English words that describe behaviour
An A-Z of English words and phrases that describe behaviour.
A
active = always doing something: "She's an active person and never wants to stay in."
aggressive = being angry or threatening: "He's aggressive and starts arguments."
ambitious = wanting to succeed: "He's ambitious and wants to lead the company."
argumentative = always arguing with people: "He won't accept what you say – he's argumentative and loves to disagree!"
arrogant = thinking you are better than anyone else: "He always behaves as if nobody else's opinion is important – "I find him very arrogant."
assertive = being confident, so people can't force you to do things you don't want to do: "It's important to be assertive at work."
B
bad-tempered = in a bad mood: "What's got into him lately? He's so bad-tempered."
big-headed = thinking you're very important or clever: "I've never met anyone so big-headed!"
bossy = telling people what to do all the time: "He's so bossy - he never lets me do things the way I want to do them."
C
careless = not taking care: "He's a careless driver – "I'm sure he'll have an accident."
caring = wanting to help people: "My boss is caring and often asks me how things are going."
catty = saying nasty or spiteful things about other people: "I know you don't like her, but calling her names is a bit catty."
cautious = being careful, so that you avoid mistakes: "He's cautious about investing money in the stock market."
charming = pleasant and likeable: "What a charming man!"
cheeky = being rude or disrespectful: "It was a bit cheeky of him to ask for more money."
clever = intelligent: "She's a clever student and picks things up quickly."
conceited = thinking you're very clever, or better than others: "He's so conceited – he thinks everyone should admire him."
conscientious = doing something carefully, because you want to do it well: "She's a conscientious student and always does her homework."
considerate = thinking and caring about others: "My neighbour brought me flowers when I was in hospital – he's very considerate." ("That was considerate of him.")
coy = pretending to be shy so that you don't have to give information: "He's very coy about his qualifications – maybe he doesn't have any."
creative = someone who can make or design things, or can think of solutions to a problem: "She's creative and artistic."
curious = wanting to know things: "I'm curious to find out what you think of the situation."
D
deceitful = trying to make people think something, so that you get what you want: "He lied to get this job – he's so deceitful."
docile = quiet and submissive: "She's a docile child and always does what she's told."
dogmatic = wanting others to accept your ideas without discussion: "He's a dogmatic politician and always thinks he's right."
domineering = trying to control other people: "He's loud and domineering in the office – it's difficult to get him to listen to us."
E
enthusiastic = having a lot of interest in something: "He's an enthusiastic supporter of equal rights."
excitable = someone who easily gets excited: "He gets very excitable about politics – it's one of his passions in life."
extroverted = outgoing and lively: "She's extroverted and loves going out with people."
F
faithful = being loyal to someone or something: "She's a faithful friend."
fickle = changing your mind and being unpredictable: "Politicians can be fickle when it suits them!"
flaky = slightly unstable and unreliable: "She's a little flaky at times, but otherwise she's a good worker."
full of himself = acting proud of yourself: "He was full of himself after he got the promotion – it got annoying after a while."
funny = making other people laugh: "He can be extremely funny when he's in the mood."
fussy = only liking certain things: "She's fussy about what she wears."
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