List of Personality Traits: Examples of Positive, Neutral & Negative Traits
What Are Personality Traits?
Personality traits are enduring characteristics that define individual behavior and decision-making.
They are shaped by biological and environmental influences and impact how we react to situations and how we behave in work environments and social settings.
How a person thinks, feels and behaves generally falls into one of five categories, known as the “Big Five” personality traits: Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism and Openness.
Within these five categories, personality traits can also be considered positive, like kindness or loyalty, neutral, like ambivalence, or negative, such as aggression or selfishness.
Negative personality traits can be particularly harmful to interpersonal relationships and are generally seen as unhealthy behaviors.
Can personality traits be changed?
Yes, personality traits can be changed and managed with effort, dedication, and understanding. It is possible to develop healthier habits and behaviors, as well as seek out support from friends or professionals.
With time and patience, it is possible to reduce the impact of negative traits while emphasizing positive attributes that will contribute to a more fulfilling life.
List of Personality Traits
A list of personality traits can help to identify negative behavior patterns in ourselves or others. It’s also interesting to compare the things you admire or dislike in others, what you might want from a relationship or how you want to improve on things in your own life.
To consider these traits in more detail, we have included a comprehensive list of positive, neutral and negative personality traits and examples of each.
Examples of Positive Personality Traits
Positive personality traits are those that help an individual better cope with life, build stronger relationships, and contribute to the community.
They tend to include qualities such as kindness, patience, resilience, generosity, and respect. Practicing these positive traits can help an individual achieve a more fulfilled life and enjoy happier relationships.
Some examples of positive personality traits can include:
-
- able
- abundant
- accessible
- accomplished
- achiever
- active
- adaptable
- adept
- admirable
- adventurous
- agreeable
- alert
- ambitious
- amiable
- analytical
- anticipative
- appreciative
- approachable
- articulate
- artistic
- aspiring
- assertive
- astute
- athletic
- attentive
- balanced
- benevolent
- bold
- brash
- bright
- brilliant
- broad-minded
- calculated
- calm
- candid
- capable
- captivating
- careful
- caring
- cautious
- challenging
- changeable
- charismatic
- charming
- cheerful
- cheerleader
- circumspect
- clever
- collaborative
- colorful
- committed
- communicative
- companionly
- compassionate
- competitive
- complicated
- conciliatory
- confident
- conscientious
- conservative
- considerate
- considered
- consistent
- constant
- constructive
- contemplative
- cool
- cooperative
- courageous
- courteous
- creative
- cultured
- curious
- customer-oriented
- daring
- debonair
- decent
- decisive
- dedicated
- deep
- dependable
- determined
- dignified
- diligent
- diplomatic
- direct
- directed
- discerning
- disciplined
- discreet
- dramatic
- driven
- dutiful
- dynamic
- eager
- earnest
- easy-going
- eclectic
- educated
- effective
- efficient
- elegant
- eloquent
- emotional
- empathetic
- encouraging
- energetic
- engaged
- enterprising
- enthusiastic
- entrepreneurial
- ethical
- evolved
- excited
- exciting
- extraordinary
- extroverted
- facilitator
- fair
- faithful
- fast
- fastidious
- firm
- flexible
- focused
- forgiving
- forthright
- frank
- freethinking
- friendly
- fun
- funny
- gallant
- generous
- gentle
- genuine
- good
- goofy
- gracious
- grateful
- gregarious
- hardworking
- healthy
- hearty
- helpful
- heroic
- honest
- honorable
- humble
- humorous
- idealistic
- imaginative
- impartial
- impressive
- incorruptible
- independent
- individual
- industrious
- initiator
- innovative
- insightful
- inspired
- inspiring
- intelligent
- intense
- interesting
- introverted
- intuitive
- inventive
- judicious
- keen
