Positive English Adjectives to Describe People [+ Free Worksheet]
This lesson was originally published in June 2017. It June 2024 it was updated to include more vocabulary, a new video lesson, and a worksheet to download for practice.
Have you ever been at a networking event and someone asked you to describe a colleague? Or maybe during a job interview, you were asked to talk about a former boss or a team member?ย
And all you could think of was, “Nice.”
Or, “Kind.”
Describing othersโฆ It’s not always easy, right?
Today, weโre going to tackle that precise challenge: how to describe people in English. And in this case, weโll focus on using positive adjectives.ย
Whether you’re explaining why a friend is such a fantastic artist, discussing a coworkerโs brilliant problem-solving skills, or sharing what makes your mentor so inspiring, the words you choose are powerful.
When feeling stuck or unsure, itโs common to fall back on simple words like ‘nice’ or ‘smart,’ but these donโt fully capture someoneโs unique qualities.ย
Thatโs why in this lesson, weโll explore a range of positive adjectives that bring out the intellectual, emotional, interpersonal, and creative traits of the people you talk about.ย
With each new adjective, Iโll provide the definition and an example of how to use the adjective in a sentence.
By the end, youโll not only have the vocabulary to describe anyone positively, but youโll also feel more confident in your ability to articulate your thoughts clearly in various social settings.ย
Positive Adjectives to Describe People in English
Category #1: Intellectual Personality Traits
- Adaptable
- Def: someone who is able or willing to change to suit different conditions or people.
- Ex. Maryam is easygoing and adaptable. Youโll love working with her.ย
- A Type A personality
- Def: someone who is ambitious, goal-driven, focused on achievement, competitive, organized, proactive, and in control.
- Ex. Iโve got a Type-A personality, so I enjoy managing various projects.
- A Type B personality
- Def: someone who is laidback, patient, easy-going, adaptable, even-tempered, creative, values having space, and able to manage stress.
- Ex. My boss is super relaxed and easy to work with; Iโm almost certain heโs a Type B personality.ย
- Industrious
- Def: a hard worker; someone who is skilled and diligent at work.
- Ex. Uma is extremely competent and industrious. Sheโs your go-to person if you have any questions.
- Open-minded
- Def: someone willing to accept and consider other views with value and broad-mindedness, regardless of alignment with their own.
- Ex. As I connect with more women from around the world in my Confident Women English-Learning Community, I continue to become more and more open-minded.ย
- Perceptive
- Def: someone who can notice and understand things that many people donโt immediately recognize.
- Ex. I highly recommend this book; the author is perceptive and intriguing.ย
- Resourceful
- Def: someone skilled at solving problems and capable of devising a means to solve the problem.
- Ex. I think we should consult with Vicky. Sheโs incredibly resourceful and handles customers well.
- Self-aware
- Def: someone who knows and understands their personality very well; has a strong ability to monitor their inner world.
- Ex. Milly is self-aware enough to know when sheโs too dominant in a discussion.
Category #2: Emotional Personality Traits
- A bubbly personality
- Def: someone who is very happy, perky, and often optimistic.
- Ex. My eldest daughter has a bubbly personality and is rather social.ย
- ย An old soul
- Def: someone wise and thoughtful; someone who seems much older than they are with much wisdom.
- Ex. Since childhood, Iโve been told I have an old soul. And quite often, my closest friends are much older than me.
- A ray of sunshine
- Def: a happy person who makes others happy; is warm, kind, and bright; someone who is a delight to be around.
- Ex. Maxine is a delight to be around; sheโs just a ray of sunshine.ย
- Optimistic
- Def: a person who tends to be positive and believes good things will happen.
- Ex. I appreciate Wilmaโs ability to be optimistic, even when the team is feeling down.
- Sincere
- Def: someone who says what they genuinely feel or believe without deception.
- Ex. Carol is sincere and genuinely cares about helping clients achieve their goals.
- Sympathetic
- Def: someone who is a good listener and listens to others’ problems; someone who expresses sympathy.
- Ex. Gemma is sympathetic since she also experienced the pressures of moving to a new country.ย ย
Category #3: Interpersonal Personality Traits
- Affectionate
- Def: someone who is loving and warm
- Ex. My sisters are quite affectionate and never hesitate to show how much they value their loved ones.
