Hi everyone. In this video we're going to look at 50 nouns to describe people's personalities
and behaviours. Now, you might be thinking: don't adjectives describe things? How can a noun
describe somebody's personality? Well, these are all nouns that indicate a personality trait or
a certain quality that a person might have. A lot of these can also be used to describe behaviours.
For example, just because a person was a coward on a specific occasion,
it doesn't necessarily mean that they're a coward all the time. It's usually clear from the context
if we mean that a person is generally something or is just behaving that way in that situation.
I've tried to include positive, neutral and negative ones, but to be honest,
most of these are more on the negative side. There are lots of positive adjectives, but I think that
there are just generally more nouns to describe people who are a pain in the neck, than there are
to describe nice, pleasant people. (People are stupid.) Remember that if you're generally interested in
improving your English vocabulary, you can sign up for my free advanced English email lessons.
I send them out every two weeks and you can unsubscribe at any time. You'll find the link
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in the description. Okay, everybody, let's get started. The first word is backseat driver.
Backseat driver. A backseat driver is a passenger in a car who gives unsolicited advice to the
driver. "Unsolicited" is another good word. It means not asked for. So the person is giving advice to
the driver even though the driver has not asked for it. And the person doesn't necessarily need
to be in the backseat, but that's the word that we use in this phrase. For example: I hate driving long
distances with Kate because she can't stop herself from being a backseat driver. Next we have bigot.
Bigot. I know it looks like "bi-goht", but we pronounce it "bigot". A bigot is a person who has
very strong beliefs (especially on race, religion or politics) and is intolerant of, or unwilling
to listen to, other people's opinions. There's no point having a discussion with Tim, because he's
an opinionated bigot. The next word is blabbermouth. I like the sound of this word. Blabbermouth.
A blabbermouth is a person who often reveals other people's secrets because they talk
too much. Don't tell Julie anything that's private. She's such a blabbermouth and the
whole office would know all your secrets by the end of the day. Now we have boaster and bragger.
I've put these two together because they mean the same thing. A boaster or a bragger is a person who
talks very proudly and a lot about their achievements or possessions.
I won't be going on a second date with him because he was such a boaster.
Another word that means the same thing is braggart. Braggart. This is somewhat old-fashioned.
It's not very commonly used nowadays, but you'll still sometimes see it in books and journalism.
Some people were impressed by her alleged achievements, but others thought her nothing more
than a braggart. If something is alleged, it means that it has not been proved. This word is bookworm.
Bookworm. A bookworm is a person who enjoys reading a lot.
When Ethel... Okay, Ethel isn't technically a person, but anyway... When Ethel was at school,
she was a real bookworm, but now she much prefers outdoor activities.
Next we have bore.
Bore. A bore is a person who is boring, usually because they talk too much about
uninteresting things. I hope I don't have to sit next to Uncle Dave at the wedding.
He's such a bore. Next we have brat. Brat. A brat is a badly behaved child,
or somebody who behaves like a badly behaved child. It's often preceded by the word "spoiled".
"Spoiled" has a few meanings, but when we're talking about children, we mean a child who
behaves rudely because they are used to getting what they want all the time. For example: She's
30 years old, but she still behaves like a spoiled brat when she doesn't get her way.
Next we have brown-nose and brown-noser. Both of these mean the same thing. A brown-nose or
a brown-noser is a person who tries to make somebody in a position of authority
like them, usually because they want that person to approve of them,
or because they want something. It's a person who sucks up, in other words. These terms come from
the idea that if you put your face too close to somebody's backside, you will get a brown
nose. I know, it's maybe not the nicest image in the world, but that's where these terms come from.
Our boss seems to like David, but everyone else just thinks he's a brown-noser.
This word is bully.
Bully. A bully is a person who deliberately hurts or frightens somebody who is weaker than them,
often regularly over a period of time. We often use it to talk about children at school, but adults can
definitely be bullies as well. Our former manager was a bully, which led to high staff turnover
in our department. Staff turnover is the rate at which employees leave a workplace and are replaced.
So if staff turnover is high, it usually means that people are frequently quitting or being fired.
Now we have busybody. Busybody. A busybody is a person who is too interested in
other people's activities. A busybody is a nosy person. Don't let her opinions on your life
concern you. She's just an interfering busybody. Next we have butterfingers. Butterfingers. It is
singular, even though there is an S on the end. A butterfingers is a person who often drops
things that they are carrying or are trying to catch. It's as if they have slippery butter
on their fingers. If you're a butterfingers, you shouldn't work as a waiter. This word is chatterbox.
Chatterbox. A chatterbox is a person who talks a lot. It's usually used for children.
He's very shy at school, but at home he's a real chatterbox. The next word is cheapskate.
Cheapskate. A cheapskate is a person who tries to spend as little money as possible.
