Adjectives to Describe People’s Character

There were some rude children in that class.

Selfish

thinks only of self.

He was selfish; he thought only of himself.

Serious

doesn’t laugh a lot.

Mildred was a serious child.

Strict

limiting freedom with rules.

His parents were very strict.

Stubborn

refuses to change opinions.

Dennis can be very stubborn.

Superficial

doesn’t think deeply.

He is polite but superficial.

Vain

overly proud of looks.

Linda was vain and egotistical.

Adjective

Meaning

Example sentence

Pensive

quiet and thoughtful.

My aunt was a pensive person.

Quiet

mild and discreet.

His parents were quiet people.