- Down-to-earth
- Def: someone who is practical, realistic; sensible
- Ex. Teresa is so down-to-earth! We should collaborate on projects more often.ย
- Easygoing
- Def: someone who is mostly relaxed and calm
- Ex. Pam is an easygoing landlord. If you have any issues, you can comfortably speak to her about it.ย ย
- Empathetic
- Def: someone who understands the feelings of others and is attuned to them.
- Ex. Felicia is compassionate and empathetic toward the new interns at the company.ย
- Gregarious
- Def: someone who is full of life, very social, friendly; someone often described as the life of the party
- Ex. Emmaโs a gregarious, outgoing person.ย
- Social butterfly
- Def: slang for someone dynamic, charismatic, and very social
- Ex. Iโm more of a social butterfly when around people Iโve known for a while.ย
- Thick-skinned
- Def: someone who is not easily upset by criticism or insults
- Ex. You have to be thick-skinned and adaptable to work in STEM.ย
- Witty
- Def: someone who can express their thoughts amusingly and intelligently, often with humor.
- Ex. I enjoy books by authors with a witty sense of humor and a good storytelling ability.ย
Category #4: Powerful Personality Traits
- Charismatic
- Def: someone with great charm; one who inspires others or is compelling
- Ex. As a leader, Liza is charismatic and commanding. She knows exactly how to motivate her team.ย
- Classy
- Def: elegant; stylish; skillful; someone with high standards for behavior and looks.
- Ex. My mother was a classy woman with a kind personality and good taste in modern art.ย
- Larger-than-life
- Def: someone with a very strong personality; someone who impresses others
- Ex. I didnโt expect Tina to have a larger-than-life personality.ย
- Unassuming
- Def: someone who is not arrogant about their abilities; humble; no desire to be noticed or praised
- Ex. The older man next door was an unassuming and kind veteran.
- Virtuous
- Def: someone who has high moral standards and is morally excellent.
- Ex. Beatrice is a virtuous woman who never demeans others.ย
Category #5: Creative Personality Traits
- Artistic
- Def: someone who is very creative; someone who has a natural ability in art
- Ex. Kiraโs sculptures are gorgeous; sheโs so artistic!
- Bold
- Def: someone willing to take risks and try new things, regardless of whether they will fail or succeed.
- Ex. Jackie was a bold and honest woman; she was never afraid to tell you exactly what she thought.ย
- Natural-born ______
- Def: someone who has a natural ability at something from a young age.
- Ex. Your daughter is a natural-born artist. She has a great eye for color.
- Tenacious
- Def: someone who holds on to an idea or goal with determination.
- Ex. Celeste is tenacious and never gives in during negotiations.ย
- Visionary
- Def: someone who sees and imagines the future or possibilities.
- Ex. Yulia is a visionary expert; she changed the field of AI with her groundbreaking ideas.ย
Now I’d love to hear from you.ย
After youโve watched the video and reviewed the key vocabulary, think of someone you admire very much. Perhaps itโs your best friend, your boss, or your aunt.
And then tell me about this person. Share your thoughts and describe this person with some of the language youโve learned from todayโs lesson.
The best place to share is in the comments below.
Don’t forgetโyou can also download my worksheet to practice!
~ Annemarie
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I love this lesson, I’m your fan from Peru
You are the best teacher ever! You bring inspiration and professionalism! Kudos to you! And thank you for this high-quality, useful content!
Thank you so much, Nancy. I appreciate your kind comment and am very glad to know my lesson is helpful to you!
Annemarie is very passionate and classy person. I love her style and enjoy her lecture.
Thank you for the kind comment, Vicky. I’m grateful to know you enjoy my lessons.
Hi Anne,
Thanks for sharing such a useful video.
I would like to describe my sister, Sudhi, to you. She is a Type A personality who never loose focus from her goals. She is industrious and works hard to achieve them. At the same time she is sympathetic, caring and affectionate. She is an old soul always guiding and advising me on life lessons. She has recently explored her artistic instincts and I should say she is no less than a natural born artist. She is my life line. She is my ray of sunshine.
