Character traits are the individual characteristics and qualities that make characters from books, stories, movies, plays, and other art forms come to life for readers.
Use the following list of character traits as a guideline when writing book reports and essays about the different characters you've read about. Don't stop with this list, though; you can probably think of many more terms to describe your characters.
Search and explore the definitions of character traits with our sister company Infoplease's dictionary.
Values, Morals, and Beliefs Character Traits
- Accepting
- Accountable
- Adaptable
- Adventurous
- Adventurous
- Altruistic
- Ambitious
- Assertive
- Authentic
- Brave
- Calm
- Caring
- Charitable
- Communicative
- Compassionate
- Committed
- Confident
- Conscientious
- Considerate
- Courageous
- Decisive
- Dedicated
- Determined
- Diligent
- Discerning
- Disciplined
- Discreet
- Dutiful
- Encouraging
- Enduring
- Empathetic
- Enthusiastic
- Fair
- Faithful
- Fearless
- Flexible
- Forgiving
- Generous
- Gracious
- Grateful
- Hard-working
- Honest
- Hopeful
- Humble
- Humorous
- Imaginative
- Independent
- Inspiring
- Intuitive
- Just
- Kind
- Knowledgeable
- Leader
- Logical
- Loving
- Loyal
- Mature
- Merciful
- Mindful
- Modest
- Noble
- Nurturing
- Observant
- Obedient
- Objective
- Open-minded
- Optimistic
- Patient
- Peaceful
- Persevering
- Persistent
- Positive
- Principled
- Prudent
- Punctual
- Questioning
- Rational
- Reliable
- Reflective
- Resilient
- Respectful
- Self-confident
- Selfish
- Selfless
- Sincere
- Spiritual
- Supportive
- Sympathetic
- Tactful
- Tolerant
- Tranquil
- Trusting
- Trustworthy
- Understanding
- Unselfish
- Virtuous
- Wise
- Zealous
Looking for a printable list of character traits?
Our printable character traits list features more than 200 characteristics and qualities that your students can use for writing or a character study.
DownloadPhysical Character Traits
- Able
- Aged
- Agile
- Angular
- Athletic
- Attractive
- Bald
- Bearded
- Brawny
- Broad-shouldered
- Bulky
- Chubby
- Clean-shaven
- Clumsy
- Compact
- Curvy
- Dainty
- Dark
- Delicate
- Dimpled
- Disheveled
- Elegant
- Fierce
- Fighter
- Fit
- Flustered
- Frail
- Freckled
- Gaunt
- Gentle
- Graceful
- Grizzled
- Haggard
- Handsome
- Heavyset
- Hirsute
- Hunched
- Imposing
- Intricate
- Lanky
- Lean
- Light
- Lithe
- Long-legged
- Lustrous
- Messy
- Muscular
- Neat
- Petite
- Pierced
- Plain
- Plump
- Polished
- Poor
- Pretty
- Prim
- Proper
- Pudgy
- Refined
- Rich
- Rosy-cheeked
- Rugged
- Scarred
- Scrawny
- Scruffy
- Short
- Sleek
- Slender
- Slim
- Spectacled
- Spindly
- Spry
- Square-jawed
- Statuesque
- Stubby
- Stooped
- Strapping
- Strong
- Sturdy
- Sun-kissed
- Sunburned
- Tall
- Tanned
- Tattooed
- Thin
- Tireless
- Tough
- Tousled
- Tranquil
- Ugly
- Unkempt
- Veiny
- Vibrant
- Voluminous
- Weather-beaten
- Well-groomed
- Wild
- Wiry
- Wrinkled
- Youthful
Emotional Character Traits
- Affectionate
- Alarmed
- Amused
- Angry
- Annoyed
- Anxious
- Apathetic
- Appreciative
- Ashamed
- Bewildered
- Bitter
- Bored
- Busy
- Calm
- Cheerful
- Confident
- Conceited
- Confused
- Content
- Curious
- Defeated
- Delighted
- Depressed
- Despairing
- Disappointed
- Disgusted
- Eager
- Ecstatic
- Elated
- Embarrassed
- Empathetic
- Enraged
- Envious
- Excited
