Negative character traits

Traits generally treated as flaws, each with a definition, synonyms, antonyms and example sentences.

⌘ K

Abrasive

Harsh and wearing in manner, rubbing people the wrong way over time.

harsh · caustic · grating

Absent-minded

Forgetful of what is going on around you because your attention is somewhere else.

forgetful · preoccupied · distracted

Aggressive

Pushing forward with hostile force, ready to attack rather than negotiate.

belligerent · hostile · pugnacious

Anxious

Persistently uneasy about what might go wrong, often without a specific cause.

apprehensive · uneasy · nervous

Apathetic

Lacking interest or concern about things that ought to matter.

indifferent · uninterested · unmoved

Arrogant

Convinced of one's own superiority and dismissive of everyone else's worth.

haughty · conceited · supercilious

Awkward

Ill at ease with other people, so that ordinary exchanges come out stiff or mistimed.

ill at ease · uncomfortable · stilted

Begrudging

Unwilling to see someone else enjoy their good fortune, and reluctant to grant it.

grudging · resentful · stinting

Biased

Unfairly favouring one person, group or outcome over another.

prejudiced · partial · one-sided

Bitter

Soured by long-held disappointment or resentment.

embittered · jaded · sour

Boastful

Talking about one's own achievements far more than others want to hear.

bragging · swaggering · self-aggrandising

Brooding

Dwelling darkly and at length on a grievance or a worry.

ruminating · moody · preoccupied

Callous

Unfeeling toward the suffering of others, usually through hardened indifference.

unfeeling · indifferent · hardened

Careless

Failing to give something the attention it needs, so that mistakes follow.

negligent · slapdash · sloppy

Chaotic

Living in a state of constant disorder, where nothing is settled for long.

turbulent · unruly · frenzied

Clumsy

Prone to knocking things over, dropping them, and moving without control.

ungainly · bumbling · lumbering

Combative

Eager to argue and quick to treat a conversation as something to be won.

argumentative · contentious · quarrelsome

Complacent

So satisfied with how things are that one stops making any effort to improve them.

self-satisfied · smug · unconcerned

Conceited

Excessively pleased with one's own abilities or appearance.

vain · self-satisfied · boastful

Condescending

Treating others as less capable while appearing to be helpful or kind.

patronising · supercilious · high-handed

Contemptuous

Regarding someone as beneath your consideration, and showing it.

scornful · disdainful · sneering

Covetous

Longing intensely to possess what belongs to someone else.

acquisitive · grasping · yearning

Cowardly

Lacking the courage to face danger or do what is right, in a way that lets others down.

craven · spineless · gutless

Craven

Contemptibly cowardly, especially in abandoning duty or principle.

cowardly · abject · pusillanimous

Cruel

Willing to cause pain or suffering to others, and untroubled by doing so.

callous · heartless · merciless

Cynical

Believing that people are motivated mainly by self-interest.

distrustful · jaded · sceptical

Deceitful

Given to actively creating a false impression in other people's minds.

duplicitous · double-dealing · scheming

Defeatist

Assuming failure is certain, and giving up before genuinely trying.

fatalistic · resigned · despairing

Demanding

Asking a great deal of other people and not easily satisfied by what they give.

exacting · insistent · hard to please

Despondent

Sunk in low spirits and out of hope that anything will improve.

dejected · hopeless · disheartened

Disheveled

Untidy in appearance — hair, clothes and general presentation out of order.

unkempt · rumpled · bedraggled

Dishonest

Willing to lie, cheat or mislead in order to gain something.

deceitful · untrustworthy · crooked

Disloyal

Failing to stand by the people or causes you were bound to.

faithless · false · untrue

Disorganized

Without any working system, so things get lost, missed or done twice.

haphazard · unsystematic · chaotic

Dogmatic

Asserting beliefs as unquestionable fact and refusing to consider alternatives.

doctrinaire · opinionated · rigid

Domineering

Insisting on controlling other people and how they do things.

overbearing · controlling · bossy

Entitled

Believing you are owed good treatment and advantages as a matter of right.

presumptuous · self-important · spoiled

Envious

Resentful that someone else has something you want for yourself.

covetous · resentful · green-eyed

Evasive

Avoiding direct answers in order to keep something concealed.

cagey · elusive · equivocal

Extravagant

Spending lavishly and beyond what the situation or the purse can justify.

lavish · profligate · wasteful

Fainthearted

Lacking the nerve to begin or continue something difficult.

timorous · irresolute · hesitant

Fickle

Changing loyalties, opinions or affections often and for slight reasons.

capricious · changeable · inconstant

Fidgety

Unable to keep still, with hands and feet always moving.

