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  • Hi everyone. In this video we're going to look at 50 advanced adjectives

  • that can be used to describe somebody's personality.

  • This video will probably help you if you have  an intermediate to advanced level in English

  • and if you already know most of the basic words used to describe personality like nice, friendly,

  • honest, mean, etc. Don't forget to turn on the subtitles if you need them, and if you're really

  • interested in improving your vocabulary, don't  forget to sign up for my free advanced English

  • email lessons. I send them out every two weeks and if you don't like them, you can unsubscribe at

  • any time. The link for that is in the description. Remember that I also have a short course on Udemy

  • which covers 55 common mistakes made by English learners. To receive my special discount for that,

  • you just need to click the link in the description. Okay, now the adjectives. I've divided these into

  • three groups: positive, neutral and negative. We'll start with the negative words and finish with the

  • positive ones because I think it's nice to end on a positive note. In terms of register, most of these

  • are standard, but if they are formal or informal, I will point that out. The first word is abrasive.

  • Abrasive. An abrasive person is rude and unkind. It usually refers to the way a person speaks.

  • An abrasive person is very direct and just not very polite.

  • For example, I avoid talking with my manager because he's very abrasive. "Abrasive" can also

  • be used to describe an object or substance that's rough. Sandpaper, for example, is abrasive.

  • That might help you remember the meaning. Number two is argumentative.

  • An argumentative person is someone who often argues or enjoys arguing.

  • I don't like having discussions with her because she's so

  • argumentative. The third one is bad-tempered. Someone who is bad-tempered becomes angry

  • or annoyed very easily. It's similar to "irritable", but it's a bit stronger.

  • For example: He's very bad-tempered, so most people stay out of his way. Now we have bigheaded.

  • Bigheaded. This is an informal word and no, it  doesn't literally mean that the person has

  • a large head. A bigheaded person has a very high opinion of themselves. They might think

  • that they're very important or intelligent. She's so bigheaded she acts as if she were our boss.

  • Next we have cocky. This is also an informal word. Someone who's cocky is overconfident,

  • especially in a way that annoys others. A cocky person often overestimates their abilities.

  • He's very cocky, but one day he'll realise that he doesn't know everything.

  • Now we have deceitful. Deceitful. This is actually a formal word. A deceitful person

  • tells lies or behaves in a dishonest  way. The politician has been accused of

  • being deceitful, but she isn't worse than any of her colleagues. The next word is

  • defensive. A defensive person often thinks they are  being criticised even when they're not. Defensive

  • people often misinterpret what you say because they often think that they're being attacked.

  • I don't want to ask him about his decisions because he's so defensive. The next word is devious.

  • Devious. This is a little formal... Um, we don't usually use it in casual conversations, but

  • people say it sometimes and you'll definitely  see it in books. Someone who's devious

  • uses dishonest ways to get what they want. A devious person often tricks or fools people.

  • She's a devious businesswoman and I'm sure she'll be arrested one day. Now we have entitled.

  • Entitled. An entitled person feels like they have the right to certain benefits

  • or privileges without necessarily deserving them or having worked for them.

  • For example: His parents spoiled him as a child, so it's not surprising that he's now

  • incredibly entitled. The next word is flaky. Flaky is informal.

  • A flaky person is someone who behaves in a strange or unexpected way and isn't very reliable.

  • We often use it to describe someone who often arrives late, or forgets things, or frequently loses

  • things. She's rather flaky, so don't be surprised if she shows up two hours late. Next we have gullible.

  • A gullible person is too willing to believe what other people tell them. They are easily tricked.

  • There are actually some silly jokes with the word "gullible". Like: Did you know that "gullible" has

  • been removed from the dictionary? Or: Do you know that you have "gullible" written on your forehead?

  • Anyway, here's an example sentence: Salespeople love him because he's so gullible and will believe

  • anything. Now we have moody. Moody. A moody person is someone whose moods change quickly and frequently.

  • It's basically the same as "temperamental", and we mainly use it to describe someone who

  • gets annoyed or angry easily. She's rather moody and it's hard to predict what she'll be like

  • from one day to the next. Here's another informal word. This one is nosy. Nosy.

  • A nosy person is too interested in other people's lives and what other people

  • are doing. They might, for example, ask too many personal questions. It's like being too curious.

  • Their nosy neighbours are always looking over their fence.

  • Now we have obstinate. This is a little formal... Um, in everyday speech we'd probably just say

  • "stubborn". It's a synonym. An obstinate person often refuses to change their opinions or behaviour in

  • a way that is unreasonable. He was an obstinate child, but he has turned into a very reasonable

  • young man. And now another informal word. This one is pigheaded. Pigheaded. Be careful, this is not

  • the same as "bigheaded". "Pigheaded" really just means the same thing as "obstinate" or "stubborn".

  • She's extremely pigheaded, so don't expect her to change her mind. Next we have self-centred.