- Expert
- Fearless
- Frightened
- Frustrated
- Grateful
- Grumpy
- Guilty
- Happy
- Hateful
- Hopeful
- Hopeless
- Horrified
- Humiliated
- Impatient
- Impressed
- Irritated
- Imaginative
- Indifferent
- Insensitive
- Introverted
- Jealous
- Jolly
- Joyful
- Joyous
- Jubilant
- Lonely
- Loving
- Melancholic
- Mischievous
- Miserable
- Nervous
- Offended
- Optimistic
- Outgoing
- Overjoyed
- Passionate
- Patriotic
- Patient
- Peaceful
- Pessimistic
- Perceptive
- Pleased
- Popular
- Proud
- Relieved
- Romantic
- Sad
- Satisfied
- Scared
- Sensitive
- Shocked
- Shy
- Smiling
- Successful
- Surprised
- Sweet
- Sympathetic
- Terrified
- Thankful
- Thoughtful
- Tolerant
- Trusting
- Unhappy
- Vengeful
- Warm
- Worried
Personality Character Traits
- Accommodating
- Adventurous
- Affectionate
- Ambitious
- Amiable
- Analytical
- Appreciative
- Articulate
- Artistic
- Assertive
- Audacious
- Authentic
- Balanced
- Benevolent
- Bold
- Boisterous
- Bright
- Caring
- Capable
- Cautious
- Charismatic
- Charming
- Cheerful
- Clamorous
- Clever
- Cold-hearted
- Committed
- Compassionate
- Conscientious
- Considerate
- Cooperative
- Courageous
- Courteous
- Cowardly
- Creative
- Curious
- Daring
- Decisive
- Dependable
- Determined
- Diplomatic
- Discerning
- Disciplined
- Disagreeable
- Dreamer
- Dynamic
- Energetic
- Enterprising
- Excited
- Exuberant
- Faithful
- Fearless
- Flamboyant
- Flexible
- Focused
- Frank
- Friendly
- Fun-loving
- Funny
- Generous
- Gracious
- Grateful
- Gregarious
- Harmonious
- Humble
- Humorous
- Idealistic
- Impartial
- Impatient
- Impulsive
- Independent
- Industrious
- Ingenious
- Innovative
- Insightful
- Inspiring
- Intelligent
- Inquisitive
- Introverted
- Involved
- Judicious
- Keen
- Kind
- Kind-hearted
- Knowledgeable
- Lazy
- Liberal
- Logical
- Lovable
- Loving
- Mellow
- Methodical
- Meticulous
- Modest
- Motivated
- Nonchalant
- Nonjudgmental
- Nurturing
- Objective
- Observant
- Open-minded
- Optimistic
- Organized
- Passionate
- Patient
- Pensive
- Perceptive
- Persevering
- Persistent
- Pioneering
- Pitiful
- Plain
- Pleasing
- Practical
- Pragmatic
- Proactive
- Progressive
- Proud
- Punctual
- Quiet
- Rational
- Realistic
- Rebellious
- Reflective
- Relaxed
- Reliable
- Reserved
- Resourceful
- Respectful
- Self-assured
- Self-confident
- Self-critical
- Self-disciplined
- Self-reliant
- Selfless
- Sensible
- Sensitive
- Serene
- Serious
- Simple
- Simple-minded
- Smart
- Spontaneous
- Steadfast
- Stoic
- Strategic
- Studious
- Supportive
- Tactful
- Tenacious
- Thoughtful
- Timid
- Trustworthy
- Unassuming
- Understanding
- Unbiased
- Unpretentious
- Valiant
- Versatile
- Vibrant
- Vigilant
- Visionary
- Warm-hearted
- Whimsical
- Willful
- Wise
- Witty
- Worldly
Just like real people, literary characters have behaviors, attitudes, traits, and beliefs that give them a unique personality. These can be surface characteristics, like personality or physical traits - or they can be deeply-held values and morals. Writers develop characters with myriad traits to help readers build empathy or antipathy, relate to the narrative, create realism, and develop various plot points and storylines.
Looking for activities, lessons, and printables on character traits to use in your classroom? View all of our character trait resources here.
