Character Trait List: Updated August 2019

Everyone has character traits, both good and bad, and they come from morals, ethics, beliefs and values, essentially experiences and how the character’s life so far has shaped them.

If I ask you what someone is like and you say they are honest, that is a character trait, and character traits often inform how someone interacts in certain situations. It’s up to you to know why they are honest. What made them primarily act through the prism of honesty? Like anything to do with character, it is the job of the writer to know why they are the way they are and why they are doing the things they do.

If you ever get stuck when developing character and can’t think of traits, below is a list. Character traits should never be something you just pin onto a character as an after thought. They should feel realistic. This list is just to inspire, so don’t use it as a substitute for spending time developing your character.

This list can also inspire flaws, as when you look at why your character has a particular trait you may unearth some crucial backstory. Someone isn’t just born over-cautious, that behaviour is formed through experiences, whether they had over cautious parents, or if they saw the extreme results of recklessness and have ever since decided caution is the best way forward. Therefore their flaw could be they are risk averse.

I haven’t organised the list in terms of negative and positive traits, because I believe that can be misleading. A trait is positive or negative depending on its impact on your character and how it makes them interact with the world and others. Also, it’s to do with perception.

Always remind yourself that traits come from somewhere. If I’ve spent the last few years being homeless, perhaps I’m resourceful and untrusting, as I’ve learned that my only way out of the situation is to do things for myself, and maybe I got let down by someone so I find it hard to trust. Your task when choosing traits is to be able to explain where they come from in regards to your character.

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Character trait list:

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Logical

Lovable

Loving

Loyal

Mad

Malicious

Materialistic

Mature

Mean

Mechanical

Miserable

Modest

Moody

Moronic

Nagging

Narcissistic

Narrow-minded

Nasty

Naughty

Neglectful

Nervous

Nosy

Obedient

Obnoxious

Obsessive

Obstinate

Opinionated

Orderly

Outrageous

Paranoid

Passionate

Pathetic

Patient

Patronising

Peaceful

Perceptive

Persistent

Personable

Persuasive

Perverse

Pessimistic

Petty

Petulant

Picky

Pioneering

Placid 

Playful

Plucky

Plodding

Pompous

Predatory

Prejudiced

Pretentious

Principled

Profound

Prudent

Puritanical

Quiet

Rash

Rational

Reflective

Relaxed

Reliable

Resentful

Reserved

Respectful

Resourceful

Responsible

Ridiculous

Rigid

Romantic

Rowdy

Rude

Ruthless

Sadistic

Sanctimonious

Secure

Scornful

Scrupulous

Secretive

Selfish

Selfless

Sentimental

Sensible

Shameless

Silly

Sincere

Shy

Skilful

Sly

Smart

Sneaky

Sociable

Sordid

Stingy

Stubborn

Stupid

Suave

Superficial

Surly

Sympathetic

Tactless

Tasteful

Tasteless

Temperamental

Tense

Thorough

Thoughtful

Thoughtless

Tolerant 

Touchy

Tough

Uncharitable

Understanding

Unfriendly

Unkind

Uptight

Unrealistic

Unreliable

Unruly

Unstable

Untrusting

Vague

Vain

Vengeful

Vindictive

Vivacious

Weak

Wild

Willing

Withdrawn

Witty

Adventurous

Affable

Affectionate

Ambitious

Amicable

Amusing

Analytical

Arrogant

Articulate

Athletic

Authoritative

Balanced

Belligerent

Benevolent 

Bitchy

Blunt

Boastful

Bold

Boring

Brave

Bright

Brilliant

Calculating

Careless

Cautious

Charismatic

Charming

Chilled

Cold

Compassionate

Confident

Conscientious

Considerate

Controlled

Controlling

Courageous

Cowardly

Crafty

Creative

Cunning

Curious

Daring

Decisive

Demanding

Dependable 

Desperate

Destructive

Detached

Determined

Devoted

Dictatorial

Difficult

Dignified

Diplomatic

Dishonest

Disobedient

Disruptive

Disrespectful

Educated

Efficient

Eloquent

Empathetic

Erratic

Encouraging

Energetic

Enthusiastic

Envious

Evil

Extravagant

Facetious

Fair

Faithful

Fanatical

Fearless

Firm

Focused

Foolish

Forgetful

Forgiving

Funny

Fussy

Generous

Gentle

Genuine

Gloomy

Good

Gracious

Greedy

Gregarious

Grim

Grumpy

Happy

Hard-working

Harsh

Hateful

Helpful

Heroic

Honest

Hostile

Humble

Hyper-critical

Idealistic

Idiotic

Ignorant

Imaginative

Impatient

Impartial

Impulsive

Incisive

Inconsiderate

Indecisive

Independent

Indiscreet

Inhibited

Innovative

Insecure

Insensitive

Insightful

Insincere

Insulting

Intelligent

Intense

Intolerant

Intuitive

Irrational

Irresponsible

Jealous

Judgemental

Killjoy

Kind

Lazy

Liberal