What is his character like in English? Human character in English

Describing a person's qualities is no less important than describing his appearance. There are dozens of words that can be used to describe character traits in English, and each one has a different connotation.

The desire and desire to learn as much vocabulary as possible regarding a person’s personal qualities is a chance to make your speech more varied and rich, as well as an opportunity to improve communication skills and the ability to convey as accurate information as possible to your interlocutor.

Asking a question about a person's character

To ask your interlocutor to describe someone's character in English, two phrases are most often used:

What kind of person is she/he? - What kind of person is she (he)?

What is she/he like - What is her (his) character?

No less interesting is the fact that character in English can be expressed by two concepts - personality And character. Personality refers to a person’s innate personal qualities, while character refers to character traits formed throughout life. There is a fine line between these two terms, so context is key when using them.

Jim resembles his father both in looks and personality - Jim resembles his father both in appearance and character.

Mary showed a really strong character having done all the work in spite of her illness. - Mary showed really strong character when she did all the work despite her illness.

Adjectives in English that characterize a person

All adjectives that describe character can be divided into several groups depending on the specific side of the personality.

Attitude to life

The most general group that allows you to describe your mood and view of the world. Includes the qualities of a person in English given in the table below.

Intellectual abilities

Character descriptions in English can relate to a person’s level of intelligence and thinking. To talk about this side of your personality in a positive way, you can use the adjectives listed in the table below.

There are also many words in English for negative characteristics.

Attitude towards people

Describing a person’s character from the point of view of his attitude towards other people implies knowledge of more than a dozen corresponding adjectives. For comfortable perception and memorization, they prefer to be presented in the form of a table of antonyms. Below are the most important character traits to remember in English with translation.

friendly / unfriendly	friendly/unfriendly, hostile
kind / malicious, mean	kind angry
affable, amiable/severe	friendly, amiable/hard, stern, ungracious
warm / cool-tempered, hard-nosed	warm, pleasant, welcoming / hard, unfriendly
	cute, nice, good/terrible
generous / greedy, avid	generous/greedy
sensitive / insensitive, tactless	tactful, sensitive / tactless, insensitive
pleasant / disagreeable	pleasant/unpleasant
	funny, interesting/boring
brave, courageous/cowardly	brave, courageous/cowardly
polite/discourteous	polite / impolite, ill-mannered
honest / mendacious, lying	honest / deceitful
sociable, gregarious / shy	sociable, sociable / shy
compliant / quarrelsome, argumentative	compromising, accommodating/quarrelsome, constantly arguing
calm, even-tempered / quick-tempered, impetuous	calm, reserved / hot-tempered, unrestrained
faithful / flippant, unstable	loyal / flighty
trustworthy, reliable/unreliable	reliable / unreliable
sincere / hypocritical	sincere / hypocritical
straightforward / reserved	straightforward, outspoken/secretive, reserved
good-mannered / ill-mannered	well-mannered / ill-mannered
	soft/cruel
benevolent / jealous, envious	benevolent/jealous, envious

Attitude to work

In some cases, another group of terms is identified to describe a person’s character in English. The words below allow you to characterize the business qualities and attitude of the subject of conversation to work or study.

Names of character traits that are similar in meaning, but with different ratings

When describing character in English, you can give different evaluative meanings to the same quality. In some cases, one character trait can be described both positively and negatively - and in this case it is necessary to choose the right word more carefully. Examples are in the table below.

Human character and temperament

Knowledge of temperament types is more relevant today than ever - and the ability to describe each of them in English can sooner or later be useful to everyone. As a rule, temperament refers to a complex of reactions and inclinations of a person in various situations, and each of the four types recognized today is characterized by a certain set of adjectives.

