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

Let's look at all these categories separately.
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	["frendly]
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
responsible	answered	[ris'pɔnsəbl]
hardworking	hard-working	[hɑ:rd"wɜ:rkɪŋ]
cooperating	cooperative	[kəʋ"ɒpərətɪv]
executive	can-do	[kæn-du:]
irresponsible

As Victor Hugo used to say, a person has three characters: one is attributed to him by his environment, another he attributes to himself, and the third is real, objective.

There are more than five hundred human character traits, and not all of them are clearly positive or negative; much depends on the context.

Therefore, any personality that has collected certain qualities in individual proportions is unique.

A person’s character is a specific, unique combination of personal, ordered psychological traits, characteristics, and nuances. It is formed, however, throughout life and manifests itself during work and social interaction.

Soberly assessing and describing the character of the chosen person is not an easy task. After all, not all of its properties are demonstrated to the environment: some features (good and bad) remain in the shadows. And we seem to ourselves to be somewhat different than what we see in the mirror.

Is it possible? Yes, there is a version that this is possible. Through long efforts and training, you are able to assign yourself the qualities you love, becoming a little better.

A person's character is manifested in actions, in social behavior. It is visible in a person’s attitude to work, to things, to other people and in her self-esteem.

In addition, character qualities are divided into groups - “volitional”, “emotional”, “intellectual” and “social”.

We are not born with specific traits, but acquire them through the process of upbringing, education, exploration of the environment, and so on. Of course, the genotype also influences the formation of character: the apple often falls extremely close to the apple tree.

At its core, character is close to temperament, but they are not the same thing.

In order to relatively soberly assess yourself and your role in society, psychologists advise writing down your positive, neutral and negative traits on a piece of paper and analyzing them.

Try to do this too, you will find examples of character traits below.

Positive character traits (list)

Negative character traits (list)

At the same time, some qualities are difficult to classify as good or bad, and they cannot be called neutral. So, any mother wants her daughter to be shy, silent and bashful, but is this beneficial for the girl?

Again, a dreamy person may be cute, but completely unlucky because he always has his head in the clouds. An assertive individual looks stubborn to some, but obnoxious and pushy to others.

Is it bad to be gambling and carefree? How far has cunning gone from wisdom and resourcefulness? Do ambition, ambition, and determination lead to success or to loneliness? It will probably depend on the situation and context.

And what you want to be, you decide for yourself!

Nothing characterizes a person better than an adjective served with an unusual sauce of other bright adjectives and decorated with a bright ribbon.

When meeting a person, the first thing we can describe is his appearance. Do not limit yourself to a standard set of words, as there is a lot of vocabulary that will help you in this difficult task. So, you can tell a girl that she is beautiful using words beautiful, pretty, cute(sweetheart, lovely), stunning(stunning). Men were less fortunate. For them there is only one word that characterizes male beauty - handsome.

Speaking about human growth, it is worth remembering three words - tall(high), short(short), of medium height(medium height). If you want to talk about age, use young(young), old(elderly), middle-aged(middle-aged).

If you want to talk more about hair, you should remember the following words: long (hair)- long hair
short (hair)- short hair
shoulder-length– shoulder length
curly– curly
wavy– wavy
bald- bald

If your friend has special facial features, pay attention to the vocabulary below:

almond-shaped eyes– almond-shaped eyes
snub-nosed- a person with a snub nose
turned-up nose- snub nose
freckled– freckled

So, we sorted out the appearance. You can go directly to the character of a person. And then prepare your memory cards, use your brain at full capacity, stock up on pen and paper, or just try to remember all the necessary words. It is not surprising that we can say good or bad about a person, because sometimes we have to describe people who we don’t like at all.