It's someone who's stingy. Frank is such a cheapskate that he peels the bananas at the
supermarket before buying them, because he doesn't want to pay for the skins.
Next we have conformist.
Conformist. A conformist is a person who behaves or thinks like most other people
and does not want to be different. It's usually used negatively. Change and innovation rarely
occur in this company because it's full of conformists. Next we have copycat. Copycat.
A copycat is a person who copies something or several things that somebody else does. It's
often used by children. "You're such a copycat." Maggie's always wearing the same clothes as me -
she's such a copycat. The next word is coward. Coward.
I know we had this at the beginning of the video, but I think that repetition is often good.
A coward is a person who is not brave and tries hard to avoid danger, pain or embarrassment.
Henry gives the impression of being tough and strong,
but he's a real coward when it comes to having difficult conversations. The next word is crybaby.
Crybaby. A crybaby is a person, especially a child, who cries or complains a lot for no good reason.
As I said, it's usually used for children, but sometimes we use it for adults.
I'm sure the needle didn't hurt that much. Don't be such a crybaby. This word is cynic.
Cynic. A cynic is a person who believes that people always act selfishly and are not sincere. When
you read the definition of this word, it probably sounds very negative, but I'd say that most of us
are cynics at least some of the time. For example: I'd like to believe that her intentions are good,
but I'm a cynic when it comes to politicians. And now we have daredevil.
Daredevil. A daredevil is a person who likes doing dangerous things and taking risks.
Evel Knievel, for example, was often referred to as a daredevil. Terry was always a daredevil, so
I wasn't surprised in the least when he said that he'd gone bungee jumping.
And now we have Debbie Downer. Debbie Downer. A Debbie Downer is a negative or pessimistic person.
I don't want to sound like a Debbie Downer, but considering those clouds,
I really think we should cancel the picnic.
And now: dreamer. Dreamer. A dreamer is a person who has ideas or plans
that most other people consider unrealistic. A lot of people said that she was just a dreamer,
but she managed to turn her ideas into a successful business. The next one is eager beaver.
Eager beaver. An eager beaver is a person who is overly keen or enthusiastic
to do something, especially work. It's not a VERY bad thing to say about somebody,
but it's normally used a little disapprovingly. He didn't want to get to work too early in case
his new colleagues called him an eager beaver. The next word is eavesdropper. Eavesdropper.
An eavesdropper is a person who listens to others' private conversations without them knowing.
The verb is to eavesdrop. I never have private conversations at my desk because my colleague
is such an eavesdropper. And the next word is flake. Flake.
A flake is a person who isn't very reliable and forgets things easily. I wouldn't entrust Kate
with taking the money to the bank. She's a total flake. Now, you probably know the verb to flirt. But
did you know that it is also a noun? A flirt is a person who likes to flirt a lot. It's hard to tell
when Tim really likes someone because he's such a big flirt. This word is freeloader. Freeloader.
A freeloader is a person who often takes things from other people (like food or
accommodation) without giving anything in return. It's similar to "cheapskate" and sometimes the
words are used interchangeably, but a cheapskate doesn't necessarily take things from other people.
Cheapskates just don't like spending money. Felix no longer lets his cousin stay at his house
because she's such a freeloader. The next word is geek. Geek.
This has two meanings. Firstly, a geek can be a person who is intelligent, but isn't fashionable
or popular, and often behaves awkwardly in social situations. Secondly, it can mean
a person who is very enthusiastic and knows a lot about a particular subject.
If you've seen The Big Bang Theory, all of the main characters (except for Penny)
are geeks... in both senses of the word. Some people use it as an insult, but it can also be used in
an affectionate way. By the way, a synonym is "nerd". Geek and nerd, they mean the same thing.
Everyone said that she was a real geek at high school, but at university she was very popular.
It can be handy if you have a friend who is a computer geek. This word is glutton.
Glutton. I know it might look like "glue-tohn", but the pronunciation is "glutton". A glutton is a person who
often eats and drinks too much. For example: He's not usually a big eater,
but he's a total glutton at parties. The next word is go-getter.
Go-getter. A go-getter is a person with a lot of energy who is determined to succeed. We use this
word positively. Our startup is looking to hire go-getters who are well-organised and motivated.
Next we have gold digger. Gold digger. Gold digger. A gold digger is a person
who has a romantic relationship with a much richer person in order to get money or gifts.
Well-off people are sometimes hesitant to reveal their wealth to potential partners because they
don't want to attract gold diggers. "Well-off" is just another word for rich. The next word is grouch.
Grouch. A grouch is a person who complains a lot, usually in a slightly angry way.
If you've ever watched Sesame Street, you might remember the character Oscar the Grouch. He's the
green little character that lives in a rubbish bin and is usually angry.
