Character Traits That Start With Each Letter: 469 Best Traits Listed

The character trait "dutiful" shown on a dictionary page

Character traits are the differences that make people — whether real or fictional — unique.

While some traits come naturally, a person’s character is shaped by their beliefs, environment, and experiences. It changes over time as the person lives through new challenges and victories.[1]

Of course, this can be both positive and negative. Developing traits like persistence, compassion, and flexibility can lead to success in someone’s life and career, while traits like apathy or greed can be detrimental.

Below, we list more than 400 character traits beginning with each letter, from A to Z. We include positive, negative, and neutral traits in our list.

Scroll past the list for a character analysis activity that can help you understand character traits more deeply!

A

  1. Adventurous
    willing to try new things
  2. Ambitious
    driven to achieve your goals
  3. Articulate
    well-spoken
  4. Attentive
    observant
  5. Adaptable
    flexible
  6. Abrasive
    harsh
  7. Assertive
    confident
  8. Amusing
    entertaining
  9. Appreciative
    thankful
  10. Aimless
    having no purpose or direction
  11. Artistic
    creative
  12. Anxious
    worried
  13. Active
    energetic
  14. Agreeable
    open to differing ideas
  15. Absentminded
    forgetful
  16. Amiable
    friendly and pleasant
  17. Antisocial
    doesn’t enjoy the company of others
  18. Arrogant
    having an exaggerated sense of importance
  19. Affluent
    wealthy
  20. Athletic
    physically fit
  21. Agile
    moves easily and quickly
  22. Argumentative
    quick to express opposing views
  23. Attractive
    appealing to look at
  24. Alert
    watchful
  25. Aggressive
    hostile
  26. Authoritarian
    strict

B

  1. Brave
    courageous
  2. Beautiful
    aesthetically pleasing
  3. Bold
    confident risk-taker
  4. Bubbly
    cheerful
  5. Bossy
    likes to give orders
  6. Bombastic
    prone to exaggerating
  7. Blunt
    plain-spoken
  8. Balanced
    emotionally stable
  9. Brash
    overbearing and rude
  10. Blissful
    full of joy
  11. Brilliant
    clever and talented
  12. Bitter
    resentful
  13. Boyish
    like a young man
  14. Boisterous
    energetic and loud
  15. Brazen
    shameless
  16. Bizarre
    strange

C

  1. Compassionate
    shows concern for others
  2. Cheerful
    happy
  3. Creative
    imaginative and artistic
  4. Confident
    sure of their own abilities
  5. Caring
    kind to others
  6. Charming
    likable
  7. Courageous
    brave
  8. Calm
    tranquil
  9. Considerate
    attentive to the needs of others
  10. Calculating
    schemes to get what they want
  11. Clever
    intelligent and bright
  12. Charismatic
    charming
  13. Capable
    able to achieve what they want to do
  14. Cooperative
    willing to compromise and work with others
  15. Cynical
    distrustful of the sincerity of others
  16. Conservative
    averse to change; can also refer to political affiliation
  17. Callous
    insensitive toward others
  18. Complacent
    satisfied with things as they are
  19. Candid
    truthful
  20. Conventional
    does what’s acceptable and traditional
  21. Cowardly
    isn’t courageous
  22. Childish
    acts young
  23. Conformist
    coventional
  24. Cold
    unemotional
  25. Charitable
    generous
  26. Civil
    polite
  27. Cavalier
    unconcerned
  28. Contemplative
    thoughtful
  29. Clean
    has a tendency to be tidy and organized
  30. Conscientious
    wants to do what’s right
  31. Competitive
    wants to be the best
  32. Cultured
    refined and well-educated
  33. Careful
    avoids danger
  34. Cruel
    willfully causes others pain
  35. Cut
    endearing
  36. Captivating
    charming
  37. Cheeky
    doesn’t take things too seriously
  38. Curious
    eager to learn
  39. Conceited
    excessively prideful

D

  1. Dainty
    delicate and pretty
  2. Demanding
    needy
  3. Decisive
    good at making decisions
  4. Daring
    willing to take risks
  5. Disagreeable
    unpleasant to be around
  6. Debonair
    confident and charming
  7. Dedicated
    devoted to their purpose
  8. Dishonest
    prone to lying
  9. Devious
    willing to scheme to achieve their goals
  10. Dignified
    worthy of respect
  11. Delightful
    pleasant to be around
  12. Deceptive
    lies or misleads others
  13. Desperate
    has a great desire to do something
  14. Dependable
    reliable
  15. Decent
    good
  16. Disloyal
    isn’t loyal to others
  17. Deceitful
    prone to lying or misleading others
  18. Disciplined
    controlled
  19. Dramatic
    behaves theatrically
  20. Determined
    set on meeting their goals
  21. Dutiful
    obedient and responsible
  22. Devoted
    loyal
  23. Dynamic
    energetic and full of ideas
  24. Disobedient
    refuses to listen to authority