  • Self-centred. A self-centred person primarily thinks about themselves and rarely thinks about

  • other people's needs or feelings. It's similar to "self-absorbed". He's completely self-centred

  • and is never interested in hearing about my problems. Now we have self-important.

  • Self-important. A self-important person thinks that they are more important than other people.

  • She was a self-important administrator who clearly enjoyed the small amount of power that she had.

  • The next word is sneaky. Sneaky. This is an informal word and it's similar to "devious".

  • A sneaky person does things in a secret and often dishonest way.

  • He's manipulative and sneaky, and would do anything to get a promotion. Next we have "thick". You probably

  • know this word already - it actually has several meanings. Usually it means the opposite of "thin".

  • For example, this is a thin book and this is a thick book. But when it's used to describe a person,

  • it's an informal way to say that the person is not very smart or perhaps slow to understand things.

  • My colleague is so thick I had to show her how to use the coffee machine

  • five times. But yeah, obviously that's not a very nice thing to say about somebody. The last one for

  • the negative adjectives is timid. Timid is similar to shy. It's not exactly the same, but it's similar.

  • A timid person lacks courage or self-confidence. They often get nervous easily

  • and are scared to do certain things. He was a timid child, but now he runs his own company.

  • Before we continue, I just want to point out that all of these adjectives

  • (the negative, the neutral and the positive ones) can all be used to describe behaviour as well.

  • Let's look at the word "abrasive" again. You could describe a person's personality as abrasive. For

  • example: He's an abrasive person. Which means that generally speaking or very often he's abrasive.

  • But you could also say something like: I don't know why he's being so abrasive. Which means

  • that in that moment or period of time, he is behaving in an abrasive way. Okay, let's continue.

  • We're now going to look at several words which I consider fairly neutral. In other words, they're

  • not really positive or negative. Or they can be used in a positive or negative way depending on

  • the context. You'll see what I mean. The first word is carefree. A carefree person is someone

  • who doesn't worry too much about things. Normally it's used in a positive way, but not always.

  • For example: Some of my colleagues are so carefree and they never seem concerned about anything.

  • As you can see, that might be considered a good thing or it might be considered a bad thing.

  • Next we have chatty. "Chatty" is informal. A chatty person talks a lot, normally in a friendly way.

  • It's very similar to "talkative". She's very chatty and makes new friends easily.

  • Usually this is used positively, but well, some people find chatty people annoying. Now we have competitive.

  • A competitive person has a strong desire to win, or be better or more successful than other people.

  • I don't like playing games with him because he's so competitive.

  • I'd say normally people use this disapprovingly, but for some people being competitive is a good

  • thing. The next word is inquisitive. This is similar to "nosy", but unlike "nosy" it can be used positively

  • as well. Another synonym is "curious". An inquisitive person either wants to know and learn about lots

  • of things or tries hard to find out things that don't concern them about other people.

  • Here are two examples. She reads a lot because she's very inquisitive.

  • She's so inquisitive - I wish she'd just mind her own business. The next word is kooky, which is

  • informal. A kooky person is strange or a bit crazy, but in an interesting way.

  • Some people avoid him because he's a bit kooky, but I think he's fun to be around.

  • Another informal word: This one is laid-back. Laid-back. A laid-back person is calm and relaxed, and

  • doesn't seem to worry too much about things. Being laid-back is generally considered a positive trait,

  • but again, it depends on how it is used. She never seems to get stressed about anything,

  • but sometimes she's perhaps a bit too laid-back. And now we have quirky. "Quirky" is similar to "kooky". 

  • A quirky person is a bit strange, but in an interesting way. For example:

  • My new boss is rather quirky, but I don't mind people who are a bit different.

  • The next word is "rebellious". A rebellious person is someone who does not like obeying

  • rules or authority. As you can imagine, some people would say that's positive thing

  • and some people would say that's a negative thing. It's often used to describe young people.

  • For example: He was such a rebellious teenager, but now he works on Wall Street. Next we have reserved.

  • Someone who's reserved does not talk very much, and is not very open about their thoughts or feelings.

  • She's quite reserved, but once you get to know her, you'll see that she has a great sense of humour.

  • The last one for this section is socially awkward. Yes, I know this isn't technically an

  • adjective (it's a collocation made up of an adverb and an adjective), but it's a phrase that

  • is commonly used to describe people. A socially awkward person is someone who

  • often feels uncomfortable or is uncertain about what to say in social situations. I think most of

  • us experience this sometimes, but obviously some people experience it more than others.

  • An example: He's introverted and socially awkward, but he occasionally likes going to parties.

  • And now we're going to look at the positive adjectives,

  • in other words, the ones that are used approvingly. The first one is affectionate.

  • Somebody who's affectionate gently shows that they love or care about somebody. It might be

  • through words or small actions. For example: Ethel is very affectionate and is often giving me hugs.