restless · jittery · twitchy

Foolhardy

Bravely taking a risk that no sensible assessment could justify.

reckless · madcap · daredevil

Foolish

Showing poor judgment about things a person really ought to know better about.

silly · unwise · senseless

Forgetful

Losing hold of things that were known — names, errands, promises made last week.

unmindful · oblivious · amnesic

Frail

Physically weak and easily harmed, often through age or illness.

fragile · delicate · infirm

Furtive

Behaving in a sly, glancing way that suggests you are up to something.

shifty · sneaky · stealthy

Gloomy

Persistently low in mood and inclined to see the dark side of things.

morose · melancholy · downcast

Gluttonous

Consuming far past the point of enough, especially food and drink.

voracious · insatiable · greedy

Gossipy

Fond of passing on private news about other people.

indiscreet · talebearing · chatty

Grasping

Openly and shamelessly out for whatever can be got.

acquisitive · predatory · mercenary

Greedy

Wanting more than a fair share, and wanting it past the point of any need.

avaricious · rapacious · covetous

Gullible

Easily convinced of things that are not true, especially by someone with a motive.

credulous · easily fooled · unsuspecting

Haughty

Coldly proud in a way that treats others as beneath notice.

disdainful · lofty · imperious

Heartless

Completely lacking in pity or warmth toward other people.

pitiless · cold-blooded · unfeeling

Hedonistic

Organising life around pleasure and treating enjoyment as the point of it.

pleasure-seeking · sybaritic · dissolute

Hesitant

Slow to act or decide because of uncertainty or self-doubt.

indecisive · irresolute · tentative

Hot-tempered

Quick to lose one's temper over small provocations.

irascible · quick-tempered · volatile

Hypocritical

Claiming standards that one's own behaviour does not meet.

two-faced · sanctimonious · self-serving

Idle

Not working or occupied, especially when there is work available.

unoccupied · inactive · loafing

Impulsive

Acting suddenly on feeling, without pausing to think it through.

rash · spur-of-the-moment · hasty

Inconsiderate

Failing to think about how one's actions affect other people.

thoughtless · selfish · careless

Indecisive

Unable to settle on a choice, so the decision keeps getting reopened.

irresolute · vacillating · uncertain

Indulgent

Inclined to give in to what is wanted, whether by yourself or by someone you are meant to be guiding.

permissive · lenient · soft

Insecure

Persistently uncertain of one's own worth or ability, and needing reassurance.

self-doubting · unconfident · uncertain

Insincere

Saying things one does not actually mean, especially warmth or praise.

hollow · affected · insubstantial

Insubordinate

Refusing to accept the authority of someone you are formally answerable to.

disobedient · mutinous · unruly

Intolerant

Unwilling to put up with beliefs or ways of living that differ from your own.

bigoted · illiberal · unaccommodating

Irritable

Easily annoyed and inclined to show it.

testy · tetchy · grumpy

Jealous

Fearful of losing someone's attention or affection to a rival.

possessive · suspicious · insecure

Judgmental

Quick to form and voice a harsh opinion of how other people live.

censorious · critical · condemning

Lazy

Unwilling to work or make an effort when effort is expected.

idle · slothful · workshy

Manipulative

Skilled at steering other people's choices for one's own ends, usually without their knowing.

scheming · calculating · exploitative

Materialistic

Valuing possessions and money above relationships, ideas or principles.

acquisitive · worldly · money-minded

Merciless

Refusing to show leniency even when there is every reason to.

pitiless · unrelenting · implacable

Messy

Leaving things untidy — surfaces cluttered, belongings wherever they were dropped.

untidy · cluttered · unkempt

Naive

Lacking the experience or judgement to see how things really work.

credulous · gullible · unworldly

Narrow-minded

Unwilling to entertain ideas or ways of thinking outside a small familiar range.

insular · parochial · blinkered

Needy

Requiring more attention and reassurance than others can comfortably give.

clingy · demanding · dependent

Negligent

Failing to take proper care over something one is responsible for.

neglectful · remiss · derelict

Noncommittal

Careful never to state a position that could be held against you.

evasive · guarded · equivocal

Obnoxious

Loudly and persistently unpleasant to be around.

insufferable · boorish · objectionable

Obstinate

Stubbornly refusing to change, in a way that is unreasonable and frustrating to others.

intransigent · pigheaded · immovable

Opportunistic

Taking whatever advantage a moment offers, regardless of loyalty or principle.

mercenary · expedient · calculating

Paranoid

Convinced without good reason that others intend harm or are working against one.

suspicious · distrustful · mistrustful

Permissive

Allowing behaviour that ought to be checked, out of reluctance to impose a limit.

lax · lenient · tolerant

Pessimistic

Expecting things to turn out badly.

