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Hi everyone. In this we're going to look at 50 advanced adjectives that can be used to describe somebody's personality. This video will probably help you if you have an intermediate to advanced level in English and if you already know most of the basic words used to describe personality like nice, friendly, honest, mean, etc. Don't forget to turn on the subtitles if you need them, and if you're really interested in improving your vocabulary, don't forget to sign up for my free advanced English email lessons. I send them out every two weeks and if you don't like them, you can unsubscribe at any time. The link for that is in the description. Remember that I also have a short course on Udemy which covers 55 common mistakes made by English learners. To receive my special discount for that, you just need to click the link in the description. Okay, now the adjectives. I've divided these into three groups: positive, neutral and negative. We'll start with the negative words and finish with the positive ones because I think it's nice to end on a positive note. In terms of register, most of these are standard, but if they are formal or informal, I will point that out. The first word is abrasive. Abrasive. An abrasive person is rude and unkind. It usually refers to the way a person speaks. An abrasive person is very direct and just not very polite. For example, I avoid talking with my manager because he's very abrasive. "Abrasive" can also be used to describe an object or substance that's rough. Sandpaper, for example, is abrasive. That might help you remember the meaning. Number two is argumentative. An argumentative person is someone who often argues or enjoys arguing. I don't like having discussions with her because she's so argumentative. The third one is bad-tempered. Someone who is bad-tempered becomes angry or annoyed very easily. It's similar to "irritable", but it's a bit stronger. For example: He's very bad-tempered, so most people stay out of his way. Now we have bigheaded. Bigheaded. This is an informal word and no, it doesn't literally mean that the person has a large head. A bigheaded person has a very high opinion of themselves. They might think that they're very important or intelligent. She's so bigheaded she acts as if she were our boss. Next we have cocky. This is also an informal word. Someone who's cocky is overconfident, especially in a way that annoys others. A cocky person often overestimates their abilities. He's very cocky, but one day he'll realise that he doesn't know everything. Now we have deceitful. Deceitful. This is actually a formal word. A deceitful person tells lies or behaves in a dishonest way. The politician has been accused of being deceitful, but she isn't worse than any of her colleagues. The next word is defensive. A defensive person often thinks they are being criticised even when they're not. Defensive people often misinterpret what you say because they often think that they're being attacked. I don't want to ask him about his decisions because he's so defensive. The next word is devious. Devious. This is a little formal... Um, we don't usually use it in casual conversations, but people say it sometimes and you'll definitely see it in books.
Someone who's devious uses dishonest ways to get what they want. A devious person often tricks or fools people. She's a devious businesswoman and I'm sure she'll be arrested one day. Now we have entitled. Entitled. An entitled person feels like they have the right to certain benefits or privileges without necessarily deserving them or having worked for them. For example: His parents spoiled him as a child, so it's not surprising that he's now incredibly entitled. The next word is flaky. Flaky is informal. A flaky person is someone who behaves in a strange or unexpected way and isn't very reliable. We often use it to describe someone who often arrives late, or forgets things, or frequently loses things. She's rather flaky, so don't be surprised if she shows up two hours late. Next we have gullible. A gullible person is too willing to believe what other people tell them. They are easily tricked. There are actually some silly jokes with the word "gullible". Like: Did you know that "gullible" has been removed from the dictionary? Or: Do you know that you have "gullible" written on your forehead? Anyway, here's an example sentence: Salespeople love him because he's so gullible and will believe anything. Now we have moody. Moody. A moody person is someone whose moods change quickly and frequently. It's basically the same as "temperamental", and we mainly use it to describe someone who gets annoyed or angry easily. She's rather moody and it's hard to predict what she'll be like from one day to the next. Here's another informal word. This one is nosy. Nosy. A nosy person is too interested in other people's lives and what other people are doing. They might, for example, ask too many personal questions. It's like being too curious. Their nosy neighbours are always looking over their fence. Now we have obstinate. This is a little formal... Um, in everyday speech we'd probably just say "stubborn". It's a synonym. An obstinate person often refuses to change their opinions or behaviour in a way that is unreasonable. He was an obstinate child, but he has turned into a very reasonable young man. And now another informal word. This one is pigheaded. Pigheaded. Be careful, this is not the same as "bigheaded". "Pigheaded" really just means the same thing as "obstinate" or "stubborn". She's extremely pigheaded, so don't expect her to change her mind. Next we have self-centred. Self-centred. A