Personality – B1+ English Vocabulary

Personality

In this B1+ Upper-intermediate Vocabulary Lesson about Personality, you will learn about many different personality traits, their meanings, and how to use them in context. Check the pictures and read the definitions and examples below.

Positive personality traits

1 Warm/affectionate: Showing love and kindness.

• They are very affectionate and often hug and kiss.

2 Sensitive: Easily feeling emotions or being aware of others’ feelings.

• He was sensitive to criticism and often felt upset by harsh words.

3 Sensible/down-to-earth: Practical and realistic; not pretending to be more important.

• Despite her fame, the actress remained down-to-earth and approachable.

4 Open-minded: Willing to consider new ideas and listen to others’ opinions.

• Being open-minded, she always listened to others’ opinions before making a decision.

5 Bright: Smart and quick to learn.

• The bright student quickly understood complex mathematical concepts.

6 Talented: Having a natural ability to do something well.

• The talented musician could play multiple instruments beautifully.

7 Charming: Pleasant and attractive in a way that makes people like you.

• His charming smile won him many friends wherever he went.

8 Enthusiastic: Showing excitement and eagerness about something.

• She was enthusiastic about the new project and worked on it with great energy.

9 Self-confident: Believing in one’s own abilities and qualities.

• He was an insecure boy who grew into a very self-confident man. 

10 Determined: Strongly motivated to achieve something.

• She’s so determined! She stays up late every night studying to ensure she aces her exams.

11 Extroverted: Outgoing and enjoying being with people.

• As an extroverted person, she loved attending social gatherings and making new friends.

12 Sociable: Liking to meet and spend time with others.

• The sociable puppy loved playing with both humans and other dogs.

13 Honest/sincere: Truthful and meaning what one says.

• Her sincere apology showed she truly regretted her actions.

14 Innocent: Not knowing about the more complex or negative parts of life.

• Although he was 17, he still was an innocent child inside.

15 Thrifty/economical: Careful about spending money; not wasting things.

• He was thrifty and always looked for the best deals to save money.

16 Ambitious: Having a strong desire for success or achievement.

• He’s very ambitious and has big plans for the future.

Neutral or negative personality traits

1 Naive: Innocent, having a tendency to believe things easily

• She was naive to think that the stranger would return her lost wallet

2 Foolish: Lacking good sense or judgment; unwise.

• Jumping into the river without knowing how to swim was very foolish of her.

3 Half-witted/dumb: Lacking intelligence or common sense; not very bright.

• His remarkable ignorance made him look half-witted.

4 Cunning: Having or the ability to achieve things in a clever way, often by lying and deceiving other people.

• The cunning fox managed to evade the hunters once again.

5 Greedy: Having an excessive desire or appetite for food, money or possessions; not easily satisfied.

• He is so greedy. The more money he has, the more he wants.

6 Stubborn: Unwilling to change one’s mind or course of action despite reason or persuasion.

• It was very hard to convince her because she is very stubborn.

7 Ill-mannered: Rude or lacking in good manners.

• His ill-mannered behavior at the dinner table embarrassed his family.

8 Arrogant: Having an exaggerated sense of one’s own importance or abilities.

• She is so arrogant that she truly believes that everyone is inferior to her.

9 Moody: Prone to frequent changes in mood; temperamental.

• His moody disposition makes him unpredictable and hard to please.

10 Bossy: Inclined to domineer or tell other people what to do.

• She was so bossy, always telling everyone what to do.

11 Forgetful: Tending to forget; having a poor memory.

• He is so forgetful that he often loses his keys.

12 Tight-fisted/mean: Reluctant to spend money; stingy.

• He’s very tight-fisted and never tips at restaurants.

13 Narrow-minded: Lacking tolerance or flexibility; not open to new ideas.

• His narrow-minded views prevented him from understanding different cultures.

14 Nosy: Interested in other people’s affairs; overly curious.

• The nosy neighbor always kept an eye on everyone’s comings and goings.

15 Insecure: Lacking self-confidence and assurance; uncertain.

• She felt insecure about her abilities, even though she was very talented.

16 Indecisive: Not able to make decisions quickly and effectively.

• He’s so indecisive that he can’t even choose the simplest meal from the menu.

After completing the exercises in this lesson on Personality, you can use the unit’s Vocabulary Flascards to revise and help you memorize the terms.