  • Next we have compassionate.

  • A compassionate person has or shows sympathy for people or animals that are suffering.

  • He was a strong but compassionate leader, which is why he was well liked. The next word is

  • conscientious. Conscientious. Someone who's conscientious tries to do things

  • carefully and correctly. We often talk about conscientious teachers, students, workers, etc.

  • George was a conscientious student at school and always got good marks. Next we have courteous.

  • Courteous. This is a little formal. Someone who's courteous is polite and respectful. For example:

  • She's a patient and courteous young woman who never loses her temper. This one is

  • dependable. Someone who's dependable can be relied on to do what is expected or

  • what they promised. It's basically the same as "reliable". For example:

  • Ethel is dependable and if she says she'll help you, she definitely will.

  • The next one is diligent. This is quite formal. A diligent person puts effort into their work

  • with attention to detail. It's basically a combination of "conscientious" and "hardworking".

  • We are currently looking for diligent and motivated individuals to join our team.

  • That's something that you might see in a job advertisement. And now we have even-tempered.

  • Even-tempered. Someone who's even-tempered is calm and doesn't get angry or annoyed easily.

  • For example: He's an even-tempered sales assistant who doesn't let demanding customers upset him.

  • You can also say "good-tempered". It's similar to "even-tempered", but a good-tempered person

  • is also rather cheerful. So we have bad-tempered, even-tempered and good-tempered. And now we have

  • gregarious. Gregarious. A gregarious person is someone who is friendly and enjoys being

  • with other people. It's similar to "sociable". For example: If you're gregarious and like

  • history, you'd probably make a good tour guide. Next we have industrious. Industrious.

  • An industrious person is someone who regularly works hard. It's very similar to hardworking.

  • She's industrious and creative, so I'm sure she'll be a good architect. Next we have intuitive.

  • Intuitive. Someone who's intuitive can understand situations mainly by

  • using feelings, in other words, without having all the facts. For example:

  • My boss was rather intuitive and could usually tell if somebody was going to be a good employee

  • after the first day. And now we have inventive. An inventive person is good at thinking of new,

  • different or interesting ideas. It's similar to "imaginative" or "creative".

  • The robotics company always tries to hire  inventive people. Often when we think of an

  • inventive person, we think of someone who designs physical objects, but not always. For example,

  • you could say "an inventive film director" or "an inventive writer". The next one is obliging. Obliging.

  • An obliging person is someone who is willing to help or do favours for others.

  • For example: Our car broke down while driving in the country, but some obliging locals

  • took us to the nearest mechanic. And now we have observant.

  • Observant. An observant person is good or quick at noticing things. A synonym is "perceptive".

  • He doesn't talk much, but he's very observant, so he's well aware of what's happening in the office.

  • The next word is resourceful. A resourceful person is good at solving problems or finding new ways

  • to do things. She didn't have much money, but she was resourceful, so her kids always had what they

  • needed. This word is self-aware. Self-aware. Someone who's self-aware knows and understands their own

  • personality or behaviour very well. For example: He often makes mistakes, but because he's self-aware,

  • he's able to learn from them. The next word is self-disciplined. Self-disciplined.

  • Someone who's self-disciplined can make themselves do something that they should do without having

  • somebody tell them to do it. We often talk about self-discipline when we're speaking about things

  • like eating well, exercising, studying, etc. So things that aren't necessarily much fun, but

  • that are often good for us. A self-disciplined person doesn't have much trouble doing these

  • things. If you want to get fit and you can't afford a personal trainer, you need to be

  • self-disciplined. This word is tactful. Someone who's tactful has a good sense of what to

  • say to people to avoid causing offence or upsetting them. A tactful person is good at

  • choosing the words that they use and the subjects that they talk about. She's polite and tactful, and

  • is able to give constructive criticism in a way that doesn't offend people. The next word is tidy.

  • A tidy person keeps things neatly arranged or in order. Be careful. "Tidy" is not the same as "clean".

  • "Clean" is just the opposite of "dirty". It's actually possible to be tidy and dirty at the same time.

  • For example: Everything on your desk might be arranged well, but there might also be

  • dust or coffee stains on it. Frank can be difficult to live with because he's not very tidy.

  • We're almost at the end. This word is upbeat. Upbeat.

  • This is informal. An upbeat person is positive, cheerful and optimistic. For example:

  • If you're feeling a little down, it can be good to surround yourself with upbeat people. And now

  • the last word for today. This word is witty. Witty. A witty person uses words in a smart and funny way.

  • For example: She's a witty writer and her books always make me laugh. That's it everybody. I hope

  • you found this useful. If you liked the video, don't forget to hit the thumbs up, and if you'd like to

  • practise using any of these words, please write a sentence or a couple of example sentences in

  • the comments section. Thanks very much for  watching and I'll see you next time. Bye!

Hi everyone. In this video we're going to look at 50 advanced adjectives

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