self-centred person primarily thinks about themselves and rarely thinks about other people's needs or feelings. It's similar to "self-absorbed". He's completely self-centred and is never interested in hearing about my problems. Now we have self-important. Self-important. A self-important person thinks that they are more important than other people. She was a self-important administrator who clearly enjoyed the small amount of power that she had. The next word is sneaky. Sneaky. This is an informal word and it's similar to "devious". A sneaky person does things in a secret and often dishonest way. He's manipulative and sneaky, and would do anything to get a promotion. Next we have "thick". You probably know this word already - it actually has several meanings. Usually it means the opposite of "thin". For example, this is a thin book and this is a thick book. But when it's used to describe a person, it's an informal way to say that the person is not very smart or perhaps slow to understand things. My colleague is so thick I had to show her how to use the coffee machine five times. But yeah, obviously that's not a very nice thing to say about somebody. The last one for the negative adjectives is timid. Timid is similar to shy. It's not exactly the same, but it's similar. A timid person lacks courage or self-confidence. They often get nervous easily and are scared to do certain things. He was a timid child, but now he runs his own company. Before we continue, I just want to point out that all of these adjectives (the negative, the neutral and the positive ones) can all be used to describe behaviour as well. Let's look at the word "abrasive" again. You could describe a person's personality as abrasive. For example: He's an abrasive person. Which means that generally speaking or very often he's abrasive. But you could also say something like: I don't know why he's being so abrasive. Which means that in that moment or period of time, he is behaving in an abrasive way. Okay, let's continue. We're now going to look at several words which I consider fairly neutral. In other words, they're not really positive or negative. Or they can be used in a positive or negative way depending on the context. You'll see what I mean. The first word is carefree. A carefree person is someone who doesn't worry too much about things. Normally it's used in a positive way, but not always. For example: Some of my colleagues are so carefree and they never seem concerned about anything. As you can see, that might be considered a good thing or it might be considered a bad thing. Next we have chatty. "Chatty" is informal. A chatty person talks a lot, normally in a friendly way. It's very similar to "talkative". She's very chatty and makes new friends easily. Usually this is used positively, but well, some people find chatty people annoying. Now we have competitive. A competitive person has a strong desire to win, or be better or more successful than other people. I don't like playing games with him because he's so competitive. I'd say normally people use this disapprovingly, but for some people being competitive is a good thing. The next word is inquisitive.
This is similar to "nosy", but unlike "nosy" it can be used positively as well. Another synonym is "curious". An inquisitive person either wants to know and learn about lots of things or tries hard to find out things that don't concern them about other people. Here are two examples. She reads a lot because she's very inquisitive. She's so inquisitive - I wish she'd just mind her own business. The next word is kooky, which is informal. A kooky person is strange or a bit crazy, but in an interesting way. Some people avoid him because he's a bit kooky, but I think he's fun to be around. Another informal word: This one is laid-back. Laid-back. A laid-back person is calm and relaxed, and doesn't seem to worry too much about things. Being laid-back is generally considered a positive trait, but again, it depends on how it is used. She never seems to get stressed about anything, but sometimes she's perhaps a bit too laid-back. And now we have quirky. "Quirky" is similar to "kooky". A quirky person is a bit strange, but in an interesting way. For example: My new boss is rather quirky, but I don't mind people who are a bit different. The next word is "rebellious". A rebellious person is someone who does not like obeying rules or authority. As you can imagine, some people would say that's positive thing and some people would say that's a negative thing. It's often used to describe young people. For example: He was such a rebellious teenager, but now he works on Wall Street. Next we have reserved. Someone who's reserved does not talk very much, and is not very open about their thoughts or feelings. She's quite reserved, but once you get to know her, you'll see that she has a great sense of humour. The last one for this section is socially awkward. Yes, I know this isn't technically an adjective (it's a collocation made up of an adverb and an adjective), but it's a phrase that is commonly used to describe people. A socially awkward person is someone who often feels uncomfortable or is uncertain about what to say in social situations. I think most of us experience this sometimes, but obviously some people experience it more than others. An example: He's introverted and socially awkward, but he occasionally likes going to parties. And now we're going to look at the positive adjectives, in other words, the ones that are used approvingly. The first one is affectionate. Somebody who's affectionate gently shows that they love or care about somebody. It might be through words or small actions. For