- kind
- knowledge
- knowledgeable
- leader
- learner
- leisurely
- level-headed
- liberal
- light-hearted
- logical
- loud
- lovable
- loving
- loyal
- lyrical
- magnanimous
- mature
- mediator
- methodical
- meticulous
- moderate
- modest
- moral
- motivated
- neat
- objective
- observant
- open
- open-minded
- optimistic
- optimum
- orderly
- organized
- original
- partial
- particular
- passionate
- patient
- patriotic
- peaceful
- perceptive
- perfectionist
- persevering
- persistent
- personable
- persuasive
- playful
- pleasant
- polished
- polite
- political
- popular
- positive
- powerful
- practical
- precise
- principled
- proactive
- productive
- professional
- profound
- protective
- prudent
- purposeful
- punctual
- purposeful
- quick-learner
- quick-witted
- quiet
- rational
- realistic
- reasonable
- reflective
- relaxed
- reliable
- religious
- reserved
- resilient
- resourceful
- respected
- respectful
- responsible
- responsive
- romantic
- sage
- sane
- scholarly
- scrupulous
- secure
- self-assured
- self-aware
- self-critical
- selfless
- self-motivated
- self-starter
- self-sufficient
- sensible
- sensitive
- sentimental
- serious
- sharing
- shrewd
- shy
- simple
- sincere
- skilled
- skillful
- sociable
- solid
- sophisticated
- spontaneous
- sporty
- spritely
- stable
- steadfast
- steady
- stoic
- strong
- student
- studious
- suave
- subjective
- subtle
- successful
- sweet
- sympathetic
- systematic
- tactful
- talented
- tasteful
- team-player
- tenacious
- thorough
- thoughtful
- tidy
- tolerant
- traditional
- trusting
- trustworthy
- unaffected
- unassuming
- unconventional
- understanding
- unique
- unpretentious
- upbeat
- upright
- versatile
- vibrant
- visionary
- vivacious
- warm
- watchful
- willing
- winning
- wise
- witty
- zealous
- zesty
Examples of Neutral Personality Traits
Neutral personality traits can be described as traits that aren’t particularly positive nor negative.
They may not necessarily have a major impact on one’s life or relationships, but can still be useful in certain situations.
They may also be considered neutral if they can be both negative and positive. For example, in certain situations and to certain people, the personality trait of ‘ambitious’ can be viewed as a negative, while in other situations it can be seen as a positive.
Someone who is always or overly ambitious in the workplace, may come across as aggressive or overly competitive in the workplace. However, to be ambitious in life in general is considered a positive personality trait.
Some examples of neutral personality traits include:
-
- absentminded
- adventurous
- aloof
- ambitious
- bold
- breezy
- busy
- carefree
- careful
- casual
- chatty
- chummy
- circumspect
- closed
- competitive
- complex
- confident
- conservative
- content
- contradictory
- crisp
- cute
- determined
- different
- dominating
- dreamy
- dry
- earthy
- effeminate
- emotional
- energetic
- enigmatic
- experimental
- familial
- familiar
- fierce
- formal
- frugal
- glamorous
- high-spirited
- hippy
- honest
- hurried
- hypnotic
- idiosyncratic
- impassive
- impersonal
- impressionable
- intense
- invisible
- involved
- irreverent
- joker
- loud
- magical
- mellow
- methodical
- modern
- moralistic
- mysterious
- mystical
- nervous
- neutral
- noncommittal
- obedient
- observant
- odd
- old-fashioned
- open book
- ordinary
- outgoing
- outspoken
- physical
- picky
- placid
- political
- predictable
- preoccupied
- private
- progressive
- proud
- pure
- questioning
- quiet
- realistic
- religious
- reserved
- restrained
- retiring
- sarcastic
- self-conscious
- sensual
- simple
- sceptical
- smooth
- soft
- solemn
- solitary
- stern
- strict
- stubborn
- stylish
- subjective
- surprising
- tough
- unchanging
- undemanding
- unhurried
- uninhibited
- unpredictable
- unusual
- whimsical
Examples of Negative Personality Traits
Negative personality traits can be described as behaviors and attitudes that are unhelpful and often self-destructive. These traits can be destructive to relationships, career paths, and overall well-being.
It is important to be aware of negative traits in yourself and strive to manage them in a positive manner.