gloomy · despondent · defeatist

Pompous

Self-important in a stiff, showy, faintly ridiculous way.

grandiose · bombastic · self-important

Prejudiced

Holding a fixed opinion about a person or group formed before any of the facts.

bigoted · partial · preconceived

Pretentious

Trying to appear more important, cultured or intelligent than one actually is.

affected · pompous · showy

Procrastinating

Putting off what needs doing until the delay becomes the problem.

dilatory · stalling · dawdling

Rash

Acting or deciding too quickly, without weighing the obvious risks.

hasty · precipitate · ill-considered

Reckless

Acting without regard for danger or consequences, to oneself or others.

heedless · foolhardy · irresponsible

Resentful

Holding onto a sense of having been treated unfairly.

aggrieved · embittered · begrudging

Rude

Behaving in a way that disregards ordinary good manners toward others.

impolite · discourteous · brusque

Ruthless

Willing to do whatever a goal requires, regardless of who is harmed.

merciless · remorseless · hard-nosed

Sarcastic

Given to saying the opposite of what is meant, with an edge aimed at someone.

cutting · acerbic · mocking

Scatterbrained

Unable to keep a train of thought going, jumping from one thing to the next.

flighty · disorganised · muddled

Secretive

Inclined to keep things hidden, including things there is no reason to hide.

close · cagey · clandestine

Self-conscious

Uncomfortably aware of being watched and judged by others.

awkward · ill-at-ease · sheepish

Self-serving

Acting for your own benefit while presenting it as something else.

calculating · opportunistic · disingenuous

Selfish

Putting your own comfort and interest first, with little regard for who it costs.

self-centred · self-serving · egotistical

Shallow

Lacking depth of thought or feeling, and concerned only with surfaces.

superficial · frivolous · trivial

Shortsighted

Judging only by the immediate result and failing to think past it.

myopic · improvident · narrow

Sloppy

Doing work carelessly, so it comes out rough, inexact or half-finished.

careless · slapdash · shoddy

Sluggish

Slow-moving and slow to get started, with little vigour behind anything.

lethargic · torpid · leaden

Smug

Openly and irritatingly satisfied with one's own cleverness or good fortune.

self-satisfied · complacent · priggish

Sorrowful

Deeply sad about something specific that has happened.

grieving · mournful · heartbroken

Spineless

Lacking the firmness to stand up for oneself or for what is right.

weak-willed · submissive · gutless

Spiteful

Wanting to cause someone harm or annoyance out of ill will.

malicious · venomous · petty

Stingy

Unwilling to spend or share, even when it would cost very little to do so.

miserly · tight-fisted · penny-pinching

Submissive

Habitually giving way to others, even when your own needs are being overridden.

yielding · acquiescent · subservient

Superstitious

Believing that certain objects or actions bring luck or misfortune.

credulous · ritualistic · fearful

Tactless

Saying the wrong thing at the wrong moment without noticing the harm.

insensitive · gauche · clumsy

Thoughtless

Acting without pausing to consider the consequences for others.

careless · heedless · unthinking

Timid

Easily frightened and reluctant to act with confidence.

shy · bashful · hesitant

Tongue-tied

Unable to get words out at the moment you most need them.

speechless · inarticulate · lost for words

Treacherous

Betraying trust deliberately, often after working to earn it first.

perfidious · backstabbing · duplicitous

Ungrateful

Failing to acknowledge a kindness, or brushing it off as though it cost nothing.

thankless · unappreciative · dismissive

Unreliable

Not to be counted on to do what they said they would do.

flaky · erratic · undependable

Vain

Excessively proud of one's own appearance or qualities.

conceited · narcissistic · preening

Vicious

Deliberately savage or spiteful in attacking someone.

savage · brutal · malicious

Vindictive

Determined to punish or get revenge on someone for a wrong.

vengeful · spiteful · unforgiving

Wavering

Moving back and forth between positions, settling on neither.

vacillating · unsteady · faltering

Weary

Worn down and tired out, often by something that has gone on too long.

exhausted · spent · jaded

What makes a trait negative?

Negative character traits are the qualities that cause harm or hold a person back: cruel, arrogant, dishonest, lazy. They are also, for anyone writing fiction, the more useful half of the list.

A flaw is not the same as a villain. The most memorable characters are usually sympathetic people carrying one real weakness, rather than unpleasant people carrying ten. Note also how many entries here carry a "depends on context" note — traits like lazy and needy are judged far more often than they are understood.

Browse the other categories

Positive character traits — Traits generally seen as strengths — qualities people admire and try to build.
Neutral character traits — Traits that are neither good nor bad on their own — their value depends on context.
All character traits — the full searchable database.