Aggressive– aggressive
Angry (vicious)- evil, spiteful
Arrogant– arrogant or someone who always turns his nose up
Boastful- boastful
Faint-hearted- cowardly
Dishonest– dishonest
Flabby, weak-willed– weak-willed
Fussy- nervous, fussy. We can also add here nervous
Excitable, high-strung– easily excitable
Hypocritical– hypocritical
Impatient– impatient
Indecisive– indecisive
Mercenary– selfish
Narrow-minded– thinking in one direction (limited)
Rebellious- rebellious, rebellious
Rude- rude
Secretive– secretive
Self-assured– arrogant
Self-centered– self-centered
Self-confident- self-confident
Self-conscious- shy, shy
Selfish– selfish
Taciturn, silent– silent
Unscrupulous- unprincipled
Unpredictable– unpredictable
Vain- vain, narcissistic
Violent- hot-tempered

I am sure that these adjectives are quite enough to fully describe your boss in a dream if you don’t like him. Well, if your leader is an angel in the flesh, write down and memorize the next batch of words. Let's start.

Affectionate- loving
Ambitious- ambitious
Competent– knowledgeable, qualified
Considerate– delicate, attentive to others
Courageous- courageous, fearless
Dedicated- devoted, convinced
Easygoing- good-natured, easy-going
Experienced– experienced
Fair-minded- impartial, fair
Frank- frank
Generous- noble, kind
Hard-working- hardworking
Imaginative– creative, imaginative
Lively- lively, energetic
Outgoing, social– sociable
Remarkable- wonderful, outstanding
Sensible, well-balanced- sensible
Tender- affectionate
Thoughtful- caring, attentive
Tolerant– tolerant
Trustworthy- reliable

Now you know that adjectives in English that characterize a person can be a real weapon in your hands. When expressing your own point of view, be sure to give reasons for your opinion in order to avoid the emergence of other implications.

Good qualities of a person - a list of them is often needed to compile a resume. After all, one of the points in a resume is the personal qualities of the job applicant.

List of positive moral qualities of a person

What positive qualities of a person’s character are most significant for work and a comfortable life in society? How best to describe yourself and what to include in your resume? Let's figure it out. To know your virtues in person, we have prepared a list of positive qualities to characterize a person.

Thrift

This is a caring attitude towards existing benefits, whether one’s own or someone else’s. We are talking not only about material things, but even about the spiritual strength and vital energy of a person. This quality allows you to optimize the consumption of any resources, achieve more by saving little.

Unselfishness

This is the lack of desire for profit. Selfish people are motivated only by personal gain. For sincere and selfless people, their own benefit is not important, they will help and will not demand anything in return, so they are trusted much more.

Politeness

Respectful attitude towards others. Always. Even in cases where the situation is not conducive to polite and tactful treatment. By the way, this quality annoys boors. They want to quarrel, but a polite person does not enter into conflict with them. Politeness shuts up a scolder and conquers cities!

Loyalty

This is devotion, but not only in relation to close people, but also to one’s own worldview, ideas and views. This is an important aspect of the relationship between a man and a woman, because it is associated with such a negative trait as jealousy. Loyalty speaks of the reliability and constancy of a person possessing this quality.

Good manners

These are good manners and the ability to behave in society. A well-mannered person is polite to others, regardless of their social status. This is knowledge and compliance with the rules of behavior in society, respect for other people's property, nature, and society. There is never any shame in being a well-mannered person.

Discipline

This is the ability to follow rules and routines. A disciplined person not only strictly follows the established rules, but also knows how to manage his own time so that there is enough for all important matters.

Kindness

This is an affectionate and caring attitude towards people. Responsiveness and attentiveness towards others, the desire to help and help out of difficult situations without expecting anything in return. This quality does not bring immediate benefits, but others appreciate it, and the kindness shown is often responded to with the same kindness and care.

Friendliness

This is a friendly attitude towards others. This is not only the opportunity to build friendly relationships with any person, but also the ability to behave openly and sympathetically towards people. A friendly person strives for mutual pleasant communication, therefore he has not only true friends, but also a lot of useful acquaintances.

Communication skills

This is the ability to make contacts. A person who has no communication barriers easily joins a team and makes friends. We live in a society, so the ability to communicate with others is useful in any area of ​​life. A person with this quality will never be left alone.

Responsibility

This is a person’s ability to be responsible for what is entrusted to him, the ability to make difficult decisions and evaluate their consequences. Husbands are responsible for their wives, mothers for their children, and employees for their professional tasks. A person who is not afraid to take responsibility for something shows himself as an independent and mature person.

