Literary Character Types

noun a girl's name of Gaelic origin, meaning 'girl'

• Colleen is a dedicated employee who always completes her work on time.
• I heard Colleen is throwing a party next weekend, want to go?
• Colleen is so chill, she's always down for a good time.
• Colleen's smile lights up the room like a beacon of positivity.

noun a woman who has many casual sexual relationships or is perceived as sexually promiscuous

• The socialite was accused of being a floozy by the tabloids.
• I heard she's dating that floozy from the club.
• She's just a floozy looking for attention.
• Her reputation as a floozy preceded her wherever she went.

noun a member of a gang of criminals

adjective relating to or characteristic of a gangster

• The gangster was arrested for multiple counts of racketeering.
• That gangster is always causing trouble in the neighborhood.
• The gangster was flexing his new ride down the block.
• She's a gangster when it comes to negotiating business deals.

noun a person of the lowest social status, often used as a derogatory term

• The guttersnipe was seen rummaging through the trash cans in the alley.
• That guttersnipe is always causing trouble in the neighborhood.
• I can't believe that guttersnipe stole my bike!
• His behavior at the party was that of a social guttersnipe.

noun a virgin or young unmarried woman

• The maid cleaned the entire house before the guests arrived.
• I hired a maid to help with the housework.
• My friend works as a maid in a fancy hotel.
• She was the maid of honor at her best friend's wedding.

noun A son of one's sibling or half-sibling, or a son of one's spouse's sibling or half-sibling.

• My nephew is studying engineering at a prestigious university.
• I'm taking my nephew to the park this weekend.
• My nephew is such a cool dude, always up for an adventure.
• The new intern at work is like a nephew to me, I want to mentor and guide him.

noun a person or thing with no special or interesting qualities; an unimportant person or thing

• The new political candidate was dismissed as a nonentity by the established leaders.
• I don't pay attention to that nonentity, they don't have any influence.
• She's just a total nonentity in our social circle.
• In the grand scheme of things, we are all just nonentities compared to the vastness of the universe.

noun a mythological spirit of nature typically represented as a beautiful maiden

• In Greek mythology, a nymph is a minor female nature deity typically associated with a particular location or landform.
• I saw a beautiful water nymph swimming in the lake yesterday.
• That party was full of nature nymphs dancing around the bonfire.
• The ballerina moved across the stage with the grace of a nymph.

noun A newspaper columnist or writer who specializes in sentimental, emotional, or melodramatic stories, often focusing on human interest or personal tragedies.

• The journalist was often referred to as a sob sister because of her emotional writing style.
• Don't be such a sob sister, toughen up and deal with the situation.
• She's always playing the sob sister card to get sympathy from others.
• The character in the movie was portrayed as a sob sister, always seeking attention through tears.

noun a mechanical device for feeding fuel to a furnace

• The stoker carefully tended to the coal in the boiler to maintain the desired temperature.
• The stoker made sure the fire was burning hot in the furnace.
• The stoker was keeping the flames alive in the engine room.
• As a stoker of ideas, he fueled creativity in the team meetings.

noun a heavy footfall

verb to wander about on foot

• The tramp wandered the streets looking for a place to rest for the night.
• I saw a tramp digging through the trash cans for food.
• That tramp always knows where to find the best deals on clothes.
• Her mind wandered like a tramp, never staying on one thought for too long.

noun a person without a settled home or regular work who wanders from place to place

adjective having no settled home or regular work

• The city council passed a law to address the issue of vagrants sleeping in public parks.
• I saw a vagrant asking for change on the street corner.
• That vagrant is always hanging around the bus station.
• His thoughts wandered like a vagrant through the streets of his mind.

noun a person who considers themselves to be witty or clever, but is actually regarded as foolish or lacking in true wit

• The professor dismissed the witling's attempt at a sophisticated argument.
• The witling tried to act smart, but everyone saw through it.
• That witling is always trying to show off and impress people.
• She saw him as nothing more than a witling, incapable of deep thought or understanding.