Describing Human Traits: English Vocabulary List

able to take care of oneself without needing help from others

"My son is very self-reliant."

"The self reliant teenager cooked his own meals and did his own laundry without any help."

(of a man or his manners) behaving with courtesy and politeness toward women

"He was gallant to her."

"The gallant knight rescued the princess from the dragon and returned her to the castle safely."

showing sensibility and wisdom, especially in avoiding risks or making decisions

"It is prudent to save money."

"It is prudent to save some money every month for unexpected emergencies like car repairs or medical bills."

(of interpersonal relations) behaving with friendliness and without disputing

"The divorce was amicable."

"The amicable divorce allowed both parents to remain friends and share custody of their children equally."

showing kindness and generosity

"The king was a benevolent ruler."

"The benevolent millionaire donated millions of dollars to build schools in poor villages in Africa."

exaggerated or overly emotional in a theatrical or sensational way

"Stop being so melodramatic."

"Stop being so melodramatic about the broken nail because it is really not that serious at all."

failing to act with the appropriate level of care or attention, often resulting in harm or damage to others

"The driver was negligent."

"The negligent driver caused a serious accident because he was texting on his phone while driving."

refusing or rejecting something with a feeling of superiority or contempt

"She gave a disdainful look."

"She gave a disdainful look at the cheap shoes and said she would never wear such rubbish."

(of a person) likely to change their mind or feelings in a senseless manner too frequently

"Her mood is fickle."

"The fickle weather changed from sunny to rainy to snowy in just one single afternoon yesterday."

having a sullen, gloomy, or pessimistic disposition

"He has been morose all day."

"The morose teenager sat alone in his room and refused to talk to anyone all day."

bad-tempered, gloomy, and usually silent

"The sullen teenager refused to talk."

"The sullen child crossed his arms and refused to eat his vegetables at dinner time again."

characterized by an excessive or self-centered focus on one's own interests, needs, or desires

"His egoistic behavior annoys everyone."

"His egoistic behavior annoyed everyone at the party because he only talked about himself all night."

lacking in politeness, courtesy, or good manners

"It was ungracious of you to leave early."

"It was ungracious of you to leave the party without saying thank you to the host."

showing or having an insensitive and cruel disregard for the feelings or suffering of others

"His callous remark hurt her feelings."

"The callous remark about her weight made her cry and she left the room immediately."

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."

stubborn and unwilling to change one's behaviors, opinions, views, etc. despite other people's reasoning and persuasion

"The obstinate child refused to eat."

"The obstinate child refused to wear a coat even though it was freezing cold outside."

having strong, unreasonable, and unfair opinions or attitudes, especially about a particular race or religion, and refusing to listen to different opinions or ideas

"His bigoted views are wrong."

"The politician's bigoted remarks about immigrants caused widespread outrage and condemnation from human rights organizations."

clever in deceiving or tricking others

"The cat made a sly move toward the bird."

"The sly fox crept into the chicken coop and stole three eggs without waking the farmer."

showing strong support for a person, cause, or belief

"She is a staunch supporter of the team."

"She is a staunch supporter of the local animal shelter and volunteers there every single weekend."

charming, sweet, or appealing in an innocent way

"She has a winsome smile."

"The winsome puppy wags its tail every time someone walks by hoping for a treat or a pat."