Personal 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."

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."

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."

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."

showing a desire to harm, annoy, or hurt someone on purpose

"Her comment was spiteful."

"The spiteful classmate spread rumors about the new student because she was jealous that everyone liked him more than they liked her."

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."

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."

(of a person) overly particular about small details, making one challenging to please

"The cat is finicky."

"The finicky cat refused to eat any food that was not her favorite brand and she would sniff the bowl and walk away."

consistently putting in the necessary time and energy to achieve one's goals

"She is a diligent student."

"The diligent student studied every night for weeks and earned an A on the final exam."

very determined and not giving up easily

"She is tenacious."

"Her tenacious spirit allowed her to overcome numerous obstacles on her path to success."

characterized by kindness, politeness, and a warm, welcoming demeanor

"She was gracious in defeat."

"She was gracious in defeat and congratulated the winner with a warm smile on her face."

having a plain and sometimes harsh way of expressing thoughts or opinions

"He is often blunt and honest."

"The blunt doctor told the patient that he needed to lose weight or he would die soon."

adhering to ethical principles and moral behavior

"He is an upright citizen."

"He is an upright citizen who always pays his taxes on time and obeys every law."