E

  1. Energetic
    active
  2. Earnest
    serious
  3. Empathetic
    easily sympathizes with and cares for others
  4. Ethical
    has strong morals
  5. Elegant
    graceful and stylish
  6. Excitable
    easily becomes excited
  7. Even-tempered
    calm
  8. Easygoing
    relaxed
  9. Educated
    well-studied and skilled
  10. Eloquent
    well-spoken
  11. Envious
    prone to jealousy
  12. Emotional
    feels things intensely
  13. Eager
    enthusiastic
  14. Enigmatic
    mysterious
  15. Egocentric
    only thinks of themself
  16. Enchanting
    charming

F

  1. Funny
    able to make people laugh
  2. Friendly
    gets along well with others
  3. Fun-loving
    enjoys having a good time
  4. Fearless
    brave and lacking fear
  5. Fair
    treats others justly
  6. Fearful
    often afraid
  7. Fanatical
    obsessively interested in something
  8. Faithful
    loyal and steadfast
  9. Frank
    open and honest
  10. Fickle
    changes their mind or interests frequently
  11. Fortunate
    lucky
  12. Forthright
    outspoken
  13. Finicky
    particular about their needs
  14. Forgiving
    lenient toward other people
  15. Frugal
    thrifty and good at saving money
  16. Forgetful
    easily forgets things
  17. Fidgety
    restless
  18. Foolish
    doesn’t have good judgment
  19. Forceful
    assertive
  20. Fashionable
    stylish
  21. Fierce
    intense
  22. Flaky
    unreliable
  23. Flexible
    adapts easily to their circumstances
  24. Free-thinking
    thinks for themself and rejects accepted opinions
  25. Formal
    serious and traditional

G

  1. Gracious
    kind and courteous toward others
  2. Gentle
    kind and sensitive
  3. Graceful
    elegant
  4. Gallant
    brave
  5. Guileless
    innocent
  6. Generous
    shows kindness to others
  7. Gifted
    talented
  8. Gleeful
    joyful
  9. Grouchy
    irritable or grumpy
  10. Genuine
    honest and true to themself
  11. Good-natured
    kind and friendly
  12. Greedy
    desires wealth and power
  13. Glamorous
    beautiful and elegant
  14. Genius
    very smart
  15. Grumpy
    bad-tempered
  16. Gullible
    easily persuaded

H

  1. Honest
    truthful
  2. Hard-working
    diligent worker
  3. Heroic
    brave
  4. Humble
    modest about their success or importance
  5. Handsome
    attractive
  6. Healthy
    in good health
  7. Helpful
    willing to assist others with their needs
  8. Happy
    joyful
  9. Haughty
    arrogant
  10. Honorable
    worthy of respect
  11. Hilarious
    very funny
  12. Hospitable
    welcoming
  13. Humorous
    funny
  14. Hateful
    acts cruel toward others
  15. High-spirited
    lively and cheerful
  16. Hyper
    energetic
  17. Hostile
    unfriendly

I

  1. Independent
    doesn’t depend on others
  2. Intelligent
    very smart
  3. Impulsive
    does things without thinking first
  4. Idealistic
    aims for perfection
  5. Intuitive
    follows their feelings
  6. Intolerant
    not open to other views or beliefs
  7. Individualistic
    self-reliant
  8. Insightful
    has a deep understanding of things
  9. Impressionable
    easily influenced by others
  10. Influential
    has great influence over other people
  11. Imaginative
    creative and inventive
  12. Irrational
    lacking logic or reason
  13. Inventive
    original thinker with great ideas
  14. Inquisitive
    curious
  15. Immature
    lacking emotional or intellectual development
  16. Irritable
    easily annoyed
  17. Insecure
    not confident
  18. Immoral
    doesn’t conform to the standards of morality
  19. Indulgent
    overly lenient
  20. Ignorant
    lacking knowledge and awareness
  21. Immodest
    lacks humility
  22. Innovative
    good at coming up with new ideas
  23. Irresponsible
    reckless or thoughtless
  24. Insincere
    not genuine
  25. Impatient
    restless and unwilling to wait
  26. Indecisive
    has difficulty making decisions
  27. Impassive
    doesn’t show much emotion

