Looking for just the right words to express a person’s characteristics or personality? This giant list provides ample ideas to give your students’ (or your own) writing some sparkle and pizzazz. You’ll find positive and negative adjectives to describe a person, words to portray their personality and behavior, plus a selection of truly unique descriptors.
Positive Adjectives To Describe a Person
| Adjective | Definition |
|---|---|
| Agreeable | Pleasant or easy to get along with |
| Amiable | Friendly and pleasant in manner |
| Appealing | Attractive or pleasing to the senses or mind |
| Astute | Sharp-witted, clever, or perceptive |
| Authentic | Genuine, real, or true |
| Bighearted | Kind, generous, or compassionate |
| Bright | Intelligent, quick-witted, or intellectually sharp |
| Comfortable | Providing physical ease and relaxation |
| Content | Satisfied or at ease with a situation |
| Cultured | Refined in taste and manners |
| Curious | Eager to learn or know about something |
| Cute | Charming or attractive in a delicate way |
| Dashing | Stylish, confident, and attractive in appearance |
| Defiant | Boldly resistant or challenging authority or norms |
| Delightful | Highly pleasing or enjoyable |
| Discerning | Showing good judgment or insight |
| Educated | Having been formally taught and knowledgeable |
| Experienced | Having knowledge or skill from practice or observation |
| Fabulous | Extremely pleasing or impressive |
| Fanciful | Imaginative or whimsical |
| Farsighted | Showing good judgment about the future |
| Fashionable | Stylish and up-to-date in clothing or appearance |
| Friendly | Warm, kind, or affable towards others |
| Generous | Willing to give or share freely |
| Gentle | Kind, mild, or tender in manner or behavior |
| Gifted | Possessing natural talent or ability |
| Hopeful | Optimistic or expecting a positive outcome |
| Humble | Modest or unpretentious in attitude or behavior |
| Illustrious | Highly distinguished or famous |
| Incisive | Sharp or penetrating in thought or expression |
| Intelligent | Possessing mental acuity or keen understanding |
| Joyful | Full of happiness or delight |
| Knowledgeable | Well-informed or possessing expertise |
| Likable | Pleasant or easy to like |
| Lucky | Fortunate or having good luck |
| Mature | Fully developed physically or mentally; responsible |
| Popular | Liked, admired, or accepted by many people |
| Professional | Conforming to the standards of a profession |
| Punctual | Being on time or prompt in action or arrival |
| Qualified | Meeting the necessary requirements or standards |
| Resilient | Able to recover quickly from difficulties or setbacks |
| Resourceful | Skilled at finding ways to deal with challenges |
| Smart | Intelligent or clever |
| Steady | Reliable, consistent, or constant in behavior or performance |
| Strong | Physically or mentally robust; having power or influence |
| Talented | Possessing natural aptitude or skill |
| Teachable | Willing and able to learn or be taught |
| Unaffected | Not influenced or changed by external factors |
| Well-respected | Held in high regard by others |
Style | Adjectives To Describe A Person
In this category, we’re going to focus on the way they present themselves. How they prefer to dress.
1. Comfortable
Wearing clothes that they can easily move around in and do anything with.
-> They are lustrous in colour, supple, light, warm and comfortable to wear.
2. Timeless
Having a style that doesn’t take much time, either everything they own matches or little thought is put into it.
-> Instead, three-piece dressing is all about creating movement in clothing, an essential component of timeless style, according to Gayla Bentley.
3. Trendy
Their styles often change to fit modern trends.
-> He had a trendy haircut, an earring and designer stubble.
4. Figure-Hugging
Their clothes fit them perfectly, showing their figure.
-> She slipped on a figure-hugging black dress and adorned the outfit with a bold selection of costume jewellery.
5. Professional
They look like they may be attending an important meeting constantly.
-> A lawyer is a professional man.
6. Bold
With their style, they easily stand out from the crowd.
-> He was a bold and defiant little boy.
Some words to describe your attitude
Defining your professional attitude helps hiring managers learn how you interact with others in the workplace. Here is a long list of words to describe your work attitude as you speak with potential employers:
- Confident
- Kind
- Empathetic
- Patient
- Considerate
- Courageous
- Genuine
- Humble
- Dynamic
- Independent
- Enthusiastic
- Direct
- Generous
- Intelligent
- Friendly
- Witty
- Passionate
- Truthful
- Straightforward
- Sociable
Some words to describe your personality
- Adventurous
- Happy
- Pleasant
- Introverted
- Extroverted
- Honest
- Cheerful
- Bright
- Warmhearted
- Intuitive
- Optimistic
- Helpful
- Loving
- Gentle
- Energetic
Unique Adjectives To Describe a Person
- Adaptable
- Affable
- Analytical
- Belligerent
- Bigheaded
- Calculating
- Candid
- Cantankerous
- Capricious
- Charismatic
- Circumspect
- Complex
- Convivial
- Cordial
- Courtly
- Crafty
- Crotchety
- Dauntless
- Delicate
- Dynamic
- Ebullient
- Eccentric
- Erudite
- Ethereal
- Exuberant
- Fervent
- Finicky
- Forthright
- Frank
- Freewheeling
- Funky
- Genial
- Giddy
- Glib
- Gregarious
- Kooky
- Philosophical
- Pigheaded
- Pioneering
- Placid
- Plucky
- Quick-witted
Negative Adjectives To Describe a Person
. Disheveled
Have you ever woken up in a panic because you’re late for class? You have no time to get ready, so you simply run out the door as you are, with your hair a mess and your clothes wrinkled. Yeah, that’s a disheveled look.
