Words to describe a person: 50 words for personality and appearance
Use adjectives for personality (kind, honest, shy) and for appearance (tall, slim, curly). Use "be" for personality and build: "She is kind", "He is tall". Use "have" for hair and face: "She has curly hair". Below are 50 useful words in 7 groups.
The 7 groups in this post
- Positive personality words
- Negative personality words
- Neither good nor bad
- Height and build
- Hair
- Face
- Idioms for people
1. Positive personality words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| kind | caring about others and helping them |
| friendly | nice to new people and easy to talk to |
| funny | making people laugh |
| clever | learning and understanding quickly |
| honest | telling the truth |
| patient | able to wait calmly |
| generous | happy to give money, time or help |
| reliable | doing what they promise |
| confident | sure they can do things well |
| cheerful | happy in a way others notice |
| outgoing | enjoying meeting new people |
| modest | not talking much about their own success |
| considerate | thinking about how others feel |
- She's very generous and always offers to pay for dinner.
Practise personality words (A1) · more: A2, B1, B2
2. Negative personality words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| selfish | caring only about what they want |
| moody | often changing from happy to angry or sad |
| stubborn | refusing to change their mind |
| arrogant | acting more important than others |
| impulsive | doing things without thinking first |
| sarcastic | saying the opposite of what they mean, to make fun |
- My father is too stubborn to ask for directions.
Practise these words (B1) · more: B2
3. Neither good nor bad
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| shy | nervous and quiet with new people |
| quiet | not talking much |
| calm | not easily worried or angry |
| sensitive | easily upset by what others say |
| cautious | careful to avoid danger or mistakes |
| ambitious | strongly wanting to succeed |
- He was too shy to ask her name.
Practise these words (A1) · more: A2, B1, B2
4. Height and build
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| tall | higher than most people |
| short | not tall |
| thin | with little flesh on the body |
| slim | thin in a nice, healthy way |
| fit | strong and healthy from exercise |
| muscular | with big, strong muscles |
| stocky | short, wide and strong-looking |
| petite | small and slim (usually said of a woman) |
- He's tall and slim, with short curly hair.
Practise appearance words (A1) · more: A2, B1, B2
5. Hair
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| curly | with lots of round turns |
| wavy | in loose waves |
| blond | pale yellow |
| bald | with little or no hair |
| a ponytail | hair tied at the back so it hangs down |
| a fringe | short hair hanging over the forehead (US: bangs) |
- She has long wavy hair and a fringe.
Practise appearance words (A1) · more: A2, B1
6. Face
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| a beard | hair on a man's chin and cheeks |
| a moustache | hair above a man's top lip |
| glasses | what you wear to see better |
| freckles | small light-brown spots on the skin |
| a dimple | a small hollow in the cheek when you smile |
| wrinkles | small lines in the skin as you get older |
- She has a dimple in her left cheek when she smiles.
Practise describing people (A2) · more: B1, B2
7. Idioms for people
| Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| an early bird | someone who gets up early |
| a night owl | someone who stays up late |
| down to earth | simple and practical |
| a people person | someone who enjoys being with others |
| a chatterbox | someone who talks a lot |
- My little sister is such a chatterbox.
Practise people idioms (A2) · more: B1, B2
How to put them in a sentence
- be + personality or build: She is kind. He is tall and fit.
- have + hair, eyes or face: She has curly hair. He has a beard.
- with to add a detail: a tall man with glasses
| Wrong | Right |
|---|---|
| She has long hair. | |
| He has curly hair. | |
| He has short black hair. | |
| She is very beautiful. |
Vocabulary check
Choose the right word:
She always tells the truth. She is very honest.
- A. honest — Correct
- B. selfish
- C. moody
Answer: A. honest
Selfish means caring only about yourself; moody means your mood changes quickly.
Choose the right word:
He never changes his mind, even when he's wrong. He's so stubborn.
- A. modest
- B. stubborn — Correct
- C. generous
Answer: B. stubborn
Modest means not talking about your own success; generous means happy to give.
Choose the right sentence:
She has long hair.
- A. She is long hair.
- B. She has long hair. — Correct
- C. She has a long hair.
Answer: B. She has long hair.
Hair on your head is uncountable, so there is no "a", and a person has hair; a person is not hair.
Choose the right word:
My grandfather has no hair on his head. He's bald.
- A. bald — Correct
- B. blond
- C. curly
Answer: A. bald
Blond is pale yellow hair; curly is hair with many round turns.
Choose the right word:
She loves meeting new people and talks to everyone. She's very outgoing.
- A. shy
- B. outgoing — Correct
- C. cautious
Answer: B. outgoing
Shy is the opposite: nervous and quiet with new people.
Choose the right order:
He has short black hair.
- A. black short hair
- B. short black hair — Correct
- C. hair short black
Answer: B. short black hair
We say short black hair, long curly hair: length and shape first, then colour.
Choose the right word:
You can always count on Minh. He's really reliable.
- A. reliable — Correct
- B. impulsive
- C. sarcastic
Answer: A. reliable
Impulsive means acting without thinking; sarcastic means saying the opposite of what you mean to make fun of something.
Choose the right idiom:
I do my best work after midnight. I'm a night owl.
- A. an early bird
- B. a night owl — Correct
- C. a chatterbox
Answer: B. a night owl
An early bird gets up early; a chatterbox talks a lot.
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