What’s she like? Describing personalities in English

In this post we’ll focus on vocabulary and expressions for describing personalities in English. First, we’ll start with some general questions that you can ask about a person to find out about their personality. Then we’ll see some vocabulary for talking about happy or sad personalities. After that we’ll learn expressions related to being shy or outgoing. Next, we’ll cover ways to describe a person who is exciting or dull. Next we’ll move to expressions related to being anxious or uptight. Finally, we’ll learn how to describe a person who marches to the beat of a different drum.

What is he like?

The question what does he look like? or what does she look like? asks about a person’s physical appearance, and you can read more about that here. If you want to know about a person’s personality, ask:

• What is he or she like?
• What kind of person is he or she?
• What kind of personality does he or she have?
• What is he or she like as a person?

Happy or Unhappy?

People can be in happy or unhappy moods, or they can have happy or unhappy personalities in general. Here are some ways to talk about that.

• He’s/She’s a happy person. He always/She always looks on the bright side. He has/She has a positive attitude.
  Some people seem to be happy all the time. An idiomatic expression for this is to say that he or she always looks on the bright side (of life). To have a positive attitude means the same thing.
• He’s/She’s an unhappy person. He has/She has a negative attitude.
  The opposite of a happy person who looks on the bright side is an unhappy person who has a negative attitude.
• He’s/She’s an optimist/optimistic. He’s/She’s a pessimist/pessimistic.
  An optimist (or an optimistic person) is someone who normally expects good things, and a pessimist (or a pessimistic person) is someone who normally expects bad things.
• He is/She is a miserable person.
  To be miserable is to be really, really sad. A miserable person finds no joy in his or her life.

Shy or Outgoing?

Some people are social, have lots of friends, and are very comfortable in groups. Other people prefer to be with one or two very good friends, and they’re perfectly happy spending time alone.

• He’s/She’s introverted/an introvert. He’s/She’s extroverted/an extrovert.
  Introverted people focus inward, on their own thoughts. Extroverted people focus outward, and they like to interact with others.
• He’s/She’s shy/quiet/reserved.
  If a person is shy, he or she may not be comfortable being around strangers. Shy people may be quiet, meaning that they are comfortable not speaking. Reserved is similar, but not the same. A reserved person likes to be in control of his or her emotions. Reserved people aren’t necessarily shy, they just don’t like to show their emotions very openly.
• He’s/She’s outgoing/a people-person.
  The opposite of shy is outgoing. If you’re a people-person, you’re a person who likes to be with an interact with other people.
• He is/She is a social butterfly.
  A social butterfly is a very outgoing person who always has social plans. Just like butterflies fly from one flower to another, a social butterfly moves from one party or social event to another.

Exciting or Dull?

Some people have exciting or interesting personalities, and others, well, don’t!

• He’s/She’s exciting/interesting. He/She leads an interesting/exciting life.
  If a person has an interesting or interesting life, you usually say that he or she leads an interesting or exciting life.
• He’s/She’s boring/dull. He/She is a stick in the mud.
  Boring and dull are the opposites of interesting and exciting. The expression to be a stick in the mud is an idiom that describes someone who is very dull, someone who never wants to do anything exciting.
• He’s/She’s silly/lighthearted. He’s/She’s relaxed/easy-going.
  The opposite of serious is silly or lighthearted, someone who enjoys laughing and having fun without worrying too much. This is similar to someone who’s relaxed or easy-going. An easy-going person is the opposite of an uptight person.
• He sees/She sees the world through rose colored glasses.
  If a person sees the world through rose colored (or tinted) glasses, it means that everything always look cheerful and bright and beautiful. If you see the world through rose colored glasses, you’re happy and optimistic all the time, but also a bit naive or idealistic, because you don’t see the world as it really is.

He’s really uptight.

Sometimes it’s hard for all of us to be relaxed and easy-going. But for some people, it’s really difficult to break out of that.

• He’s/She’s serious/uptight.
  A serious person takes life seriously. If a person is uptight, it’s a negative way of saying that he or she takes life (and him or herself!) too seriously and is not fun to be with. An uptight person is always worried about the rules, and about what other people will think or say.
• He’s/She’s anxious. He’s/She’s a worrier.
  An anxious person is always worrying about things going wrong.  If you say that someone is a worrier, that means that they worry a lot, that they’re anxious all the time.
• He’s/She’s very particular. He is/She is completely neurotic.
  If a person is particular, that means that he or she has strong feelings about likes and dislikes. If you’re a person who always needs things to be a certain way, you are a particular person. If you describe someone as neurotic, it means that they’re extremely nervous and anxious all the time, or that they need their surroundings to be a certain way in order to feel satisfied.

She’s got both feet on the ground.

People see the world in different ways. Here are some expressions related to that.

• He has/She has both feet on the ground.
  If a person is very practical and sensible, you can use the expression to have both feet on the ground to describe him or her.
• He’s got his head in the clouds. She’s a dreamer.
  The opposite of having both feet on the ground is having your head in the clouds. That means that you don’t focus on practical, everyday concerns. Another way to say this is to describe someone as a dreamer.
• He’s conventional. She’s unconventional.
  A conventional person is someone who does things in the usual way, someone whose life is average or “normal.” An unconventional person is someone whose life is different than most people’s lives.

She’s one of a kind!

Finally, we all have friends who are very unique. Or maybe these expressions describe you more than your friends?

• He is/She is colorful. He/She has a colorful personality.
  If a person is colorful, or has a colorful personality, he or she is unique, interesting, and maybe a bit surprising and unconventional.
• He is/She is an original. He is/She is one of a kind!
  If a person is an original, or is one of a kind, that means that he or she is very unique, unlike everyone else.
• He is/She is a free spirit. He marches/She marches to the beat of a different drum. He marches to the beat of his own drum. She marches to the beat of her own drum.
  A free spirit is an unconventional person who does what he or she wants to do, and isn’t too concerned about the rules or social norms. If you’re a free spirit, you probably march to the beat of a different drum, meaning you do things your own way, in a way that’s different than what other people do or think or behave.
• He is/She is a flake. He/She is flaky.
  If a person is a flake, they’re not very dependable. They may say yes to a dinner invitation, but never show up. They may tell you they’ll call you right back but they never do. A flaky person is both selfish and unreliable. We all flake out on things from time to time, but if you describe someone as a flake, it means that their entire personality is like that!
• He is/She is a real piece of work!
  If someone is a (real) piece of work, they’re difficult to be with. Maybe they’re selfish or unreliable or nasty. If you describe someone as a piece of work, it’s definitely not a compliment!

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