Words To Describe Character Traits

12 words in this vocabulary list

adjective lacking art, skill, or knowledge; showing a lack of art or knowledge

  • Her artless demeanor made her seem naive and innocent.
  • He's so artless, he'll believe anything you tell him.
  • I can't stand that artless girl who always tries to act cute.
  • His artless lies were easily detected by those who knew him well.

noun a coward

adjective cowardly; lacking courage

  • His craven behavior during the battle was met with disdain by his fellow soldiers.
  • I can't believe how craven he was when confronted with a simple challenge.
  • Don't be such a craven, just face your fears and do it!
  • Her craven attitude towards taking risks held her back from reaching her full potential.

verb refraining from acting

adjective showing patient and unruffled self-control

  • The teacher commended the student for being forbearing in the face of criticism.
  • I admire how forbearing you are with your annoying coworker.
  • She's so forbearing, she never lets anything get to her.
  • The old tree stood forbearing in the storm, its branches bending but never breaking.

noun the quality or state of being ignoble; lack of honor or dignity

  • The ignobility of his actions brought shame upon his family.
  • I can't believe the ignobility of that guy's behavior.
  • That dude's ignobility is off the charts.
  • The ignobility of the situation cast a dark shadow over the entire event.

adjective arrogantly domineering or overbearing

  • The imperious tone of the CEO made it clear that his orders were not to be questioned.
  • She has such an imperious attitude, always acting like she's better than everyone else.
  • The bouncer gave me an imperious look and told me I couldn't come in without ID.
  • The storm clouds gathered in an imperious manner, signaling the impending downpour.

noun a person of high rank by birth or title

adjective having or showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles

  • The nobleman was known for his charitable deeds and honorable behavior.
  • She's always been a noble friend, willing to help out whenever needed.
  • That dude is a real noble dude, always looking out for his crew.
  • The sunset painted the sky in noble shades of orange and pink.

adjective characterized by or showing servile complaisance or deference; fawning

  • The obsequious servant eagerly awaited his master's next command.
  • She always acts so obsequious around her boss, it's kind of annoying.
  • I can't stand how obsequious he is, always sucking up to the teacher.
  • The politician's obsequious behavior towards the wealthy donors was transparent to everyone.

adjective clever or cunning in a humorous way

  • The professor's pawky sense of humor often left his students puzzled.
  • I love how pawky your jokes are, they always make me laugh.
  • Her pawky comments had everyone in stitches.
  • The novel's protagonist had a pawky personality that charmed everyone he met.

noun a sedate and respectable person

adjective serious, boring, or old-fashioned

  • The staid board members were not amused by the comedian's jokes during the meeting.
  • The staid old professor fell asleep during the boring lecture.
  • The staid party was a total snooze fest.
  • Her staid personality was like a calm lake, never showing any ripples of emotion.

noun a person or thing that reveals information or gives evidence of something

adjective revealing, indicating, or betraying something

  • The telltale signs of climate change are becoming more evident with each passing year.
  • She knew he was lying by the telltale twitch in his eye.
  • The telltale smell of cigarette smoke lingered in the room.
  • The telltale heart in Edgar Allan Poe's famous story symbolizes the guilt of the narrator.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

verb a word that expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun

adverb a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb

pronoun a word that can function by itself as a noun phrase and that refers either to the participants in the discourse or to someone or something mentioned elsewhere in the discourse

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence

conjunction a word that connects words, phrases, or clauses

article a word that is used to indicate whether a noun is specific or unspecific

  • Despite her impeccable reputation, she was no angel when it came to business dealings.
  • Sure, she may seem sweet, but trust me, she's no angel.
  • Don't be fooled by his innocent face, he's no angel.
  • In the competitive world of politics, there can be no angels if you want to survive.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun

article a word that is used to specify a noun as definite or indefinite

  • Her research methods were like a closed book to me.
  • I don't understand calculus at all, it's like a closed book to me.
  • Physics is a closed book for me, I just can't get it.
  • His emotions are like a closed book, I can never tell what he's thinking.