Responsiveness

This is a willingness to help, the ability to selflessly respond to a request, to help in a difficult situation. The advantage of this quality is not only the good attitude of others, but also the self-perception of being a kind person.

Punctuality

This is compliance with rules and regulations. In life, this quality is more associated with the absence of delays, the ability to complete assignments on time, and comply with agreements. Particularly valued in industries where “time is money.” But do not neglect punctuality in other areas of life - its absence can be perceived as disrespect.

Determination

This is the willingness to make decisions, the ability to carry out plans without timidity or giving in to fears. Determination is the absence of so-called paralysis of the will, when doubts interfere with activity. Closely associated with fortitude and courage. They say about decisive people: “He has an inner core.”

Self-criticism

This is a sober self-esteem, an adequate perception of one’s own views and activities. A self-critical person does not consider his own opinion to be the only correct one, and has a healthy attitude towards outside views. But you need to remember the golden mean, because excessive self-criticism indicates low self-esteem.

Modesty

It is the lack of intention to exalt oneself. It's nice to deal with people who have achieved a lot without praising themselves at every turn. Modesty is not only the absence of boasting, but also tactfulness in relation to others. This quality can manifest itself both because of respect for other people and because of shyness.

Courage

This is the ability not to give in to fears. They say that a brave person is not afraid of anything, but a complete absence of fear is not only recklessness, but also a syndrome of certain mental disorders. Courage is the ability to act despite fears. As an example, firefighters may also be afraid of fire, but perform their professional duty without succumbing to fear.

Justice

This is correctness and impartiality. This concept is based on ideas about good and evil, the laws of retribution for good and bad deeds. When assessing events, a fair person excludes predispositions and sympathy for anyone. A person is fair when he is objective.

Tolerance

This is tolerance towards people. Tolerance does not allow dividing people into representatives of other nations, ethnic groups and religions. A tolerant person does not reject someone else’s point of view, and is unlikely to allow himself to respond rudely to someone. Tolerance is a necessity in the modern world.

Hard work

This is the ability to have a positive attitude towards your own work. Hard work is not only the willingness to devote one’s strength and personal time to the labor process, but also the ability to do it with pleasure. A person who systematically shirks work and is unable to perceive his work with interest is a burden for the entire team.

Respect for others

This is recognizing the value of other people's views. Treating others with respect shows that you see the individual in every person. In labor processes, this quality is mandatory and manifests itself in distance and subordination.

Confidence

This is a positive assessment of one's own qualities. Confidence is closely related to a person's ability to manage himself in ambiguous situations. A confident person knows his worth, is not afraid of public speaking, and knows how to control himself in a stressful situation. Looking at such a person, you might think: “He knows what he’s doing.”

Perseverance

This is the ability to go towards a goal. This quality is characteristic of strong people who do not give in to difficulties and failures. Perseverance in achieving goals and implementing plans shows strength of character and steadfastness of spirit. Persistent individuals achieve heights on their own.

Honesty

This is openness, the inadmissibility of deception in relation to others. This quality speaks of decency, morality and strong character. An honest person always respects his interlocutor, so he tells him the truth, sometimes even unpleasant, but necessary.

Self-esteem

This is self-respect and a high assessment of one’s qualities, an understanding of value and significance. A person who has this quality is unlikely to decide on a low act, deception, or even ordinary swearing in a public place. This is beneath his dignity. For such a person, it is not even the opinion of others that is important, but his own assessment of his actions.

Sense of humor

This is the ability to perceive a situation from a comic side. It's even better to find that comical side in everything. Life is more fun this way, and people enjoy communicating with such a person. A sense of humor is an indicator of a person’s mental health. It is not known whether laughter increases life expectancy, but it can definitely save you from unnecessary sorrows.

Generosity

This is a willingness to share with one’s neighbor, without absolutely wanting to receive anything in return. Generous people, for example, can engage in charity - helping those in need, donating funds to special funds. Even the most selfless people appreciate this quality, because it shows the breadth of the soul.