Here is a list of English words that are often used to describe someone’s personality.
brave — someone who isn’t afraid of danger.
Example sentence: Mario is a coastguard. He is very brave. His job is to rescue people.
chatty — someone who talks a lot.
Example sentence: Maria is a very chatty person. She is always on the phone to friends.
clever — good at learning things.
Example sentence: Gerard is very clever. He always gets top marks in class.
cowardly — (mildly negative) someone who is afraid of things. (often described as «a bit of a coward»)
Example sentence: Sylvia is a bit of a coward. She really hates going to the dentist!
easy-going — someone who is easy to get along with.
Example sentence: My husband is very easy-going.
friendly — someone who is nice to other people.
Example sentence: The people in my office are really friendly! I love working there!
funny — used to describe someone who is amusing.
Example sentence: Salem is really funny! He’s always entertaining us with jokes and stories.
generous — someone who shares their time or things with others.
Example sentence: My parents are very generous. They bought me a car for my birthday!
grumpy — bad-tempered.
Example sentence: My boss is really grumpy. He isn’t an easy person to get along with.
hard-working — someone who works very hard.
Example sentence: My brother is very hard-working. He hardly ever takes a day off.
honest — someone who is truthful and who doesn’t cheat or steal.
Example sentence: Amina is a very honest. She always tells the truth.
kind — someone who behaves in a caring way towards other people.
Example sentence: Most of the people I’ve met here have been kind.
lazy — an inactive person who avoids work.
Example sentence: Pete is very lazy. He rarely gets out of bed before mid-afternoon.
loud — someone who talks really loudly.
Example sentence: Rosita is really loud! When she talks, she drowns everybody else out.
lucky — someone who often has good fortune.
Example sentence: My brother is very lucky. He’s always winning prizes in competitions.
mean — 1) Someone who is a nasty person. 2) Someone who doesn’t like spending money.
Example sentence: Phillip is very mean. He never pays for his share of things.
moody — adjective used to describe someone who behaves differently every time you meet them.
Example sentence: Nina is very moody. Yesterday she said hello; today she just ignored me.
nasty — a mean, unpleasant person. (the opposite of nice)
Example sentence: I don’t really know any nasty people. Most people I know are very nice.
neat — a person who is very tidy.
Example sentence: My flatmate Jorge is very neat and well organised. His room is always tidy.
nervous — someone who is easily startled by things.
nervous — someone who is easily startled by things.
Example sentence: Anna is a very nervous person. She gets scared easily.
nice — someone who is friendly and kind. (the opposite of nasty)
Example sentence: My best friend Lin is a really nice person. She is always there for me.
polite — someone who has good manners.
Example sentence: Abdullah is a very polite boy. He always says please and thank you.
popular — somebody who is liked by many people.
Example sentence: My cousin Ali is very popular. He has a lot of friends.
quiet — used to describe someone who doesn’t talk very much.
Example sentence: Helen is a quiet person. She isn’t very talkative.
rude — bad mannered, impolite.
Example sentence: James is a very rude person. He always pushes in front of people in queues.
selfish — used to describe someone who only thinks about themselves.
Example sentence: Jeremy is very selfish. He never helps out with the housework.
serious — someone who is always very sensible (the opposite of silly).
Example sentence: Eric is very serious person. He never joins in when we play silly games.
shy — quiet and a little bit nervous around other people.
Example sentence: Claire is very shy. She doesn’t speak much in class.
silly — someone who is a bit foolish, or who doesn’t behave in a serious way.
Example sentence: Gina is a bit silly. She messes about in class when she should be working.
smart — 1) someone who takes a lot of care over their appearance
Example sentence: Anna is very smart. She is always neatly dressed.
smart — 2) someone who is very clever
Example sentence: Chia is very smart. She is one of the most intelligent people I know.
stupid — (very negative and very impolite — sometimes used as an insult) someone who is not clever.
Be careful when using this word! Using neutral adjectives to describe people is much safer.
tidy — someone who is very neat and well organised.
Example sentence: My sister is a very tidy person. I’m the opposite; I’m really untidy!
unlucky — someone who often suffers from bad fortune.