J

  1. Joyful
    happy
  2. Jealous
    envious of others
  3. Jovial
    cheerful
  4. Jubilant
    outwardly happy
  5. Judicious
    has good sense
  6. Jolly
    cheerful
  7. Judgmental
    highly critical
  8. Jaded
    unenthusiastic
  9. Jittery
    nervous
  10. Joyless
    gloomy
  11. Just
    fair-minded
  12. Jumpy
    easily frightened

K

  1. Kind
    friendly and considerate
  2. Knowledgable
    smart
  3. Knightly
    chivalrous
  4. Kittenish
    playful and lively
  5. Kindly
    warm-hearted
  6. Klutzy
    clumsy
  7. Kingly
    regal
  8. Keen
    sharp
  9. Kind-hearted
    sympathetic

L

  1. Loyal
    supportive
  2. Lovable
    charming
  3. Lazy
    unwilling to use energy
  4. Logical
    rational
  5. Loquacious
    talkative
  6. Loving
    readily shows affection
  7. Liberal
    open to new ideas; can also denote a political affiliation
  8. Lanky
    tall and thin
  9. Likable
    easy to get along with
  10. Lonely
    has no companions
  11. Lucky
    fortunate

M

  1. Mischievous
    likes to cause trouble
  2. Mature
    mentally and emotionally advanced
  3. Meticulous
    has great attention to detail
  4. Modest
    unassuming
  5. Mannered
    behaves politely
  6. Mysteriou
    difficult to understand
  7. Moody
    unpredictably emotional
  8. Melancholic
    sad
  9. Mellow
    calm
  10. Methodical
    orderly; does things in a systematic way
  11. Malicious
    intends to do harm to others
  12. Magnanimous
    generous and forgiving
  13. Manic
    frantic
  14. Moderate
    doesn’t have strong views or opinions
  15. Mean
    unkind
  16. Moralistic
    makes moral judgments about others
  17. Morbid
    has an interest in disturbing subjects like death and disease
  18. Mad
    angry
  19. Misguided
    has poor judgment or reasoning
  20. Manipulative
    schemes to control others
  21. Masculine
    fitting a traditionally manly appearance or personality
  22. Maternal
    motherly

N

  1. Noble
    has high morals and personal ideals
  2. Neat
    tidy and organized
  3. Neutral
    not intense in any aspect
  4. Noncompetitive
    doesn’t enjoy competing with others
  5. Neurotic
    overanxious or obsessive
  6. Nice
    kind and friendly
  7. Neglectful
    doesn’t give proper attention to things
  8. Nimble
    moves quickly and lightly
  9. Nihilistic
    believes that life is meaningless
  10. Noisy
    loud
  11. Narcissistic
    has an excessive interest in themself and their appearance
  12. Nervous
    easily agitated
  13. Needy
    deprived of something
  14. Naive
    lacking experience and wisdom
  15. Narrow-minded
    not willing to listen to other opinions

O

  1. Optimistic
    hopeful about the future
  2. Outspoken
    speaks freely and directly, even if their opinions are controversial
  3. Open-minded
    willing to consider different or new ideas
  4. Observant
    quick to notice things
  5. Opinionated
    assertive in sharing their views
  6. Old-fashioned
    holds traditional values
  7. Ordinary
    normal
  8. Outgoing
    friendly
  9. Objective
    unbiased
  10. Obsessive
    easily consumed by their interests or hobbies
  11. Open
    straightforward and communicative
  12. Ostentatious
    pretentious and showy
  13. Opportunistic
    takes advantage of any chance available to them
  14. Organized
    good at keeping their space carefully arranged and tidy
  15. Odd
    unusual
  16. Original
    unique or one-of-a-kind
  17. Obnoxious
    annoying
  18. Obedient
    compliant
  19. Overzealous
    excessively passionate or energetic