Examples of negative personality traits include:
-
- abrasive
- abrupt
- aggressive
- agonizing
- aimless
- airy
- aloof
- amoral
- angry
- annoying
- antisocial
- anxious
- apathetic
- arbitrary
- argumentative
- arrogant
- artificial
- assertive
- barbaric
- bewildered
- boisterous
- bizarre
- bland
- blunt
- brittle
- brutal
- calculating
- callous
- cantankerous
- careless
- cautious
- childish
- clumsy
- coarse
- cold
- colorless
- complacent
- compulsive
- conceited
- condemnatory
- conformist
- confused
- contemptible
- conventional
- cowardly
- crafty
- crass
- crazy
- criminal
- critical
- crude
- cruel
- cynical
- decadent
- deceitful
- delicate
- demanding
- dependent
- desperate
- destructive
- devious
- difficult
- dirty
- disconcerting
- discontented
- discouraging
- dishonest
- disloyal
- disobedient
- disorderly
- disorganized
- disrespectful
- disruptive
- dissonant
- distractible
- disturbing
- dogmatic
- domineering
- dull
- egocentric
- envious
- erratic
- escapist
- expedient
- extravagant
- extreme
- faithless
- false
- fanatical
- fawning
- fearful
- fickle
- fiery
- fixed
- flamboyant
- foolish
- forgetful
- fraudulent
- frightening
- frivolous
- gloomy
- graceless
- greedy
- greedy
- grim
- gullible
- hateful
- haughty
- hedonistic
- hesitant
- hostile
- ignorant
- imitative
- impatient
- impractical
- imprudent
- impulsive
- inconsiderate
- incurious
- indecisive
- indulgent
- inert
- inhibited
- insecure
- insensitive
- insincere
- insulting
- intolerant
- irrational
- irresponsible
- irritable
- lazy
- lazy
- lost
- malicious
- mannerless
- mechanical
- meddlesome
- melancholic
- messy
- miserable
- miserly
- misguided
- misogynistic
- mistaken
- monstrous
- moody
- morbid
- naïve
- narcissistic
- narrow-minded
- natty
- negative
- neglectful
- neurotic
- nihilistic
- obnoxious
- obsessive
- obvious
- odd
- offhand
- one-dimensional
- one-sided
- opinionated
- opportunistic
- oppressed
- outrageous
- paranoid
- passive
- pedantic
- perverse
- petty
- pompous
- possessive
- predatory
- prejudiced
- presumptuous
- pretentious
- prim
- procrastinator
- profligate
- provocative
- puritanical
- quirky
- reactionary
- reactive
- regimental
- regretful
- repentant
- repressed
- resentful
- ridiculous
- rigid
- ritualistic
- rowdy
- ruined
- sadistic
- sanctimonious
- scheming
- scornful
- secretive
- sedentary
- self-indulgent
- selfish
- shallow
- short-sighted
- short-tempered
- shy
- silly
- sloppy
- slow
- sly
- small
- sordid
- steely
- stiff
- strong-willed
- stupid
- submissive
- superficial
- superstitious
- suspicious
- tactless
- tasteless
- tense
- thieving
- thoughtless
- timid
- treacherous
- trendy
- troublesome
- unappreciative
- uncaring
- uncharitable
- unconvincing
- uncooperative
- undisciplined
- uneasy
- unfriendly
- ungrateful
- unhealthy
- unimaginative
- unimpressive
- unlovable
- unpredictable
- unprincipled
- unrealistic
- unreflective
- unreliable
- unrestrained
- unstable
- untrustworthy
- vacuous
- vague
- venomous
- vindictive
- vulnerable
- weak
- whiner
- whinger
Personality traits are an important part of understanding and managing our lives. It is important to be aware of both the positive and negative traits that we possess, as well as their potential impacts on our lives.
By striving to develop more positive traits while minimizing the impact of negative ones, it is possible to lead a more fulfilling and rewarding life.
For more inspiring words on personality and personal qualities, check out:
- 240+ Words To Describe Your Personality
- Nice Things to Say About Someone’s Personality
- Good Qualities – 100+ Positive Character Traits (With Definitions)
- 100 Qualities Of A Good Friend