What a beautiful way to talk about your sister. Thank you for sharing.
Imformative
Awesome work
Good day Ma’am Anne, you have a very useful and interesting website, congratulations! and thank you very much for sharing your valuable writings and thoughts.I usually task to host a program and the words that you posted are really useful in the assigned task.
Hello Anne this is the first time I visited your website and I really loved it. I liked the way you clearly pronounced each of the new words which will surely help the non-native English speakers learn these words easily. I found your videos quite interesting and to the point. Your language was fluent and easy to understand even for someone who is listening to it for the very first time. And I think I should definitely tell you this you have a beautiful smile ๐ , also a flamboyant personality.
Hi Annemarie, thanks for yet another wonderful lesson .. you’ve always been so classy in your talks, I’ve been following your lessons since quite sometime now ,and believe me I was really coy about things but now I’ve become a social butterfly who’s larger than life and easy going.
Thanks so much once again for being a real driving force in setting up the vocabulary classes !!
You’re so welcome, Asif, and thank you for the kind comments. You’ve used some of the vocabulary from this lesson and I like your use of ‘driving force.’
Correct me if I’m wrong, but there arent 23 adjectives and idioms in the list shown above. Is the video where that number comes from? If so, maybe change the title directly above the list, its misleading and therefore confusing. If I’m somehow wrong please show me. My statement isn’t being made out of arrogance or ill intent.
If you review all the words in bold font, you’ll notice there are 23 adjectives here.
Hi Annamarie, it’s my pleasure to follow your lessons and and learn new things each time. I have a friend ( where I work ), he is a ray of sun shine and gregarious. He is always helpful and sympathetic. What makes me love and respect him is that he is ( highly honest and clear in soul ). How do say the last words between brackets???
Hi Annamarie . first of all I’d like to thank you for this session. you helped me to know my myself who am I ?? I found out my personal traits and how can I express that using English. And how to form the structure of a sentence which is very hard. I hope you’d see my comment and tell me whether there are mistakes or not. I’d describe myself that I’m rather quiet , I’d prefer to be alone or with some small group. I tend to be unassuming , I always do things silently and let the results… Read more ยป
What a great description, Mariam! You did a particularly nice job using qualifiers such as rather, tend to, a little bit.
I like what you said, “…I always do things silently and let the results catch the attention…” Another common way to say this is, “let the results speak for themselves.’ It has the same meaning of the sentence you used.
Great work!
Hi Annamarie. First off all , I would like to say thank you for this lesson. My husband is one of my best friends. He is unassuming. He always do things silently and the result always catch someone’s attention.
thank you
Hi,
I’m so glad this lesson was helpful and you had some wonderful ways to describe your husband. I particularly liked your use of the word ‘unassuming.’ Nicely done! ๐
The lesson is so helpful for me. Thanks. I will use these new words to describe my best friend. Alice is one of my best friend for over 15 years when we was still at college. She is natural – born artistic. She is good at painting and making handcraft stuff. She is good-looking and comes from wealthy family but she is so unassuming. She is kind of sympathetic, she is always willing to listen to others’ trouble or stress and never complaint even if she is stress too. Sometimes I feel she is so perfect. She is ray of… Read more ยป
Hello Chi, that is fabulous to hear the lesson was useful for you. Your friend Alice sounds positively lovely! I love the way you say ‘she is kind of sympathetic’ and that she is a ‘ray of sunshine’ for you. How special. I would like to help you use grammar correctly in your very first sentence. I think you want to say that you and Alice have been best friends for 15 years, starting from when you were in college, is that right? So you will need present perfect tense at the start of your sentence. So here is the… Read more ยป
Hi Annemarie. I am so grateful I find you. This lesson was extremely useful and I was hooked since minute one.
I will describe my friend Magdalena. We have been friends for 50 years!
She is an actress with a bubbly personality. Definitely an old soul, charismatic and larger than life. Extremely gregarious and down to earth. Natural- borned to communicate she is sympathetic with people needs and is always looking to help others. She is a pet lover too and has 6 dogs and 2 cats. I am proud of this ray of sunshine in my life.
