Adjectives of Negative Personal Traits · Adjectives: Abstract Attributes

showing or taking too much pride in one's achievements or accomplishments

"He has a smug smile."

"He has a smug smile that makes people want to wipe it off his face."

overly satisfied or content with one's current situation or achievements, often to the point of neglecting potential risks or improvements

"Don't be complacent."

"The team became complacent after winning several games and stopped practicing as hard as they should have."

lacking confidence or courage

"The child is timid."

"The timid child hid behind his mother when strangers approached because he was afraid of meeting new people."

not fully developed mentally or emotionally, often resulting in behaviors or reactions that are childish

"His behavior is immature."

"His immature behavior at the meeting embarrassed everyone because he acted like a little child."

having or bringing bad luck

"I am unlucky today."

"The unlucky man missed his flight by five minutes and then the next available flight was not until the following morning at six am."

having a distrustful or negative outlook, often believing that people are motivated by self-interest

"He has a cynical view of politics."

"His cynical attitude about love made him doubt that true romance could ever exist in real life."

having an excessive interest in oneself, often accompanied by a lack of empathy for others

"She is narcissistic."

"She is narcissistic and posts dozens of selfies every day on her social media accounts."

(of a person) extremely careful with their choices and hard to please

"My son is a picky eater."

"My son is a picky eater and will only eat chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese."

easily offended, often reacting strongly to perceived slights or criticism

"Don't be so touchy."

"Do not be so touchy about every little criticism because people are just trying to help you improve."

behaving in a way that is immature or typical of a child

"His behavior is childish."

"His childish behavior annoyed the teacher because he was supposed to act like a mature adult."

lacking compassion, empathy, or decency, often being cruel or brutal

"The treatment was inhuman."

"The treatment was inhuman and caused terrible suffering to the prisoners held in the camp."

taking great pride in one's abilities, appearance, etc.

"She is very vain."

"The vain woman spent hours looking at herself in the mirror and she took hundreds of selfies every day."

lacking responsibility or purposeful direction

"The workers were idle."

"He spent his formative years in an idle state, unsure of his future path or career aspirations."

unreasonably scared of other people or thinking that they are trying to cause harm

"He is paranoid."

"His constant suspicion and belief that everyone was plotting against him indicated a deeply paranoid state."

supporting total and extreme social or political changes

"He wants radical change."

"The activist advocated for radical changes to address systemic inequalities within the community."

holding or promoting extreme opinions in politics, religion, etc.

"He is extremist."

"The politician's extremist rhetoric alienated moderate voters and jeopardized his party's chances of forming a coalition."

supporting traditional values and beliefs and not willing to accept any contradictory change

"He is conservative."

"Her conservative views on social issues often clashed with the more progressive opinions of her peers."

displaying excessive attachment or control over people or things they consider their own

"He is possessive."

"His possessive nature made him constantly question her whereabouts and who she was talking to."

(of a person) behaving in an uncontrollable and irrational manner

"The child was wild."

"After consuming too much sugar, the normally calm child became quite wild and uncontrollable."

lacking courage, typically avoiding difficult or dangerous situations

"His actions were cowardly."

"His actions were cowardly because he ran away instead of facing the consequences of what he had done."

having an overly high opinion of oneself, often accompanied by a sense of arrogance

"He felt proud."

"Despite his numerous accomplishments, he maintained a humble demeanor, never appearing overly proud of his achievements."