Describing People: Personality
There are a lot of techniques that we can use to talk about people. Choosing the right word can help us understand what we think about someone.
Learning words to describe people can help us understand vocabulary better. There are usually pairs of words with opposite meanings. Learning them together can help you increase your vocabulary.
Some positive words we can use:
active = prefer moving to sitting still
Opposite: inactive
Example: My grandmother is 85, but she is still active. She goes to the supermarket every day!
ambitious = have a strong desire, or drive, to achieve goals, power, or wealth
Opposite: lazy, unambitious, unmotivated
My older brother is so ambitious. He started his own company at 20 years old.
calm = peaceful, quiet, no excitement or strong emotions
Opposite: excited, anxious
Example: My father is always calm. Even when there are big problems, he never panics.
caring = showing kindness, empathy, or concern for others
Opposite: uncaring, thoughtless, unfeeling
Example: She is a caring person. She always checks in on her elderly neighbor.
cheerful = always in good spirits or looking on the bright side; happy, optimistic
Opposite: gloomy, depressed, unhappy
Example: The lady at the convenience store is always cheerful. She always greets me with a warm smile.
clever = learns quickly, can come up with new ideas, can do things with skill or intelligence
Opposite: stupid, ignorant, unintelligent
Example: Bruce is really clever. I always talk to him about when I have a problem I cannot solve.
confident = trust your own abilities or judgement
Opposite: shy, timid, unsure
Example: Olivia is one of the most confident people I know. She always takes on challenges with a positive attitude.
cool = calm under pressure, confident, authentic
Opposite: uptight, intense, needy, anxious
Example: I admire Melissa. She always stays cool. She made a mistake at work, then quickly apologized and fixed the problem. I would have worried about it all day.
creative = can create new or original ideas, uses imagination to make something new
Opposite: uncreative, unoriginal, dull
Example: Liam is really creative. He paints unique landscapes that look amazing.
easygoing = flexible, doesn’t follow rules strictly, not easily worried
Opposite: strict, uptight, demanding
Example: The new manager is surprisingly easygoing. She let me go home early yesterday.
energetic = full of energy, active, enthusiastic
Opposite: inactive, lazy
Example: My dog is so energetic. He always wants to go to the park and run around.
focused = direct your attention without being distracted
Opposite: unfocused, distracted, scattered
Example: The CEO is really focused and ambitious. He has big plans for the company.
friendly = kind, pleasant, helpful, welcoming toward others
Opposite: unfriendly, shy, cold
Example: I asked some kids at the park if I could play basketball with them. They were really friendly. They let me play. It was fun!
funny = make someone laugh, or smile
Opposite: serious
Example: Daisy brought her friend to dinner. Her friend was really funny. We laughed all night.
hard-working = a person who is committed to their work and puts in a lot of effort
Opposite: lazy
Example: The hard-working students studied all week for their test.
honest = doesn’t lie, truthful, sincere
Opposite: dishonest, untrustworthy, insincere
Example: I like William. He is honest. He never lied to me.
imaginitive = has a good imagination, can think of original ideas
Opposite: uncreative, boring, ordinary
Example: The imaginative child built so many things with toy blocks.
Note: Imaginative means that you think about things a lot. Creative means that you are imaginative and you make things with your imagination. Imaginative comes from “imagine”. Creative comes from “create”.
independent = do not rely on others, free from outside control, self-reliant
Opposite: dependent, reliant
Example: He lived by himself for 10 years, so he is pretty independent.
intelligent = smart; the ability to learn, understand, or think logically
Opposite: unintelligent, stupid, dumb
Example: Mike is really intelligent. He learned how to do his job quickly and became really successful.
kind = caring, gentle, thoughtful, compassionate
Opposite: mean, harsh, nasty, unkind
Example: My neighbor is really kind. She brings me oranges from her garden every year.
logical = does thigns based on clear reasons; sensible, reasonable; follows rules of logic
Opposite: illogical, nonsensical
Example: Max is a logical guy. He thinks about the pros and cons before making big decisions.
modest = does not boast or seek attention; having a moderate estimation of one’s own abilities, achievements, or importance
Opposite: arrogant, immodest, flashy
Example: The actress is very modest. She praised the director, the other actors, and the crew for the success of the movie.
optimistic = being hopeful, confident, or positive about the future
Opposite: pessimistic
Example: When I feel sad, I always hang out with Jack. He is optimistic. He really cheers me up.
outgoing = friendly, talkative, and likes to meet new people
Opposite: shy, reserved, quiet, introverted
Example: I met an outgoing guy at the party. He actually talked to everyone!
patient = can remain calm; endure difficulties or delays without becoming annoyed, anxious, or angry
Opposite: impatient
Example: The patient teacher helped the young student understand the difficult math problem.
responsible = you can be trusted, you will do the thing that you have to do
Opposite: irresponsible
Example: Lisa is a responsible employee. We know that she will do any task we assign hre correctly.
romantic = loving and affectionate, treat someone you love with special attention
Opposite: cold, unromantic, unsentimental
Example: My husband is so romantic. He always buys me flowers unexpectedly.
sensible = to make decisions based on practical reasons or good judgment
Opposite: unreasonable
Example: Tina is usually very sensible. She drives an older car because it doesn’t have any mechanical problems.
sociable = enjoys spending time with others, friendly, outgoing
Opposite: antisocial, introverted, unsociable
Example: Jay is really sociable. He goes to parties every weekend. He loves being around people.
sympathetic = show care or understanding for others’ difficult situations
Opposite: unsympathetic, unfeeling, indifferent
Example: My sympathetic coworker talked to me and gave me some good advice when I had a big problem at work.
warmhearted = kind and caring towards others
Opposite: cold-hearted, unkind, heartless
Example: My warmhearted neighbor brought me cookies and introduced herself when she moved in.
