60 Words to Describe a Person: Positive, Negative and Neutral

"She's really nice." "He's kind of difficult." Most descriptions of people stop at a word like nice, smart, funny or rude, and those words say very little. Nice could mean generous, polite, easygoing or simply quiet. A more exact word paints a clearer picture, whether you are writing a reference, a story, a birthday card or just telling a friend about your new manager. Below are 60 words to describe a person, positive, negative and in between, each with a plain meaning and an example sentence.

The short version

• Swap the vague word for the exact one. Instead of "nice", decide whether you mean considerate, generous or affable.
• Show it with an example. "She's meticulous, she checks every invoice twice" lands better than the word alone.
• Many traits have two names. The same person can be called determined or stubborn. The word you choose carries your opinion.
• Learn a few at a time and use them about people you actually know.

Positive words to describe a person

Word	Meaning	Example
considerate	Thinks about other people's needs and feelings	He's considerate enough to text when he's running late.
affable	Friendly and easy to talk to	Our affable neighbor knows everyone on the street.
generous	Happy to give time, money or help	She's generous with her advice to new hires.
diligent	Works carefully and steadily	A diligent student, he reviews his notes every night.
meticulous	Pays great attention to detail	She's meticulous about checking the numbers twice.
resilient	Recovers quickly from setbacks	Kids are often more resilient than we expect.
empathetic	Understands and shares other people's feelings	An empathetic nurse made the long night easier.
witty	Quick and clever with words in a funny way	His witty toast had the whole table laughing.
dependable	Can be trusted to do what they say	If you need it done right, ask Sam, he's dependable.
candid	Honest and direct	I value her candid feedback, even when it stings.
tenacious	Keeps going and does not give up easily	A tenacious reporter, she chased the story for a year.
gracious	Kind and polite, especially in difficult moments	He was gracious in defeat and congratulated the winner.
perceptive	Quick to notice and understand things	A perceptive teacher spotted the problem right away.
modest	Does not boast about their abilities	She's modest about her awards.
easygoing	Relaxed and not easily upset	My roommate is easygoing about chores and noise.

Negative words to describe a person

Word	Meaning	Example
arrogant	Acts as if they are better than others	His arrogant tone put off the whole room.
abrasive	Harsh in manner, rubs people the wrong way	She's brilliant but abrasive in meetings.
aloof	Distant and not friendly	He seemed aloof at first, but he's just shy.
callous	Unkind and uncaring about others' pain	It was callous to joke about the layoffs.
condescending	Talks down to people	Please don't explain it in that condescending way.
fickle	Changes their mind or loyalties often	Fans can be fickle when a team starts losing.
petty	Cares too much about small things, often spitefully	Unfollowing her over one comment was petty.
obstinate	Refuses to change their mind	He stayed obstinate even when the facts were clear.
self-centered	Thinks mainly about themselves	A self-centered guest talks only about their own trip.
deceitful	Lies or misleads on purpose	The deceitful seller hid the damage.
impulsive	Acts without thinking first	An impulsive buyer, he regrets half his purchases.
pompous	Self-important and full of grand words	The pompous speech went on for forty minutes.
sullen	Bad-tempered and silent	A sullen teenager sat in the back seat.
vain	Too proud of their looks or abilities	He's too vain to wear his glasses.
gullible	Believes things too easily	Only the gullible fell for that prize email.

Neutral words: it depends who is talking

Some traits are not good or bad on their own. These words describe them without much judgment, which makes them useful in references and reviews.

Word	Meaning	Example
reserved	Keeps feelings and thoughts to themselves	She's reserved in big groups but chatty one on one.
reticent	Unwilling to say much	He was reticent about why he left his last job.
outspoken	Says what they think openly	An outspoken member of the board.
pragmatic	Practical rather than idealistic	Her pragmatic approach got the project finished.
idealistic	Believes strongly in how things should be	He was idealistic about changing the industry.
unconventional	Does things differently from most people	An unconventional teacher, she held class outside.
cautious	Careful to avoid risk	A cautious investor, he waits for clear signs.
ambitious	Strongly wants success or achievement	She's ambitious and already planning her next role.
introverted	Recharges by being alone	As an introverted person, he needs quiet after parties.
extroverted	Recharges by being with people	Extroverted people often think out loud.

Same trait, two words

Many traits come in pairs: one word praises, the other criticizes. Knowing both lets you say exactly how you see someone, and notice when others are doing it.

Word	Meaning	Example
determined / stubborn	Will not give up / will not give in	Determined to finish, stubborn about asking for help.
frugal / stingy	Careful with money / unwilling to spend or share	Frugal with groceries, never stingy with friends.
confident / cocky	Sure of their ability / sure of it to an annoying degree	Confident in the interview, cocky by the third question.
thorough / pedantic	Covers everything / fixates on tiny details	Her report was thorough; his comments were pedantic.
spontaneous / reckless	Acts on the spot / acts without regard for danger	A spontaneous trip is fun; driving through the storm was reckless.
assertive / pushy	Stands up for themselves / presses others too hard	Be assertive about your deadline without getting pushy.
curious / nosy	Wants to learn / wants to know other people's business	Curious about the city, nosy about the neighbors.
easygoing / passive	Relaxed / does not act when they should	Easygoing about plans, passive when it matters.
sensitive / touchy	Aware of feelings / easily offended	A sensitive friend notices; a touchy one takes offense.
proud / arrogant	Pleased with what they did / thinks they are above others	Proud of the work, never arrogant about it.

How to describe someone well

• One trait plus one example. "He's perceptive, he noticed I was upset before I said anything." The example does the convincing.
• Pick the word for the setting. A reference letter wants diligent and dependable. A story about your cousin can use impulsive and witty.
• Be careful with the negative list. Words like callous and deceitful are strong. In feedback, describe the behavior ("interrupts in meetings") rather than labeling the person.
• Check the pair. Before writing stubborn, ask whether you mean determined. The difference is your opinion, and readers will hear it.

Making them stick

The quickest way to own these words is to attach them to real people. Pick five, and for each one think of someone it fits: a friend, a coworker, a character from a show. A word tied to a face is much easier to recall than a word on a list.

Markword is built for that kind of slow, steady learning. It puts one word on your home screen at a time, with a definition and an example written for the app, and you can choose a topic such as Personality & Character. Reminders arrive at the times you set, and a short practice round tests you on words you have already seen. If you want words for how you feel rather than what people are like, see words to describe feelings. To put a word in front of you all day, follow how to add a word of the day widget on Android.

Quick answers

What are good words to describe a person?

Positive ones include considerate, affable, diligent, resilient, empathetic, witty, dependable and perceptive. Each says something more specific than nice or smart.

What is a better word for nice?

Decide what kind of nice you mean. Considerate thinks of others, generous gives freely, affable is friendly and easy to talk to, and gracious stays kind when things are hard.

What are negative words to describe a person?

Arrogant, abrasive, aloof, callous, condescending, fickle, petty, obstinate and deceitful are common ones. Use them carefully; describing the behavior is often fairer than labeling the person.

What words describe a person's personality in a reference letter?

Diligent, dependable, meticulous, resilient, considerate and pragmatic work well, especially when each is backed by a short example of something the person did.

What is the difference between stubborn and determined?

Both describe someone who does not give up. Determined is praise, used when the goal is worth it. Stubborn is criticism, used when the person refuses to change even though they should.

Five people, five words

Choose five words above and match each to someone you know. Get Markword on Google Play, free to download, for one new, useful word every day.