Personality Adjectives: 300+ Great Adjectives Describing Personality in English

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

Pin

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. 

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

Pin

Words to Describe Someone’s Personality (with Examples and Pictures)

Anxious

• She felt anxious about her upcoming exam.

Pin

Naughty

• The naughty child drew on the walls with crayons. 

Pin

Stubborn

• He refused to change his mind, showing his stubborn nature. 

Pin

Sensitive

• She was sensitive to criticism and took it personally.

Pin

Intelligent

•  He was recognized for his intelligent contributions to the project.

Pin

Nice

• She always had a nice word to say to everyone she met.

Pin

Emotional

• He couldn’t help but get emotional when he watched sad movies.

Pin

Bad-tempered

•  The bad-tempered customer yelled at the waiter for no reason.

Pin

Nervous

• She was nervous about giving a speech in front of a large audience.

Pin

Mean

• He was known for his mean comments that hurt people’s feelings.

Pin

Distracted

• He was too distracted by his phone to pay attention to the conversation.

Pin

Dishonest

• The politician was caught in a dishonest scandal.

Pin

Rude

• The rude customer didn’t say thank you to the cashier.

Pin

Discreet

• She was very discreet about her personal life and didn’t share much information

Pin

Crazy

• He had some crazy ideas about how to save the environment

Pin

Cheeky

• The cheeky child made faces behind his teacher’s back.

Pin

Cheerful

• She had a cheerful personality that brightened up the room.

Pin

Energetic

• He had an energetic personality and was always on the go.

Pin

Untidy

• His room was always untidy with clothes and papers everywhere.

Pin

Pessimistic

• She had a pessimistic outlook on life and always expected the worst.

Pin

Optimistic

• Despite the challenges, she remained optimistic about the future.

Pin

Unpleasant

• The unpleasant smell made it hard to breathe. 

Pin

Talkative

• He was always talkative, never running out of things to say.

Pin

Calm

• She had a calm demeanor that put others at ease.

Pin

Passionate

• He was passionate about his work and put his heart into it.

Pin

Proud

• She was proud of her accomplishments and celebrated them.

Pin

Sincere

• His sincere apology made her forgive him.

Pin

Lazy

• He was too lazy to do his chores and always procrastinated.

Pin

Lively

• The lively music made everyone dance and sing along.

Pin

Funny

• He had a funny sense of humor that always made people laugh.

Pin

Silly

• The silly clown made balloon animals for the children.

Pin

Shy

• She was shy and didn’t like being in the spotlight. 

Pin

Determined

• He was determined to succeed and never gave up. 

Pin

Versatile

• She was versatile and could adapt to any situation.

Pin

Sociable

• He was very sociable and loved meeting new people.

Pin

Worried

• She was worried about her sick friend and hoped for a quick recovery.

Pin

Thoughtful

• He was thoughtful and always remembered people’s birthdays.

Pin

Humble

• Despite his success, he remained humble and didn’t boast about it.

Pin

Friendly

•  She had a friendly personality that made everyone feel welcome.

Pin

Frank

• He was frank and honest about his opinions, even if they were unpopular. 

Pin

Obedient

• The dog was obedient and followed his owner’s commands.

Pin

Honest

•  She was known for her honest character and never lied.

Pin

Fearless

• He was fearless and never backed down from a challenge.

Pin

Unfriendly

• She had an unfriendly demeanor that made it hard to approach her. 

Pin

Generous

• He was generous and always willing to help others in need.

Pin

Compassionate

• She had a compassionate heart and volunteered at a homeless shelter.

Pin

Warm-hearted

• The warm-hearted woman welcomed everyone with a smile.

Pin

Disobedient

• The disobedient child refused to follow the rules.

Pin

Straightforward

• He was straightforward and didn’t beat around the bush.

Pin

Selfish

• She was selfish and only thought about herself. 

Pin

Imaginative

• He had an imaginative mind and loved to create stories. 

Pin

Placid

• Despite the chaos around her, her placid personality remained unchanged, and she calmly went about her business.

Pin

Jealous

• She was jealous of her friend’s success and felt envious.