Some negative words we can use:
arrogant = believe that you are more important, better, or smarter than other people
Opposite: humble, modest
Example: Noah is pretty arrogant. He just started working here, but he acts like he is the manager.
bad-tempered = become angry, annoyed, or irritated easily
Opposite: easygoing, amiable, good-natured
Example: The bad-tempered teacher shouted at the students when they showed up late.
bossy = controlling, telling others what to do
Opposite: easygoing, cooperative
Example: Mia can be bossy. She is always telling what to do.
cold = unfriendly, distant, unexpressive
Opposite: warm, friendly, approachable
Example: Robert is a nice guy, but sometimes he can be cold.
greedy = selfish, wants more than is fair or necessary, does not share
Opposite: generous, charitable
Example: William is so greedy! He ate 7 slices of pizza. Everyone else only got 1.
impatient = easily and quickly annoyed or irritated, restless, cannot wait
Opposite: patient, easygoing, calm
Example: Emma can be a bit impatient. It took me 2 minutes to find my keys, but she got angry.
indecisive = can never make decisions
Opposite: decisive, confident
Example: I wanted to have dinner with Alice, but she is so indecisive. It took her 2 hours to choose a restaurant.
jealous = suspicious, insecure, or possessive
Opposite: secure, trusting
Example: Joseph can be kind of jealous. He always asks his girlfriend who she is with.
mean = unkind, stingy, rude to others
Opposite: kind, friendly, generous
Example: Emily was mean when she was young, but she is kind now.
moody = someone whose moods change quickly and unpredictably
Opposite: predictable, cheerful, even-tempered
Example: Nancy can be hard to be around. She is moody. One minute she is happy, the next she is crying.
nervous = anxious, sensitive, easily worried
Opposite: calm, confident, relaxed, easygoing
Example: Anthony tends to be nervous. You have to be careful when you explain things to him.
pessimistic = a person who focuses on negative things, someone who thinks about things in a hopeless way
Opposite: optimistic
Example: Donald is pretty pessimistic. He thinks that new technology will destroy our world.
picky = someone who is hard to please, someone who likes a small range of things, hard-to-please, fussy, selective, choosy
Opposite: flexible, adventurous, easygoing
Example: I am pretty picky about food. I don’t like mushrooms, eggplant, apples, and so many other foods.
rebellious = a person who doesn’t follow rules, someone who is difficult to manage
Opposite: obedient, compliant, submissive
Example: A lot of children are rebellious when they are young. When they grow up, they tend to follow the rules.
reckless = people who act without thinking, people who do not care about danger, people who put others in danger with their actions
Opposite: cautious, careful, responsible
Example: Andrew can be reckless. He often uses his phone when he is driving.
secretive = someone who always hides their feelings, thoughts, intentions, or actions
Opposite: open, frank, transparent, communicative
Example: Donna is pretty secretive about her life. I don’t know anything about her.
selfish = “me first”, someone who only thinks about themselves, someone who acts in their own self-interest
Opposite: selfless, considerate, unselfish
Example: The selfish guy took all the candy and didn’t share it with anyone else.
stubborn = will not change their opinion or attitude even when given reasonable evidence or advice
Opposite: flexible, open-minded, easygoing
Example: My friend is very stubborn. I told him that he needed to sleep more. He didn’t listen. Now he is sick.
touchy = easily offended or upset, thin-skinned, defensive
Opposite: easy-going, laid-back
Example: Be careful what you say around Michelle. She is touchy about her relationship status.
two-faced = someone who acts kind to someone, but speaks negatively about them when they are not there
Opposite: sincere, genuine, honest, open
Example: I don’t trust Brian. I think he is two-faced. I heard he said some bad things about me to Sharon.
unpredictable = you do not know what they will do next. unreliable
Opposite: predictable, reliable, stable
Example:
vain = having a high opinion of your own appearance, abilities, or achievements
Opposite: modest, humble
Example: Angela is the most vain person I know. She thinks she is the most beautiful person in the world.
How to use the words
When we describe people, we want to use the words that match their personality. We often choose positive words for people that we like or love. We often choose negative words for people we do not like or hate. It is natural to give an example to show why you chose that word for that person.
My mom is so caring. She always makes sure everyone in the family is OK.
My clever coworker helped me fix the problem easily.
My boss is mean. He knew that I was sick, but he made me work overtime.
We can use multiple words to create a better idea of what someone is like.
My father is hardworking and independent. He remodeled our whole house by himself.
My neighbor is moody and pessimistic. He only talks about the problems in our neighborhood.
We can use multiple words and include a negative word to give even better descriptions. We often use words like “can be” instead of “is”, “a little” or “kind of” to soften the word, and “sometimes” to show that they are not always like that.
My friend is kind and patient, but sometimes he can bekind ofstubborn.
My coworker is intelligent and creative, but he can bearrogant.
Lisa is optimistic. She always sees the bright side of things. Sometimes, she is a bit selfish. She always chooses where we go when we go out.
How to soften the negative words
These go from stronger to more gentle:
He is mean.
He is kind of mean.
He is sometimes mean.
He can be mean.
He can be kind of mean.
He is kind of mean, sometimes.
He sometimes can be a bit mean.
Now, practice.
Try talking about the people in your life:
What is [person] like?
People: your mother, your father, your sister, your brother, your grandmother, your grandfather, your best friend, your boss, your neighbor, and so on…
Example:
What is your best friend like?
My best friend is funny and confident, but he can be a bit mean. He loves telling stories!
What is your grandfather like?
My grandfather is hard-working and serious. Sometimes, he can be strict. He always made good plans and finished his projects on time!
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