Example sentence: Sabrina is very unlucky. Things always seem to go wrong for her.
untidy — someone who is very messy.
Example sentence: I’m a very messy person. I always forget to put things away!
vain — (negative) someone who is a bit too fond of their looks.
Example sentence: Paulina is really vain. She spends far too much time looking in the mirror!
wise — someone with a lot of common sense and knowledge.
Example sentence: My grandfather was a very wise man. He taught me many things.
Important note:
Take care using negative adjectives, as some people may be very offended if you use these words to describe them! In most situations it is much safer to use a neutral adjective if you can’t think of anything positive to say about someone.
By
Last updated:
June 4, 2022
How would you describe yourself?
If that seems like a difficult question to answer, it’s okay!
Even native speakers sometimes find it hard to talk about themselves in English.
Whether you’re describing yourself or someone else, knowing what some of these different ways are can be a big help.
Contents
- Why Describe Someone?
- What Are the Different Ways to Describe People?
- Being Polite
- How to Describe People in English: 4 Ways
-
- 1. Describing someone’s appearance
- 2. Describing someone’s mannerisms
- 3. Describing someone’s character
- 4. Describing someone’s feelings
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can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Why Describe Someone?
We describe people all the time. For example, you might tell your friends what your boss is like. You might tell your sister what that cute guy you saw looks like.
Even outside of everyday conversations, it’s very useful to know how to describe people. Descriptions are used a lot in books, in articles and in other kinds of communication in English. Reading or hearing a description of someone can give you a better idea of what they look like or act like.
Descriptions are also useful in the business world, often crucial to conversations and presentations at work.
What Are the Different Ways to Describe People?
Let’s say you want to describe a friend, a family member or a boss. You will probably use a few kinds of information.
Appearance is what someone looks like on the outside.
Mannerisms are the ways that someone acts or behaves.
Character traits are the little things that make someone who they are. In other words, they make up someone’s personality.
Emotions are what someone feels at a certain time.
In this post, we’ll go over useful vocabulary for describing all of these.
You will see this vocabulary used a lot in conversations and online.
But first…
Being Polite
Some ways of describing people are polite and respectful.
Take the compliments in this video, for example. A native English speaker drives around town saying nice things to people about the way that they look!
If you don’t understand any descriptors or other words in that video, don’t worry—it’s available on FluentU.
Each video comes with clickable subtitles, vocabulary lists, flashcards and fun quizzes. Sign up for a free FluentU trial to watch that video (and thousands of other authentic English videos) with all the learning features.
Of course, other ways to describe people can be considered rude.
For example, saying someone is full-bodied or curvy is nicer than saying that they are fat. However, if you have to think of a nicer way to say something, maybe it’s better not to say it at all.
Use judgment and common sense. Think about how you would feel if you heard someone using the same words to describe you.
How to Describe People in English: 4 Ways
1. Describing someone’s appearance
To describe someone’s appearance, you will often use adjectives. An adjective is a kind of word that describes a noun (a person, place or thing).
Here are some words and phrases you can use to describe a person’s appearance.
Some of them are synonyms, or words that mean almost or exactly the same thing. Knowing more than one way of saying something is very helpful when describing people.
- To describe someone’s height, you can say they are tall or short. Tall people are higher than short people. Someone who is thin and tall can be called lanky. To say someone is short and also small, you can say they are petite. If you’re talking about a child, they might be pint-sized.
- Someone who weighs more than average can be curvy, well-built, full-bodied or heavy. (Curvy is usually only used to describe women.) You might also say someone has some meat on their bones. This is a casual way of saying they are overweight, and it might seem rude to someone sensitive. The opposite of overweight can be thin, slim or skinny.
- Light, yellowish hair can be described as blonde. But you can also call a person who has that kind of hair a blonde. (This means blonde can be used as a noun or an adjective.) A person with dark hair can be called a brunette. Someone with red hair can be called a redhead.
- Besides what color someone’s hair is, you also can say they are short-haired or long-haired. You can say they have curly, straight or wavy hair. Sometimes hair can also be frizzy, which is when it looks puffy with small, tight curls. If someone has no hair at all on their head, they are bald.