Pin

Helpful

•  He was helpful and always offered to lend a hand.

Pin

Enthusiastic

• She was enthusiastic about the project and couldn’t wait to get started.

Pin

Persistent

• He was persistent and never gave up on his dreams.

Pin

Sensible

• She was sensible and made practical decisions.

Pin

Rational

• He was rational and based his decisions on logic and reason.

Pin

Reserved

• She was reserved and didn’t like to share personal information.

Pin

Self-confident

• He was self-confident and believed in himself.

Pin

Bossy

• She was bossy and always wanted things her way.

Pin

Plucky

• The plucky little bird fought off a larger predator. 

Pin

Patient

•  She was patient and waited in line without complaining.

Pin

Impatient

• He was impatient and couldn’t wait for his turn.

Pin

Easygoing

• He had an easygoing personality and didn’t get upset easily.

Pin

Careless

• She was careless and often made mistakes.

Pin

Messy

• His room was always messy with clothes and books scattered everywhere. 

Pin

Hard-working

• She was hard-working and dedicated to her job.

Pin

Creative

• He was creative and came up with innovative solutions.

Pin

Broad-minded

Pin

Faithful

• She was faithful to her partner and didn’t cheat on them.

Pin

Kind

• She was always kind to others and never spoke ill of anyone. 

Pin

Courageous

• He was courageous and faced his fears head-on.

Pin

Loyal

• She was loyal to her friends and always had their backs.

Pin

Modest

•  Despite her accomplishments, she remained modest and didn’t boast about them. 

Pin

Tidy

• His room was always tidy and organized.

Pin

Confident

• She was confident in her abilities and didn’t doubt herself. 

Pin

Attentive

• He was attentive to details and never missed a thing. 

Pin

Loving

• She was loving and showed affection to those she cared about.

Pin

Reliable

•  He was reliable and always kept his promises.

Pin

Scared

• The scared child held onto his mother’s hand tightly.

Pin

Conscientious

• She was conscientious and always did her best. 

Pin

Good-tempered

• He had a good-tempered personality and rarely got angry.

Pin

Careful

• She was careful and made sure to double-check everything.

Pin

Gentle

• He had a gentle touch and handled things with care.

Pin

Neat

• Her handwriting was always neat and legible.

Pin

Dynamic

• He had a dynamic personality and was always on the move.

Pin

Fair-minded

• She was fair-minded and treated everyone equally.

Pin

Impartial

•  He was impartial and didn’t take sides in an argument. 

Pin

Supportive

• She was supportive of her friends and always encouraged them.

Pin

Timid

• The timid cat hid under the bed whenever there were strangers around.

Pin

Intellectual

• He had an intellectual mind and loved to read and learn new things.

Pin

Brave

• He was brave and faced danger without hesitation.

Pin

Ambitious

• She was ambitious and had big goals for her future.

Pin

Polite

• He was always polite and used manners when speaking to others.

Pin

Happy

• She was happy and always had a smile on her face.

Pin

Romantic

• He was romantic and planned a surprise date for his partner.

Pin

Diplomatic

• She was diplomatic and knew how to handle conflicts peacefully.

Pin

Courteous

• He was courteous and held the door open for others.

Pin

Humorous

• He had a humorous personality and always made people laugh.

Pin

Self-disciplined

• She was self-disciplined and stuck to her routines and schedules.

Pin

Popular

• He was popular and had many friends.

Pin

Smart

• She was smart and excelled academically. 

Pin

Serious

• He had a serious demeanor and didn’t joke around often.

Pin

Hypocritical

• She was hypocritical and didn’t practice what she preached.

Pin

Adventurous

• He was adventurous and loved to explore new places. 

Pin

Adjectives Describing Personality | Pictures

Words to Describe Personality in English | Personality Adjectives Image 1

Pin

Adjectives Describing Personality | Personality Adjectives Image 2

Pin

Adjectives Describing Personality in English | Personality Adjectives Image 3

Pin

Adjectives Describing Personality | Video

Learn useful adjective words to describe personality with American English pronunciation.

Related Resources

Descriptive Words

• 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

Positives 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