That might help you remember the meaning. I'm never traveling with Mary again. She was such
a grouch the whole time. The next word is very similar to grouch. This one is grump.
Grump. A grump is a person who is often in a bad mood. I know this might sound a little
ageist, but we often use it to describe an angry older person.
Don't pay attention to my neighbour. He's an old grump. And now we have homebody.
Homebody. A homebody is a person who enjoys spending lots of time at home. For example:
I'm a homebody, so I don't like travelling for long periods of time. The next word is idealist.
Idealist. An idealist is a person who believes that good things can be achieved in the world even if
this seems unrealistic to others. An idealist is similar to a dreamer,
but an idealist tends to focus more on standards and moral principles. The young politician has been
accused of being an idealist with impractical policy proposals. And this word is klutz.
Klutz. A klutz is a person who often drops things, bumps into things, falls, etc. A klutz
is a clumsy person. I'm a bit of a klutz which is why I often have bruises on my arms and legs.
I actually have one right now. It's fading a little bit, but I think you can still see it...
somewhere there. And I have no idea how I got it. And now we have know-all and know-it-all.
Both of these mean the same thing. A know-all or a know-it-all behaves like they know everything or
much more than other people. My colleague is such a know-all and is always trying to give me advice.
This word is materialist. Materialist. A materialist is a person who believes
that having money and possessions is the most important thing in life.
I'm not surprised that she's often buying new cars - she's always been a materialist. Next we have nag.
Nag. A nag is a person who continually asks somebody to do something
in an annoying way. People often call their parents, their partners, or their flatmates nags.
Frank, I don't want to be a nag, but I've asked you five times to clean your room.
And now we have party pooper. Party pooper. A party pooper is a person who spoils other people's
fun, often because they don't want to participate in a fun activity.
Ethel, don't be such a party pooper and play one game of Monopoly with us.
Next we have phoney.
Phoney. A phoney is a person who is insincere or claims to be something that they are not. For
example: Simon claims to have a PhD in philosophy, but I think he's a total phoney. This word is
pushover. Pushover. A pushover is a person who is easily persuaded to do what somebody else wants.
I highly doubt Janet will agree to do your work for you - she's no pushover. The next word is realist.
Realist. A realist is a person who sees and accepts what is real or possible in a situation.
George would love to be an opera singer, but he's a realist and he knows that it probably won't happen.
Next we have scatterbrain. Scatterbrain. A scatterbrain is a person who easily loses
or forgets things, or doesn't think about things in an organised way. "Scatterbrain" is similar to
"flake", but to me "flake" sounds a bit more critical and negative. "Scatterbrain" isn't
exactly a positive word, but it's not THAT bad either. My boss is a bit of a scatterbrain, so
I always need to remind her when she has a meeting. We're almost at the end, guys. This word is show-off.
Show-off. A show-off is a person who tries to impress others by showing what they can do
or what they own in a way that others find annoying. He's always driving around the
neighbourhood in his new BMW. He's such a show-off. This one is slob.
Slob. A slob is a person who is lazy and untidy. She looks like a slob, but she's actually a successful
entrepreneur. The next one is social climber. Social climber. A social climber is a person who
tries to gain a higher social position by becoming friendly with people from a higher social class.
If you know the story Vanity Fair by William Thackeray, you'll know the character
Becky Sharp. She's a good example of a social climber. Everyone suspected he was a social climber
because at parties he was only friendly with the rich people. This one is straight shooter.
Straight shooter. This is quite a positive word. A straight shooter is a person who is
direct and very honest. Ethel is a straight shooter and will always say what she means.
The next word is user. User. This word has a couple of meanings. Firstly, it can simply mean
a person who uses a service, product, machine, etc. When it has that meaning,
it's very neutral, but when it refers to somebody's personality, it means a person who
takes advantage of a relationship with somebody just to get what they want. It's not necessarily a
romantic relationship. The other person might be a friend or a relative. I honestly think that Julia
is a user and is only friends with you because you help her a lot. And the final one is worrywart.
Worrywart. A worrywart is a person who worries a lot, often about unimportant things. I admit that
I am a bit of a worrywart, although I... I tend to worry less about things as I get older.
I know for some other people it's the reverse. But in any case, here's an example: I'd say
George is sometimes a worrywart, because he often thinks that he's going to fail exams
even when he's studied very hard. That's it, everybody. Thank you very much for watching. I hope you
learned something. If you already knew some of these words, please let me know in the comments
because I would be very curious to know which ones. Thanks again, guys. I'll see you next time. Bye!
... know, but if...
... words, please let them...
George would love to be an opera...
Loud motorcycles!
Oh come on...
And the next word...
... relationship with another... with, with...
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He's very sy... he's very shy at school...
The next one is...
... such a blabbebermouth... blabbermouth... she's such a blabberm...
Okay.