Hi Susana, thanks so much for the kind comment. I’m thrilled you enjoyed this lesson. And you’ve done a wonderful job describing your friend Magdalena! She sounds like a lot of fun and very kind. I hope you shared this description with her. ๐
Hi , Annemaria. At first, thank you a lot for this lesson. It helps me to enhance my vocabulary and take another step to fluency and ability to describe other people. I get a question for you. Is there an opposite expression in English to be an old sole? In case when we need to describe someone who isn’t mature and behaviour like a child instead of his natural adult age. I will highly appreciate you for help!
You’re so welcome, Yuliana! I’m thrilled it helped you with your vocabulary. And that’s a great question about the opposite of an old soul. We might use words like:
youthful, child-like, young at heart
Those are the words that come to my mind but hopefully others will share their ideas as well! ๐
Hi Anne Marie, I often speak in English with my best friend to improve it. I would describe her as a ray of sunshine, stay with her feels me very well and positive . On the contrary to me she has a type A personality but in a good way. At work she is a reserved person but with her friend is very affectionate and gregarious. I would say also that I love your lessons and love your pronounce, it is so clear. I’m studying English and I find the English books boring, but thank to your lessons I found… Read more ยป
Awesome work describing your best friend, Valentina! And thank you for your kind comments about my lessons. I’m thrilled that they are helpful to you! ๐
Looking for more describing words for outgoing students.
Hello, Annemarie!
Thanks for this lesson. In today lesson, as I have learned 23 new expressions to describe someone personality in a positive way. I would like to describe the personality of my best friend. He is a very affectionate person. But he is not thick-skinned because he got upset by someone criticism. But for me, he is like a ray of sunshine, when I see him it always gives me a new life.
Best,
Sana
Hello Sana,
I’m so happy to know that you learned so many new words and expressions. And it sounds like you’ve got some great ways to describe your best friend. Thank you for sharing.
Hi, there friends !
I loved this lesson very informative Annemarie. I am glad I find your lesson videos on the fb. Can you please tell me how can I access to the online lesson.
I know one person who has extremely affectionate personality and I would love to be around that individual.
Thank you
Ayesha
Hi Ayesha,
I’m so glad this was a fun and helpful lesson for you!
Could you clarify what you mean by access my lessons online? They are all here on my blog. ๐
When I listened to the video many of the words reminded me of my best friend and my boyfriend; the one and the same person. He is so easy-going and he is almost impossible to annoy. He is really my ray of sunshine and he always makes me smile no matter what. He is kind of an introvert and shy but still he is really humorous. He is very considerate and affectionate and he always ask curiously about my day. I imagine he is the best colleague or employee one could have. He is so industrious and diligent. He is… Read more ยป
I have got a doubt with a word pronunciation. You pronounce the word “Often” by including the sound of “t” like “of ten”. Is that correct or acceptable?
Hi Monica,
Yes, that is correct. ๐
Hello, Annemarie! Thank you for the useful lessons and new vocabulary! Today I want to describe a friend of mine. Firstly, he is a sympathetic person who always supports me in any challenging situations. Secondly, he is an old soul to me, ’cause he can give a very wise piece of advice when I am in a panic and don’t know how to calm down. Thirdly, he is the easygoing man, who inspire me to develop my emotional intellect. But the most important to me, that he is unassuming. All of these make him a good friend to me. I… Read more ยป
Fantastic, Anna. What a kind, thoughtful description of your friend and I’m glad you’ve found so many new words to use! Well done. ๐
Hello, Annemarie! Seriously, I was waiting for another lesson from this series. Describing people, as well as things, is pretty difficult in another language. ๐ The person I want to describe today is my aunt. She is from Russia, but she used to live in Ukraine too. She is definitely a ray of sunshine (when I saw this expression I immediately thought about her). When I was a child I loved visiting her, and not only because she is a great cook and I am that type of a person who loves food (I guess it’s a positive trait, we… Read more ยป
I loved this!! And I’m so glad you enjoyed the lesson, Maria.
You’re aunt sounds wonderful and you’ve done a great job describing her. A good adjective for someone who loves food and loves to cook is a foodie.
And yes, gregarious is an awesome word. I think you are gregarious.