Choleric (a choleric person)

People with this type of temperament are open, active, cheerful and purposeful, but at the same time they have an explosive, impulsive character. The following words and expressions are often used to describe this type in English:

a man of moods- man of moods

joyous- cheerful

impulsive- impulsive

active- active

energetic- energetic

irritablev- irritable

ambitious- ambitious

Sanguine person

Sanguine people are cheerful, welcoming and friendly, but at the same time very balanced and calm people. To characterize this temperament in English, the following words are relevant:

the life and soul of the party- sole of company

even-tempered- balanced

friendly- friendly

calm- calm

curious- inquisitive

positive- positive

creative- creative

A phlegmatic person

Phlegmatic people behave very reservedly and calmly in any situation, make informed decisions and have difficulty getting close to people. In English this type can be described by the following adjectives:

patient- patient

good-hearted- good-natured

quiet- quiet calm

equitable-balanced

well-balanced- durable

peaceful- peaceful

reserved- closed

noncommunicative- uncommunicative

reliable- reliable

Melancholic person

Reasonable, but at the same time sensitive people with a very deep inner world and a tendency to frequent experiences. The following words will help describe this type of temperament:

sensitive- impressionable

restless- restless

thin-skinned- vulnerable

deep- deep

acute- subtle, insightful

harmonious- harmonious

Idioms to describe character in English

To give speech more liveliness and brightness in character descriptions, the use of idioms and phrasal verbs is encouraged. The most popular designs are:

• a social butterfly - a very open, sociable, friendly person;
• a cheapskate - miser, miser;
• a go-getter - an enterprising, purposeful person;
• a fuddy-duddy is a grumbler, always dissatisfied with everything;
• a know-it-all - know-it-all, smart guy;
• a wet blanket - bore, grumbler, misanthrope;
• neither fish nor flesh - neither fish nor meat;
• a worrywart - a suspicious person;
• a heart of gold - a heart of gold;
• a memory like a sieve - leaky memory;
• to have a lot of faults - to have many shortcomings;
• yes-man - sycophant, sang along;
• a nice fellow - darling, charming one.

New idioms and expressions that describe character appear in the English language all the time. Regular search for new phrases and words and repetition of those already learned will significantly expand your vocabulary and learn more about word formation in English.

Hello! Very often, when we are asked to describe ourselves or another person in English, we limit ourselves to a verbal depiction of appearance. Meanwhile, a person is a versatile personality, with his own character traits and other characterizing features. Without using these words, you cannot tell anything about a person as an individual.

Describing a person in English

In the vast majority of cases, in order to talk about a person, we use characterizing adjectives. In this article, I tried to collect the most popular adjectives that can be used to describe a man or girl as an individual. For this purpose, you can use words that are part of the following categories:

1. Character traits:

• Personality traits
• Mental capacity
• Strong-willed qualities
• Attitude towards other people, towards property, towards work

Dictionary for describing appearance in English Adjectives characterizing a person in English

When talking about appearance, we describe height, age, voice, clothing. For example, growth can be high ( tall), short ( short) or average ( medium), and age - elderly or old ( old), middle-aged ( middle-aged) and young ( young). Speaking about the voice, you can indicate that it is hoarse (cracked), voiced ( crisp) or melodic ( tuneful).

A smile can be charming ( engaging), charming ( charming) and sincere ( sincere) or vice versa, cunning ( cunning), played out ( forced) and insincere ( artificial). You also need to express your own opinion about how a person looks, using the following adjectives:

• winsome - attractive
• agreeable - pleasant
• stylish - fashionable
• dapper - neat (only about men),
• lovely-looking - delightful
• awkward - clumsy
• untidy-looking - sloppy

Adjectives about character traits

Describing a personality in English involves talking about character traits, habits and preferences. Sides of character can be both positive (intelligent, optimistic, extroverted) and negative (stupid, pessimistic, introverted). And sometimes the same feature, depending on intonation and context, can be both positive and negative (determined, thrifty, obstinate).

When characterizing an individual, do not forget to clarify why you call him that. For example, when you say that a girl is hardworking, explain why you think so:

Any is very hard-working. It can work all day without any break at all. I really admire the way it studies and works. (Annie is a very hard worker. She can work all day without a break. I actually admire the way she studies and works).

Table of characterizing adjectives

The criteria that make up a person’s character are also varied. For ease of memorization and pronunciation, I have placed them in a compact table with translation and transcription. This will make it easier for you to navigate the criteria and remember the characterizing adjectives.