example: Ethel is very affectionate and is often giving me hugs. Next we have compassionate. A compassionate person has or shows sympathy for people or animals that are suffering. He was a strong but compassionate leader, which is why he was well liked. The next word is conscientious. Conscientious. Someone who's conscientious tries to do things carefully and correctly. We often talk about conscientious teachers, students, workers, etc. George was a conscientious student at school and always got good marks. Next we have courteous. Courteous. This is a little formal. Someone who's courteous is polite and respectful. For example: She's a patient and courteous young woman who never loses her temper. This one is dependable. Someone who's dependable can be relied on to do what is expected or what they promised. It's basically the same as "reliable". For example: Ethel is dependable and if she says she'll help you, she definitely will. The next one is diligent. This is quite formal. A diligent person puts effort into their work with attention to detail. It's basically a combination of "conscientious" and "hardworking". We are currently looking for diligent and motivated individuals to join our team. That's something that you might see in a job advertisement. And now we have even-tempered. Even-tempered. Someone who's even-tempered is calm and doesn't get angry or annoyed easily. For example: He's an even-tempered sales assistant who doesn't let demanding customers upset him. You can also say "good-tempered". It's similar to "even-tempered", but a good-tempered person is also rather cheerful. So we have bad-tempered, even-tempered and good-tempered. And now we have gregarious. Gregarious. A gregarious person is someone who is friendly and enjoys being with other people. It's similar to "sociable". For example: If you're gregarious and like history, you'd probably make a good tour guide. Next we have industrious. Industrious. An industrious person is someone who regularly works hard. It's very similar to hardworking. She's industrious and creative, so I'm sure she'll be a good architect. Next we have intuitive. Intuitive. Someone who's intuitive can understand situations mainly by using feelings, in other words, without having all the facts. For example: My boss was rather intuitive and could usually tell if somebody was going to be a good employee after the first day. And now we have inventive.
An inventive person is good at thinking of new, different or interesting ideas. It's similar to "imaginative" or "creative". The robotics company always tries to hire inventive people. Often when we think of an inventive person, we think of someone who designs physical objects, but not always. For example, you could say "an inventive film director" or "an inventive writer". The next one is obliging. Obliging. An obliging person is someone who is willing to help or do favours for others. For example: Our car broke down while driving in the country, but some obliging locals took us to the nearest mechanic. And now we have observant. Observant. An observant person is good or quick at noticing things. A synonym is "perceptive". He doesn't talk much, but he's very observant, so he's well aware of what's happening in the office. The next word is resourceful. A resourceful person is good at solving problems or finding new ways to do things. She didn't have much money, but she was resourceful, so her kids always had what they needed. This word is self-aware. Self-aware. Someone who's self-aware knows and understands their own personality or behaviour very well. For example: He often makes mistakes, but because he's self-aware, he's able to learn from them. The next word is self-disciplined. Self-disciplined. Someone who's self-disciplined can make themselves do something that they should do without having somebody tell them to do it. We often talk about self-discipline when we're speaking about things like eating well, exercising, studying, etc. So things that aren't necessarily much fun, but that are often good for us. A self-disciplined person doesn't have much trouble doing these things. If you want to get fit and you can't afford a personal trainer, you need to be self-disciplined. This word is tactful. Someone who's tactful has a good sense of what to say to people to avoid causing offence or upsetting them. A tactful person is good at choosing the words that they use and the subjects that they talk about. She's polite and tactful, and is able to give constructive criticism in a way that doesn't offend people. The next word is tidy. A tidy person keeps things neatly arranged or in order. Be careful. "Tidy" is not the same as "clean". "Clean" is just the opposite of "dirty". It's actually possible to be tidy and dirty at the same time. For example: Everything on your desk might be arranged well, but there might also be dust or coffee stains on it. Frank can be difficult to live with because he's not very tidy. We're almost at the end. This word is upbeat. Upbeat. This is informal. An upbeat person is positive, cheerful and optimistic. For example: If you're feeling a little down, it can be good to surround yourself with upbeat people. And now the last word for today. This word is witty. Witty. A witty person uses words in a smart and funny way. For example: She's a witty writer and her books always make me laugh. That's it everybody. I hope you found this useful. If you liked the video, don't forget to hit the thumbs up, and if you'd like to practise using any of these words, please write a sentence or a couple of example sentences in the comments section. Thanks very much for watching and I'll see you next time. Bye!