P

  1. Prim
    formal and proper
  2. Plain
    simple and ordinary
  3. Proper
    behaves appropriately
  4. Passionate
    has strong feelings and beliefs
  5. Patriotic
    has a sense of pride for their country
  6. Productive
    able to produce significant results, such as in the workplace
  7. Progressive
    advocates for new ideas and reforms
  8. Pretentious
    has an elevated sense of self-importance
  9. Proud
    satisfied with their achievements and qualities
  10. Peaceful
    calm and joyful
  11. Picky
    has strong preferences and opinions
  12. Popular
    well-liked by other people
  13. Patient
    doesn’t get frustrated by waiting
  14. Paternalistic
    authoritative
  15. Perceptive
    insightful
  16. Polite
    treats others kindly
  17. Persuasive
    able to convince others to agree with them
  18. Passive
    accepts what happens without actively responding
  19. Provocative
    draws strong reactions from other people
  20. Personable
    likable
  21. Positive
    optimistic
  22. Private
    prefers not to share a lot about themself with others
  23. Pessimistic
    believes the worst will happen
  24. Pedantic
    diligent and precise
  25. Punctual
    always arrives on time and meets deadlines
  26. Presumptuous
    ignores the limits of what’s appropriate, such as giving unwanted advice
  27. Puritanical
    holds strictly to their morals
  28. Playful
    likes to have fun and be amused
  29. Principled
    has strong morals and ethics
  30. Petty
    childish and uncooperative
  31. Precise
    has great attention to detail
  32. Prejudiced
    dislikes or distrusts people or things based on biases against them
  33. Persnickety
    obsesses over minor details
  34. Pleasant
    likable and friendly
  35. Paranoid
    very anxious or suspicious
  36. Protective
    strives to keep their loved ones safe

Q

  1. Quiet
    not talkative or noisy
  2. Quirky
    peculiar
  3. Quick
    fast
  4. Quizzical
    amusingly odd
  5. Quaint
    old-fashioned
  6. Quackish
    pretentious
  7. Queenly
    regal
  8. Quick-witted
    quick thinker
  9. Quibbling
    argumentative
  10. Qualified
    certified or well-trained
  11. Quarrelsome
    argumentative

R

  1. Responsible
    trustworthy
  2. Resilient
    able to withstand challenges
  3. Reserved
    quiet and private
  4. Reliable
    dependable and trustworthy
  5. Rational
    able to think logically
  6. Reasonable
    fair and sensible
  7. Realistic
    able to look at things objectively
  8. Relaxed
    isn’t tense or anxious
  9. Romantic
    has an idealized view of reality
  10. Rebellious
    resists authority and convention
  11. Respectful
    treats others with respect
  12. Restless
    unable to relax
  13. Resourceful
    overcomes challenges in clever ways
  14. Resentful
    holds grudges
  15. Reflective
    thoughtful
  16. Rude
    treats others disrespectfully
  17. Reactionary
    has strong, traditional beliefs
  18. Rowdy
    noisy and disorderly

S

  1. Selfish
    cares about themself more than anyone or anything else
  2. Smart
    intelligent or learned
  3. Shy
    not talkative or outgoing around strangers
  4. Selfless
    treats others generously
  5. Studious
    spends a lot of time studying or reading
  6. Self-confident
    sure of themself and their abilities
  7. Strong
    can refer to physical strength or the ability to overcome challenges
  8. Self-disciplined
    able to keep themself on task
  9. Sarcastic
    has an ironic sense of humor
  10. Suave
    charming and confident
  11. Spontaneous
    enjoys following their whims rather than planning
  12. Self-reliant
    able to fulfill their own needs
  13. Secure
    feels safe and stable
  14. Stern
    serious and strict
  15. Successful
    has achieved a lot in their life and/or career
  16. Skillful
    has a lot of skills or is an expert in their field
  17. Stubborn
    unwilling to change their mind
  18. Secretive
    likes to keep things to themself
  19. Shallow
    has little depth; superficial
  20. Sincere
    genuine and honest
  21. Stylish
    fashionable
  22. Sane
    mentally stable
  23. Sympathetic
    treats others with care and condolence
  24. Self-aware
    realistic about their own strengths and faults
  25. Sentimental
    prone to nostalgia and sadness
  26. Sociable
    friendly and outgoing
  27. Serious
    earnest and somber
  28. Simple-minded
    has low intelligence
  29. Sophisticated
    worldly and elegant
  30. Stoic
    endures challenges without showing feelings
  31. Scholarly
    well-educated; enjoys studying
  32. Spiritual
    has strong religious beliefs
  33. Scatterbrained
    forgetful and disorganized
  34. Superficial
    cares most about surface-level things like physical beauty
  35. Scrupulous
    attentive to details or careful to avoid wrongdoing
  36. Self-sufficient
    able to take care of themself without assistance
  37. Shrewd
    makes sharp judgments
  38. Sweet
    treats others nicely
  39. Superstitious
    believes in mythical things