Word	Translation	Transcription
Personality traits
arrogant	arrogant	["ærəgənt]
irritable	irritable	["irit(ə)bl]
self-confident	self-confident	[self-"kɔnfidənt]
persistent	persistent	[ pə "sist (ə)nt ]
curious	curious	["kjuəriəs]
modest	modest	["mɔdist]
capable	bright	[brait]
brave	brave	[breiv]
creative	creative	[kri:"eitiv]
restrained	reserved	[ri'zə:vd]
observant	observant	[əb"zə:vənt]
enterprising	enterprising	["entəpraiziŋ]
cunning	cunning	["kʌniŋ]
stubborn	obstinate	["ɔbstinit]
purposeful	purposeful	["pə:pəsful]
boastful	boastful	["bəustful]
incorruptible	incorruptible	[ ‚ɪnkə"rʌptəbəl ]
hot-tempered	hot-tempered	[‚hɒt"tempərd]
resourceful	quick witted	[kwik witɪd]
Mental capacity
broad-minded	broad-minded	["brɔ:d‚maɪndɪd]
smart	bright
smart	clever	["klevər]
wise	wise	[ˈwaɪz]
silly	foolish	["fu:lɪʃ]
witty	witty	["wɪtɪ]
unsophisticated	blunt	[blʌnt]
well-read	well-read
uneducated	uneducated	[ˈʌnˈedjukeɪtɪd]
ignoramus	ignoramus	[ˌɪɡnəˈreɪməs]
polymath	erudite	[ˈerədīt]
illiterate	illiterate	[ɪ"lɪtərɪt]
mediocre	mediocre	[‚mi:di:"əʋkər]
ordinary	ordinary	[ˈɔ:dnrɪ]
Strong-willed qualities
brave	bold
brave	brave
cowardly	coward	["kaʋərd]
decisive	resolve	["rezə‚lu:t]
indecisive	irresolute	[ɪ"rezə‚lu:t]
courageous	courageous	[kəʹreıdʒəs]
persistent	stubborn	["stʌbərn]
shy	timid	["tɪmɪd]
flexible	flexible	["fleksəbəl]
timid	fearful	[ˈfɪəful]
stubborn	obstinate	["ɒbstənɪt]
unshakable	steady	["stedɪ]
Attitude towards other people
communicative	sociable	["səuʃəbl]
selfish	selfish	["selfiʃ]
friendly	friendly	["friends]
decent	decent	["di:s(ə)nt]
impudent	impudent	["ɪmpjədənt]
honest	honest	["ɔnist]
tolerant	tolerant	["tɔlərənt]
respectful	respectful	[ris'pektful]
loyal	faithful	["feiθful]
hospitable	hospitable	["hɔspitəbl]
aloof	detached	[dɪtætʃt]
unreliable	disloyal	[dɪslɔɪəl]
sincere	frank
fair	just
false	false
indifferent	indifferent	[ɪn"dɪfərənt]
truthful	truthful	["tru:Ɵfəl]
insidious	treacherous	["tretʃərəs]
rude	harsh
sensitive, gentle	tender	["tendər]
strict	strict
good-natured	good-natured	[ˈɡudˈ "neɪtʃərəd]
demanding	exacting	[ɪg"zæktɪŋ]
noble	noble	["nəʋbəl]
altruistic	altruistic	[ˏæltruˊɪstɪk]
selfless	selfless	[self les]
highly moral	moral	["mɔ:rəl]
sneaky	scoundrel	[ˈskaundrəl]
tactful	tactful	[tæktfʊl]
Attitude to property
greedy	greedy	["gri:di]
generous	generous	[ˈdʒenərəs]
stingy	stingy	["stɪŋɪ]
economical	frugal	["fru:gəl]
thrifty	thrifty	[ˈθrɪftɪ]
wasteful	wasteful	["weɪstfəl]
Attitude to work

Human qualities or his features character- a very important component of vocabulary, because in communication we are often forced to describe this or that person, assessing his character. For example:

Human qualities in English are often words related to different areas that describe character traits. A fairly common part of speech that serves the purpose of describing character is the adjective. However, character is often described by other parts of speech, for example, a noun, as well as phrases. And they all answer the question: “What kind of person is he/she?” — What is he/she like?