- Men sometimes have hair on their faces. Hair that covers the chin and cheeks is called a beard. When there’s hair only above the lips it’s a moustache. A beard that’s only on the chin can be called a goatee. None of these are adjectives. They are all nouns. To describe someone with a beard, you would say, “He has a beard.”
- How does a person look overall? If you think a woman is attractive, you can say she is beautiful, pretty or maybe even gorgeous (very beautiful). You can call an attractive man handsome. Both men and women can be good-looking. If you’re speaking very casually, good-looking men or women can be hot. To say someone is not very good-looking, you can say they are not much to look at. This is not a nice way to describe someone, but it’s better than ugly.
- If someone dresses well, they are smartly dressed or they look smart. You can also just say they are well-dressed. If someone dresses fashionably, they are stylish or trendy. If someone has bad taste in clothes, you can say they’re unfashionable. A less nice way to say this is frumpy.
2. Describing someone’s mannerisms
Someone’s mannerisms are the way they act or speak. When you speak, do you move your arms a lot? Do you touch your hair or bite your lip? All these things are mannerisms.
Since mannerisms are usually actions, they are often described by phrases with verbs (action words).
Here are some common mannerisms you might use to describe people:
- Many people have mannerisms that appear when they’re feeling negative (bad) emotions. If someone feels nervous or impatient, for example, they might tap their fingers, crack their knuckles, bite their fingernails or chew the tips of their pencils.
- Sometimes people don’t even notice that they twirl their hair around their finger. Other times mannerisms are deliberate (on purpose). For example, someone might roll their eyes to show that they’re being sarcastic (not serious).
- When a person thinks hard about something, they sometimes tilt their head to the side or even stick out their tongue.
- You can sometimes tell someone is annoyed if they rub the back of their neck, sigh a lot or clench their hands.
3. Describing someone’s character
A person’s character is their personality, who they are on the inside. When you talk about someone, you might mention what they are like as a person.
Here are some ways to do that:
- We all know people who are nice and kind. They are a pleasure to be with and always seem to be smiling. These people are usually also friendly and generous. People who are generous like to help others by giving them things. Someone who is the opposite of nice is mean. Mean people can be unpleasant, nasty or vicious. Hopefully you don’t know anyone like this!
- Some people always show respect to others, which makes them polite and well-mannered. Someone who doesn’t care about other’s feelings or rules is rude and impolite. If they use bad language, you can say they are vulgar or obscene.
- Someone smart is intelligent or clever. If they are smart because of age or experience, they can be called wise. Someone who is not very intelligent could be dumb or slow, but a slightly nicer way to say that is that they’re not too bright.
- How does the person you’re describing deal with difficult situations? Some people get angry easily. They are hot-headed. Others are calm and sensible and look at everything in a relaxed way. Others go right from being calm to being mad. They are moody.
- To describe a person who does not like to go out or be with people much, you can use the word introvert. If that person doesn’t talk a lot and doesn’t seem comfortable around others, they might be shy. People who love company and parties are extroverts. They are often easy-going, meaning not much bothers them.
- Someone who tries hard to do big things is ambitious. They might also be resourceful. Resourceful people use everything they can to help them reach a goal. Someone who is happy with what they have can be called content or fulfilled. None of these are bad things to be.
- If a person is good at making people laugh, they are funny. If they’re funny in a clever (smart) way, they’re witty. Some people don’t like to laugh a lot, and are very serious instead. Sometimes serious people can seem boring.
- Arrogant, conceited people are not fun to be around because they act like they are better than you. They can be show-offs, meaning they try to make you see how great they are. Modest people don’t show off how great they are, even if they’re awesome!
4. Describing someone’s feelings
People’s feelings are always changing. You can be happy one moment, and then hear some bad news and become sad.
You always know how you feel, but it isn’t always easy to tell how someone else is feeling. You can look at how someone is speaking or even how they’re sitting to understand how they feel. When you’re not sure how someone feels, you can say they might be feeling something. You can also say someone looks like they’re feeling a certain way. These phrases show that you might be wrong.
For example, you can say, “I’m mad” when you’re talking about yourself. But you might say “He looks mad,” when you’re talking about another person. This makes sense if this person is yelling into his phone with his face red and his fists clenched (all signs that someone is mad!).