I knew something was wrong when his usually neat appearance was replaced by a disheveled one.
. Grimy
When you place your hand on a table only to realize it’s sticky and full of dirt, you can describe that table as grimy. Therefore, someone with a grimy appearance looks, well, dirty and perhaps as if they haven’t showered in a few days.
My toddler returned from his park play date grimy and covered from head to toe in mud.
. Scrawny
Someone who is scrawny is “exceptionally thin, bony, and fragile-looking.” It’s what high-school boys sometimes call each other when they’re at the gym lifting weights.
I told Jeff that when I was thirteen, I was scrawny too, and I didn’t get muscles until I had been working out for three years straight!
. Slovenly
If you have an important interview, the last thing you want to do is look slovenly, which means “untidy, careless, and dirty in appearance.”
After the breakup, I was in a slovenly state for a few months.
Personality
. Bitter
You may want to avoid bitter people because they’re “angry, resentful, and cynical” and often try to get you to be the same way.
The runner-up was bitter when I won first place, but I was friendly toward him either way.
. Brash
Someone brash is overly assertive and aggressively confident, like that coworker who got fired for constantly telling the boss how things would improve if he were the one in charge.
His brash personality was really hard to get used to, so I had to transfer to another department.
. Dull
Dull is another way to say boring. Hopefully, no one will ever call you this, as that would mean you’re uninteresting.
We broke up because he was dull and never wanted to do anything fun with me.
. Lackadaisical
Someone who is lackadaisical is “carelessly lazy and never has any enthusiasm.”
While we were all excited about the party, Jerry was lackadaisical and brought everyone down.
. Miserly
Someone who is miserly is “greedy and extremely stingy with money.” In other words, don’t expect your miserly coworker to pitch in to buy your boss a bouquet of get-well flowers.
Betty is miserly, so I knew she wouldn’t want to donate anything to charity.
. Pompous
Pompous people are no fun because they think they’re better than everyone else.
No one wanted to be around Lucas since he was always so pompous.
some questions about adjectives
-
What is the function of adjectives in a sentence?
Adjectives modify or describe nouns or pronouns, providing more information about their qualities, characteristics, or attributes. -
Can you differentiate between attributive and predicative adjectives?
Attributive adjectives directly modify the noun they describe and usually precede the noun, while predicative adjectives follow a linking verb and describe the subject. -
How do adjectives agree with nouns in gender, number, and case in languages with grammatical gender?
Adjectives in such languages must match the gender, number, and case of the nouns they modify. This means they change their form to agree with the noun they describe. -
Provide examples of adjectives that denote color.
Examples include "red," "blue," "green," "yellow," "orange," "black," "white," etc. -
How can adjectives be used to compare objects or individuals?
Adjectives can be used in comparative or superlative forms to compare the qualities or characteristics of two or more objects or individuals. For example, "taller," "more beautiful," "most intelligent." -
Explain the difference between qualitative and quantitative adjectives.
Qualitative adjectives describe the quality or nature of a noun, such as "beautiful" or "intelligent," while quantitative adjectives indicate the quantity or amount, such as "many" or "few." -
In what ways do adjectives contribute to creating vivid imagery in writing?
Adjectives add detail and specificity to descriptions, allowing readers to visualize scenes, characters, or objects more vividly. They evoke sensory experiences and help create a more immersive reading experience. -
Discuss the role of adjectives in enhancing specificity and detail in descriptions.
Adjectives provide specific details about nouns, allowing writers to convey nuances and paint a clearer picture in the reader's mind. They help avoid ambiguity and make descriptions more precise. -
How do adjectives play a role in forming compound nouns or adjectival phrases?
Adjectives can be combined with nouns to form compound nouns, such as "bluebird" or "red carpet." They can also form adjectival phrases that function as modifiers, such as "extremely talented" or "surprisingly fast." -
Can you identify any common errors or pitfalls when using adjectives in writing or speech?
Common errors include overusing adjectives, using vague or imprecise adjectives, or mismatching adjectives with the nouns they modify. It's important to choose adjectives carefully and ensure they enhance rather than detract from the clarity and effectiveness of the writing.
