18 Nouns that Describe People’s Character

When we describe people in English, we often use adjectives such as kind, ambitious, selfish or talkative. However, English also has many nouns that describe people’s character — and some of them can create a much more vivid picture.

Compare:

• She is very ambitious and determined.
• She is a real go-getter.

Or:

• He talks too much and cannot keep a secret.
• He is such a blabbermouth.

The noun gives us a whole description in just one word.

Learning nouns that describe people’s character can help you make your English more colourful, natural and precise. They are particularly useful for B2 First and C1 Advanced speaking and writing tasks, as well as stories, articles, reviews and everyday conversations.

In this lesson, you will learn 18 useful nouns for describing people, together with meanings, register notes and natural examples.

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Negative Character Traits

Some nouns that describe people’s character are positive or neutral, while others can be quite critical or even insulting. For this reason, it is important to learn not only their meanings but also their tone and register.

1. Bigot

A bigot is someone who has very strong and intolerant opinions about people who belong to a different group, religion, culture or community.

• He was criticised for behaving like a bigot and refusing to listen to other points of view.

Related adjective: bigoted

Register: strongly negative

2. Hypocrite

A hypocrite is someone who claims to have certain beliefs or moral standards but does not follow those standards themselves.

• He tells everyone to save money, but he spends hundreds of pounds on things he doesn’t need. What a hypocrite!

Related adjective: hypocritical

3. Coward

A coward is someone who lacks courage and avoids difficult or frightening situations.

• He called me a coward because I refused to go bungee jumping.

Related adjective: cowardly

Be careful when using this word. Calling someone a coward can sound quite insulting.

4. Nag

A nag is someone who repeatedly complains, criticises or tells another person to do something.

• Stop being such a nag — I’ll tidy my room later.

Related verb: to nag

Register: informal and usually negative

5. Busybody

A busybody is someone who is too interested in other people’s private lives and affairs.

• Our neighbour is a terrible busybody who always wants to know what everyone is doing.

This is particularly useful when describing an interfering or overly curious person.

6. Know-it-all

A know-it-all is someone who behaves as if they know everything and is unwilling to listen to other people’s opinions.

• Nobody enjoys working with a know-it-all who constantly corrects everyone.

Register: informal and negative

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People Who Talk and Socialise

7. Chatterbox

A chatterbox is someone who talks a lot. The word is often affectionate rather than strongly critical.

• My daughter is a real chatterbox and tells me everything that happened at school.

Register: informal

8. Blabbermouth

A blabbermouth is someone who talks too much and, especially, someone who cannot keep a secret.

• Don’t tell Jack yet — he’s a complete blabbermouth.

Compared with chatterbox, blabbermouth is more negative because it suggests that the person says things they should not say.

9. Loner

A loner is someone who prefers spending time alone rather than being with other people.

• He has always been a bit of a loner and enjoys travelling by himself.

The word does not necessarily mean that the person is unhappy.

10. Social butterfly

A social butterfly is someone who is very sociable and enjoys moving from one social event or group of people to another.

• Anna is a real social butterfly and seems to know everyone in town.

Register: informal

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Habits and Interests

11. Bookworm

A bookworm is someone who loves reading and spends a lot of time reading books.

• She’s a real bookworm and usually finishes two or three novels a month.

This is usually positive or neutral.

12. Foodie

A foodie is someone who is particularly interested in food, cooking and trying different restaurants or cuisines.

• Any foodie would enjoy exploring the markets in Barcelona.

Register: informal and very common in modern English

13. Copycat

A copycat is someone who copies another person’s behaviour, clothes, ideas or work.

• My little brother was always a copycat and wanted everything I had.

It is often used jokingly with children but can also be critical.

14. Daredevil

A daredevil is someone who enjoys doing dangerous or risky things.

• He’s always been a daredevil and loves extreme sports.

Related adjective: daring

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Ambition, Ability and Influence

15. Go-getter

A go-getter is an energetic, ambitious person who is determined to succeed.