You can use these words to talk about how someone is feeling, how they were feeling before or how they might feel in the future.
- There are so many ways to say that someone is happy! They can be elated, exuberant, cheerful, delighted or even ecstatic (very, very happy). Someone sad might be described as melancholy, miserable (very sad) or out of sorts.
- When something makes a person mad, they become angry or fed up. Someone very angry is furious or livid. Stay away from those people!
- We all feel like we have too much to deal with sometimes. This can make us stressed and anxious. New or scary things can make us nervous. Once that stress is gone, you can feel tranquil or serene, which are other ways of saying relaxed.
- Did the person you’re describing get enough sleep last night? If not, they might look tired or worn out. If they look extremely tired, they might be exhausted. Sleeping well makes a person look well-rested.
- If someone looks like they’re not interested in what’s going on around them, they might seem bored. If they’re very interested, you might say they’re enthusiastic.
If you’re ever stuck trying to think of a different way to say a word, look it up in a thesaurus like this one!
A thesaurus lists both synonyms and antonyms (words that have an opposite meaning). It’s a great way to discover new words and more ways of describing people. Another especially good thesaurus resource is Visual Thesaurus, which is like a thesaurus that’s also a map. It shows you the connections between related words. This is great for helping you choose the very best adjective to describe someone.
So, how would you describe yourself?
Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
In this lesson, you’re going to learn 59 positive personality adjectives in English. Check out 66 Negative Personality Adjectives here.
Let’s look at some positive words to describe people.
There are four main categories of positive personality adjectives. Let’s imagine each category as a different person. So let’s meet them:
Nik — the people person
Nik is the friend who’s great with people. See how popular he is? People like Nik:
There are lots of reasons why people like Nik.
Reason why people like Nik #1
Nik is very easy to be with. You can talk to him easily, and he’s very friendly:
Affable — He’s easy to talk to.
Agreeable — He’s enjoyable to talk to.
Amiable — He’s friendly and nice.
Charming — He has a “magic” effect that makes people like him.
Polite — He’s good at saying “please,” “thank you,” etc.
Likeable — He’s easy to like.
Gregarious — He likes being with other people.
Reason why people like Nik #2
He thinks about you and how you feel:
Considerate — He always thinks about other people when he does something or talks to someone.
Sympathetic* — He shows that he understands and cares about other people’s problems.
Understanding — The same as “sympathetic” — he understands other people’s problems well.
*Sympathetic is a false friend: in many languages, it means “nice,” but in English, it has a different meaning.
Reason why people like Nik #3
He doesn’t choose one side when his friends disagree with each other:
Diplomatic — He is very good at trying to help people see both sides of a situation.
Impartial — He doesn’t support just one side of a disagreement.
Reason why people like Nik #4
He’s honest:
Sincere — He says what he really thinks and feels.
Straight-forward — He’s direct and honest.
Reason why people like Nik #5
He likes giving and helping:
Generous — He likes giving things to people.
Helpful — He likes helping.
Kind — He cares about others and likes to help them, often emotionally.
Giving — He likes giving things to people — it’s the same as “generous.”
So that’s Nik. What an awesome guy!
Positive Personality Adjectives #2
Alexa — the good worker
Alexa is a great worker. She’s focussed and likes to get things done! She’s the perfect candidate for a job. Bosses like her:
There are lots of reasons why Alexa is a good worker:
Reason why Alexa is a good worker #1
Alexa has a lot of natural personal qualities that make her a good worker:
Observant — She’s good at noticing different things around her.
Quick-witted — She can think quickly and intelligently.
Patient — She can accept difficult situations without getting angry.
Dynamic — She has a lot of energy and can think creatively.
Bright — She’s smart and intelligent.
Reason why Alexa is a good worker #2
She also “applies herself.” This means she isn’t lazy, and she tries to do the best work that she can:
Self-disciplined — She can control her own behaviour easily, and she’s organised.
Resourceful — She’s good at finding ways to solve problems.
Proactive — She doesn’t wait for things to happen. She makes them happen!
Practical — She’s good at finding the simplest and most efficient solution.
Organised — She knows how to organise things well.
Efficient — She can organise things quickly and clearly.