Attitude towards other people /Attitude towards other people

The main characteristics that describe a person’s attitude towards other people can be presented in the form of the following table of antonyms:

positive characteristics / positive traits	negative characteristics / negative qualities
friendly - friendly All the waiters in this restaurant are very friendly. — All the waiters in this restaurant are very friendly.	unfriendly – ​​unfriendly, unfriendly Jack has some problems in making good contacts to other people because he is rather unfriendly.- Jack has some problems maintaining contact with other people because he is rather unfriendly.
warm – warm, friendly, pleasant to talk to I enjoyed communicating with Jane because she is very warm and friendly. — I enjoyed talking with Jane because she is very friendly and friendly.	cold – cold, dry in communication Harry never smiles when talking. He is always very official and cold. — Harry never smiles when he talks. He is always very official and cold.
kind - kind Ann is kind: she always cares about others. — Ann — good: She always cares about those around her.	unkind - evil, unkind Ifairy tales unkind characters never win. — In fairy tales unkind the characters never win.
nice - cute, good His cousin Alice is a very nice girl. — His cousin Alice is very good young woman.	horrible - terrible A horrible old man lived in the cave. — Horrible the old man lived in a cave.
pleasant - pleasant Everybody likes pleasant people. — Everyone likes it pleasant People.	unpleasant - unpleasant Nobody likes unpleasant people. - Nobody likes it unpleasant People.
generous - generous Women prefer generous men. — Women prefer generous men.	mean – stingy; sneaky If a man is mean, he will hardly enjoy success with women.- If a man stingy, he is unlikely to be successful with women.
sensitive – sensitive; tactful My daughter is a very sensitive girl. - My daughter is very sensitive girl.	insensitive – insensitive; tactless It was insensitive of you to say Jessica was fat. - It was tactless It's kind of you to say that Jessica is fat.
funny - funny; funny Tom is very funny, so he is enjoyable to be with. - Tom is very funny, so it’s nice to spend time with him.	boring - boring My neighbor is extremely boring that's why I avoid him. — My neighbor is terrible boring, so I avoid it.
honest - honest George always tells the truth. He is an honest man. — George always tells the truth. He - honest Human.	dishonest - dishonest Andy often deceives other people. He is a dishonest man. — Andy often deceives other people. He– dishonest Human.
polite - polite Tony is very polite that’s why my granny likes him. - Tony is very polite, that's why my grandmother likes him.	impolite - impolite I disapprove of Tom's behavior. He was very impolite. — I don't approve of Tom's behavior. He was very impolite.

If a person receives pleasure from communicating with others, then adjectives are applicable to it sociable - sociable And gregarious – sociable (more often found in written language than in spoken language). If he experiences communication difficulties, then a suitable adjective would be shy - shy .

The person who tends to disagree with others, characterize adjectives quarrelsome – grumpy, contentious And argumentative disputant .

Other character traits that describe relationships with other people:

easy-going	calm
even-tempered	balanced
laid-back	calm, relaxed
trustworthy	trustworthy
reliable	reliable
	sincere
	jealous; envious
	envious
	cruel
	rude
ill-mannered	ill-mannered
discourteous	rude

Describing intellectual ability /Description of intellectual abilities

Adjectives that describe a person’s intellectual abilities on the positive side are presented in the table below:

intelligent	smart, literate	Fred is a very intelligent man – it’s so interesting to talk to him.	Fred is very smart The man is so interesting to talk to.
bright	smart, clever	Dan is not a very bright pupil, but he is very diligent.	Dan not so much smart student, but he is very diligent.
clever	smart	It was very clever of you.	That was very smart from your side.
broad-minded	broad-minded	Reading is very important because it makes people broad-minded.	Reading is very important because it expands horizon of people.
sharp	smart, insightful	In spite of his age the young boy was very sharp in commerce.	Despite his age, the boy was very smart in commerce.
shrewd	insightful	My granny is so shrewd that I can be a bit frightened if she can read my thoughts.	My grandma is so insightful that sometimes I’m afraid that she can read my thoughts.
able	capable	Allyou need for successful work is to find a pair of able people.	All you need for successful work is to find a partner capable of people.
gifted	gifted	There are a lot of gifted children at this art school.	The art school has a lot gifted children.
talented	talented	If you are talented we’ll be happy to see you at our program.	If you talented, we will be glad to see you on our program.
brainy (colloquial))	brainy	George is a brainy guy. He'll find a way out. He always does.	George - brainy boy. He will find a way out. He always finds.

An important expression from this area is common sense - common sense :

Negative characteristics of human intelligence and lack of mental abilities are also widely represented in the English language:

stupid	stupid, stupid
foolish	stupid, foolish, foolish
narrow-minded	narrow-minded
half-witted	crazy
simple	simple-minded, naive
silly	silly
brainless	brainless
daft (colloquial) )	stupid, idiotic
dumb	blunt
dim	stupid

Sometimes developed intellectual abilities are aimed at harming other people through deception, and are rather negative characteristics of a person, for example:

Attitude towards life / Attitude towards life

pessimistic	pessimistic
optimistic	optimistic
extraverted	extrovert
introverted	introvert
	nervous
wound-up	wound up, on edge
stressed-out	crazy
	relaxed
sensible	reasonable
down-to-earth	practical

Describing character in work situations / Description of character in work situations

positive characteristics / positive traits	negative characteristics / negative qualities
hard-working - hardworking Daniel is hard-working, so he will be a good employee. / Daniel is a hard worker, so he will be a good worker.	lazy - lazy Richard is so lazy that he walks his dog around the only tree in his yard. /Richard is so lazy that he walks his dog around the onlytreein your yard.
punctual - punctual	not punctual; always late – not punctual; always late
reliable - reliable	unreliable – unreliable
flexible - flexible	inflexible - inflexible
ambitious - ambitious	not ambitious - not ambitious

Characteristics of a person that are close in meaning but different in assessment

Some qualities of a person's character can be positive or negative depending on our point of view. The words in the column on the right mean essentially the same as the words in the left column, but they have a rather negative connotation as opposed to the positive assessment of the words on the left.

determined - decisive	stubborn - stubborn;obstinate– obstinate;pig-headed - uncooperative
economical- economical	stingy - greedy
self-confident - self-confident	arrogant – arrogant, self-confident
unconventional - extraordinary	eccentric - eccentric
frank– sincere, frank	blunt – straightforward, sharp
inquiring - inquisitive;curious - curious	nosy – overly curious, poking one’s nose into other people’s affairs

The vocabulary of the English language is rich in words that characterize human character traits. As you study this beautiful language, you will be able to supplement the list of words given in this article with other lexical units that serve to describe human qualities.

To generally describe a person’s character in English, you don’t need to know hundreds of words, just a few common ones are enough. In colloquial speech, we usually limit ourselves to a small set of words when talking about character traits, but when reading, we often come across complex, ornate descriptions of multifaceted human nature.

100 adjectives to describe a person's character

active	active
aggressive	aggressive
ambitious	ambitious (ambitious)
amusing	funny (funny)
angry	angry
arrogant	arrogant
bad	bad
boastful	boastful
brave	brave
broadminded	broad-minded
calm	calm
capricious	capricious
careful	careful
certain	confident
cheerful	funny
communicative	communicable
confident	confident
cool	cool
cooperative	ready to cooperate
crafty	cunning (cunning)
creative	creative
cruel	cruel
curious	curious
cynical	cynical
determined	confident
disgusting	vile
dull	blunt
eager	ready (for something), impatient
easygoing	sociable (sociable)
enthusiastic	full of enthusiasm
envious	envious
fair	fair
foxy	cunning