• She’s a real go-getter who is always looking for new opportunities.

This is usually positive.

16. High-flyer

A high-flyer is someone who is ambitious and successful and is expected to achieve even more in the future.

• She was considered one of the company’s young high-flyers.

Register: common in British English, particularly in business and professional contexts

17. Mover and shaker

A mover and shaker is an influential person who has the power, contacts or ability to make important things happen.

• Several leading movers and shakers from the technology industry attended the conference.

The plural is movers and shakers.

Register: informal

18. Bigwig

A bigwig is an important or influential person, particularly within an organisation, industry or institution.

• Several company bigwigs attended the opening ceremony.

Register: informal and sometimes humorous

It is more suitable for conversation or informal writing than for a formal Cambridge essay.

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What’s the Difference Between a Chatterbox and a Blabbermouth?

These words are similar, but there is an important difference.

A chatterbox is simply somebody who talks a lot.

• My niece is a real chatterbox.

A blabbermouth talks too much and may reveal information that should have remained private.

• Don’t tell him the secret — he’s a blabbermouth.

So chatterbox can be affectionate, while blabbermouth is usually more critical.

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Useful Patterns with These Nouns

Many nouns that describe people are commonly used with expressions such as:

be a real + noun

• She’s a real go-getter.
• He’s a real bookworm.

be a bit of a + noun

• He’s a bit of a loner.
• She’s a bit of a busybody.

be such a + noun

• Don’t be such a know-it-all.
• You’re such a chatterbox!

be something of a + noun

This expression is slightly more sophisticated and is useful at B2–C1 level.

• He is something of a loner.
• She has become something of a foodie.

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Practice: Choose the Correct Noun

Complete the sentences with a suitable noun from the lesson.

1. Don’t tell Lucy about the surprise. She’s a terrible __________ and will tell everybody.
2. Mark reads constantly. He’s a complete __________.
3. My neighbour always wants to know where we’re going and who is visiting us. She’s such a __________.
4. Sophie is extremely ambitious and never waits for opportunities to come to her. She’s a real __________.
5. Tom loves parties and seems to know everyone. He’s a real __________.
6. He keeps telling everyone how to do their jobs, although nobody asked him. He’s becoming a bit of a __________.
7. My younger brother bought exactly the same trainers as me again. What a __________!
8. Several political and business __________ attended the charity event.
9. Martin rarely socialises and seems happiest on his own. He’s always been a bit of a __________.
10. Anyone willing to climb that mountain without proper equipment must be a __________.

Answers: 1. blabbermouth, 2. bookworm, 3. busybody, 4. go-getter, 5. social butterfly, 6. know-it-all, 7. copycat, 8. bigwigs / movers and shakers, 9. loner, 10. daredevil

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Want to Make Your English More Colourful?

Words such as go-getter, chatterbox and social butterfly can make your English much more vivid. Idioms and everyday expressions can do the same.

If you would like to expand your vocabulary further, Say It with Style 2 teaches useful B2–C1 idioms and expressions through engaging stories, clear explanations and practical exercises.

It is ideal for learners who want to sound more natural and expressive in both speaking and writing.

Using These Words in B2 First and C1 Advanced

These nouns can help you show a wider range of vocabulary, but register matters.

Words such as go-getter, chatterbox, bigwig and blabbermouth are quite informal, so they may be excellent choices in:

• speaking tasks
• articles
• stories
• informal emails
• character descriptions

However, they would not always be appropriate in a formal essay or report.

For example:

Neutral/formal:

• She is an ambitious and highly motivated employee.

More informal and expressive:

• She’s a real go-getter.

Knowing which expression suits the situation is just as important as learning the word itself.

Related posts: 

• Adjectives to Describe People’s Character 
• 25 Collocations to Describe Personality in English 
• 24 Compound Adjectives to Describe a Person 
• Idioms that Describe People
• B2 First Vocabulary 
• C1 Advanced Vocabulary