Hardworking — She works hard!
Diligent — She does her work carefully and cares about the details.
Reason why Alexa is a good worker #3
To be a good worker, you have to be good at managing change. When things change, Alexa can change with them:
Versatile — She can do different things depending on the situation.
Intuitive — She can understand what’s happening using her feelings (not just facts).
Adaptable — She can change depending on the situation.
Reason why Alexa is a good worker #4
Finally, Alexa is someone who you can trust:
Dependable — If she says she will do something, she will do it.
Reliable — The same as “dependable”
Trustworthy — You can trust her to be honest and sincere.
Loyal — She will always be on your side.
So that’s Alexa. A great worker but not necessarily great fun.
That’s why we need to have Freya in our lives!
Positive Personality Adjectives #3
Freya — the fun lady!
We all need a Freya in our lives. She’s the friend who makes us happy and who we can have fun with. She’s the friend who puts a smile on our faces and helps us kill the stress from our working day.
Here’s Freya at a party. Like Nik, she’s very popular. But for slightly different reasons:
Freya is fun to be around for several reasons.
Reason why Freya is fun #1
First of all, Freya has a lot of energy. When people have a lot of energy, this energy often transfers to you. It’s fun!
Energetic — She has a lot of energy.
Adventurous — She likes doing new and different things.
Enthusiastic — She shows a lot of excitement and interest in things.
Kooky — She’s a little crazy. But in a fun way.
Reason why Freya is fun #2
She’s also very a very sociable and happy person:
Cheerful — She’s always happy.
Chatty — She loves talking and talks a lot.
Convivial — She’s always in a good mood and is always friendly.
Reason why Freya is fun #3
She’s also very funny:
Hilarious — She’s very, very, funny.
Witty — She’s funny and can tell good jokes in an intelligent way.
Humorous — She’s funny and entertaining.
Amusing — She’s funny and fun.
Reason why Freya is fun #4
Finally, you don’t feel bad when you’re with Freya. You feel like you can say anything, and she won’t think badly of you:
Non-judgemental — She won’t make you feel bad for something that you think, believe or do, even if it’s a mistake.
Laid-back — She’s very relaxed about everything.
Easy-going — This is the same as “laid-back” — it means “relaxed”!
OK. So Freya’s good fun. But perhaps sometimes she can get annoying! There are times when we need to be serious.
This is a good time to try to be like Delia.
Positive Personality Adjectives #4
Delia — the leader
Delia is the person we know who will probably become successful. She knows what she wants in life, and she has the power to take it! She may not have so many friends, but she takes pleasure from her success.
Why will Delia succeed? There are two main reasons for this:
Reason why Delia is a good leader #1
She has so much power in her. She’s an unstoppable force!
Ambitious — She has very high targets for herself in life.
Determined — She doesn’t quit, even when things get hard.
Passionate — She believes in her work and her success on an emotional level.
Persistent — She never gives up!
Decisive — She can make a decision quickly and confidently.
Reason why Delia is a good leader #2
She’s also not afraid of anything. Or anyone!
Courageous — She’s brave.
Fearless — She has no fear.
Basically, she’s like a superhero!
How to use personality adjectives
OK. So now you know 59 positive adjectives to describe people you like. Let’s take a look at a few different ways to use adjectives.
Let’s start with a simple adjective to describe someone:
funny
There are different ways we can use this word to describe a person.
If we simply want to describe the person directly, we can say:
She’s funny.
or
She’s a funny woman.
There isn’t much difference between these sentences. The only difference is that you have the freedom to use different words to describe the woman in the second example:
She’s a funny person.
She’s a funny friend.
She’s a funny boss.
But what if you don’t know this person? What if you just have the feeling that she might be funny?
The first thing to ask yourself is this: What gives you this feeling? Is it about her appearance or just a general feeling?
If it’s a general feeling, we can say:
She seems funny.
But if it’s about her appearance (she might be a clown), then we can say:
She looks funny.
or
She looks like a funny person.
Remember:
she looks + adjective
she looks like + (adjective) noun
Remember these adjectives forever
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For even more adjectives to describe people, check out these 30 English Words, Phrases and Idioms for Crazy.