T

  1. Trustworthy
    honest and truthful
  2. Timid
    lacking courage or confidence
  3. Tireless
    energetic
  4. Thoughtful
    deeply considers things
  5. Tenacious
    determined
  6. Talented
    skilled in a particular field
  7. Tasteless
    lacking in judgment
  8. Thrifty
    frugal; good at saving money
  9. Tolerant
    accepting of differences
  10. Tactless
    lacking in sensitivity
  11. Thorough
    does things completely and with attention to every detail
  12. Tidy
    organized and clean
  13. Trendy
    keeps up with the latest fashions
  14. Tasteful
    has good judgment and behaves appropriately
  15. Tactical
    carefully plans things
  16. Talkative
    enjoys having conversations
  17. Tense
    feels anxious or nervous rather than relaxed
  18. Trusting
    quick to believe in the sincerity of others
  19. Tough
    mentally and/or physically strong
  20. Tacky
    has poor taste
  21. Thoughtless
    doesn’t think before acting or speaking

U

  1. Understanding
    able to see things from other perspectives
  2. Unselfish
    puts others before themself
  3. Urbane
    courteous and refined
  4. Unsentimental
    not prone to nostalgia
  5. Unstable
    prone to challenges or changes in mood
  6. Uptight
    strict and inflexible
  7. Unreliable
    can’t be trusted to do what they say
  8. Unpolished
    lacking sophistication
  9. Unhealthy
    ill or in poor health
  10. Upbeat
    energetic
  11. Unbiased
    doesn’t have prejudices
  12. Uncouth
    lacking manners and refinement
  13. Unique
    has distinctive qualities
  14. Unfriendly
    doesn’t easily get along with others
  15. Unimaginative
    lacks creativity or ideas
  16. Uncooperative
    not good at working with others

V

  1. Valiant
    courageous and determined
  2. Vivacious
    lively and high-spirited
  3. Vindictive
    desires revenge
  4. Vulnerable
    in need of care and support
  5. Volatile
    unpredictable
  6. Vain
    superficial
  7. Versatile
    adapts well to change
  8. Vulgar
    inappropriate
  9. Vicious
    treats others with cruelty
  10. Vigilant
    careful

W

  1. Witty
    naturally funny
  2. Warm
    kind-hearted
  3. Wild
    acts in unexpected ways
  4. Willful
    has a stubborn sense of determination
  5. Wise
    intelligent and insightful
  6. Wealthy
    has a lot of money and other assets
  7. Well-rounded
    has a wide and varied skillset
  8. Worldly
    experienced and knowledgeable
  9. Watchful
    careful and observant
  10. Wrathful
    intensely angry
  11. Whimsical
    playfully quaint
  12. Weak
    lacking physical or mental strength

X

  1. Xenial
    hospitable
  2. Xenophobic
    dislikes people from other countries
  3. Xenodocial
    friendly to strangers

Y

  1. Youthful
    seems young
  2. Yearnful
    desirous
  3. Yielding
    gives in under pressure
  4. Young
    has lived for a short time

Z

  1. Zany
    unconventional
  2. Zealous
    passionate
  3. Zestful
    energetic
  4. Zen
    calm
  5. Zippy
    quick

Activity: Analyzing a Person’s Character Traits

Humans are complex individuals, and one person can contain a wide variety of character traits. Someone can be both ambitious and fearful, for example.

To understand character traits better, you can conduct a deep dive into one character’s personality and describe them using the words on our list!

Follow these steps:

  • Choose a character you know very well. This can be a character from a book, TV show, or movie — just be sure to choose one very familiar to you. The more you know about the character, the easier it will be for you to delve into their character traits!
  • Write down what you know about the character. This can include basic details about their life (their job, where they live, etc.), as well as details about their personality and behavior. Are they very social, or do they have few friends? Are they well-educated? Do they treat other people with kindness, or are they the villain of the story? Gather as many of these facts as you can for a full understanding of the character.
  • Match details in your description to adjectives from our list. Formulating a list of the character’s traits is easy when you’ve already considered the details gathered in the previous step. For example, if you noted that your character has a large social circle, you can assign them character traits like “friendly” and “sociable.” If the character is a graduate student, you might describe them as “scholarly” or “intelligent.”
  • Create a word map with related adjectives. Once you have a short list of adjectives that describe the character well, you can build out a larger list by mapping out related character traits. Using the “friendly” and “sociable” example from the previous step, your map can include related traits like “outgoing,” “kind,” “charismatic,” “talkative,” and “hospitable.”
  • Decide which adjectives are positive and negative. People are complicated, and no person or character is flawless! Acknowledging the character’s faults and strengths is important to understand them better.

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