25 most common words to describe character

angry	angry
bad	bad
confident	confident
cool	cool
cruel	cruel
friendly	friendly
good	good
greedy	greedy
hardworking	hardworking
honest	honest
kind	Kind
lazy	lazy
mean	mean (bad)
nervous	nervous
outgoing	easy going
polite	polite
quiet	quiet (silent)
reliable	reliable
sad	sad
shy	timid (shy)
sly	cunning
sociable	communicative
stupid	silly
weird	eccentric (weird)
rude	rude

Notes

• Adjective disgusting(vile, disgusting) often used in relation to: Your pancakes are disgusting! -Your pancakes are disgusting!
• Psycho literally means “mentally ill person”, colloquially this is the name for dangerous, mentally unstable people. In a figurative sense, this can be called a violent, hot-tempered person: Our teacher is a total psycho. – Our teacher is a complete psycho.
• In a word weird can be described as a strange, eccentric person who does not behave like everyone else. The noun is formed from this adjective weirdo- eccentric.
• Word cool very common in colloquial speech, especially among teenagers. When applied to a person, it means “cool”, “cool”.
• Tough literally means “solid”, but figuratively it is used in the same way as our word “cool”: That's guy is really tough. - This guy is really cool.

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I have both weak and strong points in my character. I am certainly a bit ashamed of my weak points and I do my best to get rid of them. As for my strong features of character, I value and cherish them.

Everyone tells me that I take after my dad as I’m a good listener and very sociable. I am a complete extravert. I love people and the world around me. I understand them and make friends quite easily. Being open and communicative means broadening my mind and my views on the world. That’s why I like meeting new people and talking to them. I always try to be an open-minded and adaptable guy because our world is constantly changing.

One of my best traits is that I try to feel as happy and cheerful as I can most of the time. My friends often call me the life and soul of the party, with a good sense of humor, although I may sometimes be kind of shy. Anyone can be down or depressed when something sad happens. But if somebody hurts my feelings or makes me angry I just tend to ignore him or her and approach the things from the positive side. I really dislike rude and ignore people but I rarely lose my temper because of them.

I would also describe my personality as generous. I take pleasure in sharing something with other people and I am ready to help them at any time. I am organized and punctual too and I am happy when things happen on time, according to the schedule. I am very hard-working and I am always busy. I don't like to give up.

I’d say that my negative and the least appealing qualities are obstinacy and perfectionism. Sometimes I set too high standards when it comes to choosing something. I am often a hard person to please. I’m afraid my choosy character makes me lose some nice opportunities in my life.

In conclusion I would like to say that my personality qualities are both inherent and acquired. When I think of myself I often get confused about how differently I see myself. I am constantly trying to improve myself as a person.

Translation

My character has both weak and strong qualities. Of course, I am a little ashamed of my weaknesses, and I do everything in my power to get rid of them. As for my strengths of character, I value and value them.

Everyone tells me that I am like my father because I am a good listener and very sociable. I'm a real extrovert. I love people and the world around me. I understand them and make friends easily. Being open and sociable means expanding your horizons and views on the world. That's why I like to meet new people and talk to them. I always try to be an open-minded and adaptable guy as our world is constantly changing.

One of my best qualities is that I try to feel as happy as possible most of the time. Friends often call me the life of the party, with a good sense of humor, although sometimes I can be a little shy. Anyone can become upset or depressed when something sad happens. But if someone hurts my feelings or makes me angry, I just tend to ignore him or her and look at things on the positive side. I really don't like rude and ignorant people, but I rarely lose my temper because of them.

I would also describe myself as a generous person. I enjoy sharing things with others and am ready to help at any moment. In addition, I am organized and punctual, and I am happy when things happen on time and according to schedule. I am very hardworking and always busy. I don't like to give up.

I would say my negative and least attractive qualities are stubbornness and perfectionism. Sometimes I set the bar too high when it comes to making choices. I am often difficult to please. I'm afraid that my selective nature is allowing me to miss out on some good opportunities in my life.

In conclusion, I would like to say that my personal qualities are both hereditary and acquired. When I think about myself, I'm often confused by how differently I see myself. I'm constantly trying to improve as a person.