Character traits

What are character traits?

A character trait is a quality that consistently shapes how someone thinks, feels and acts. The word consistently is doing the work in that sentence. Anyone can be brave once; a brave person is brave again next week, when it is inconvenient. That repetition across different situations is what separates a trait from a mood.

A trait of a character is therefore closer to a habit than a reaction. Losing your temper once in a bad week is a mood; being short with people whenever a deadline moves is a trait, and it is the second kind of pattern that a reader, a colleague or a nine-year-old writing a book report can actually point to.

Traits are what readers actually remember about a character, and what teachers ask students to identify in a text. They are also what most lists get wrong — a word on its own tells you very little. Knowing that aloof is a trait is far less useful than knowing it describes deliberate distance rather than shyness, and that its opposite is warmhearted rather than loud.

The three types of character traits

Traits are usually sorted into three groups. The first two are obvious; the third is where the interesting writing happens.

Positive traits

Qualities generally treated as strengths — honest, patient, generous. These are the good character traits that character education programmes teach and that most protagonists are built from. Used alone they produce flat, unconvincing characters. See the full list of positive character traits.

Negative traits

Qualities generally treated as flaws — cruel, arrogant, dishonest. Worth remembering that a flaw is not the same as a villain: the most memorable characters are usually sympathetic people with a real weakness rather than bad people with a long list of them. See the full list of negative character traits.

Neutral traits

Qualities that are neither good nor bad until context decides — ambitious, stubborn, innocent, reserved. Most trait lists quietly file these under whichever heading suits them. We mark them instead, with a note explaining both readings, because this is exactly the group that makes characters feel like people. See the full list of neutral character traits.

How to use this character traits list

There are three ways in, and they combine — you can search within a letter, or filter a category down to a single facet.

1. Search. Type anything. Search matches synonyms too, so typing brave will also surface valiant, intrepid and dauntless. Press ⌘ K or / from anywhere to jump to the box.
2. Browse A–Z. The alphabet rail filters instantly and greys out letters with no traits behind them.
3. Filter. Narrow by positive, negative or neutral, and by facet — emotional, intellectual, social, moral, drive or physical.

Click any trait for the full entry: definition, how it differs from its near-synonyms, antonyms, its direct opposite, and three example sentences written for different audiences. Anything you shortlist can be copied, exported to CSV, or printed as a character sheet.

Choosing traits for a character

The most common mistake is picking three traits that all point the same way. A character who is brave, loyal and honest has nothing to decide. Instead, pick two traits that reinforce each other and one that undercuts them, then put the character in a situation where they cannot satisfy all three.

Ambitious and loyal is a promising pair, because ambition eventually asks you to leave someone behind. Compassionate and blunt is another — sooner or later kindness and honesty will want different things. The contradiction is the character.

Frequently Asked Questions