Words Used To Describe Characters In Performance

Here is a list of nearly 400 words I have compiled that will assist students of drama and theatre to describe characters in performance. Often as part of their coursework, students need to analyse the play making process of a piece of their own work or evaluate a performance by themselves or others. Questions about character traits and qualities can also appear in written examinations.

able	extrovert	perfectionist
accepting	exuberant	perky
accountable	fair	persistent
adaptable	fair-minded	personable
addictive	faithful	persuasive
adventurous	fancy	philosophical
affable	fastidious	picky
affectionate	fat	pioneering
aggressive	fearless	pitiful
agile	feisty	placid
agreeable	fighter	plain
alert	flawed	playful
ambitious	flexible	pleasant
amiable	focused	pleasing
amicable	foil	plucky
amusing	forceful	polite
angelic	forgiving	poor
annoying	frank	popular
antagonist	free	powerful
anti-hero	friendly	practical
anxious	frustrated	prim
ardent	fun-loving	problem-solver
arrogant	funny	procedural
articulate	fussy	proper
artistic	generous	protagonist
assertive	gentle	proud
astute	giving	prudent
athletic	gorgeous	punctual
attentive	gracious	quick-witted
autonomous	grateful	quiet
available	gregarious	rational
awkward	grouchy	realistic
babyish	grumpy	rebellious
bad-tempered	gutsy	recluse
benevolent	handsome	reflective
big-headed	happy	relaxed
blunt	hardworking	reliable
boastful	harsh	reserved
bold	heavy	resourceful
boring	helpful	responsible
bossy	hero	reverent
brave	heroine	rich
bright	honest	rigid
busy	honourable	romantic
calm	hopeful	rotund
candid	hospitable	round
capable	humble	rude
careful	humorous	sad
careless	imaginative	sassy
caring	immature	self-assured
caustic	immodest	self-aware
cautious	impartial	self-confident
charismatic	imperfect	self-disciplined
charming	impulsive	selfish
chatty	independent	sensible
cheerful	industrious	sensitive
childlike	insightful	serious
civil	intellectual	sharp
classy	intelligent	short
clever	intimate	shrewd
clingy	intolerant	shy
clumsy	introverted	silly
cold	intuitive	simple
communicative	inventive	simple-minded
compassionate	inward	sincere
compelling	irritating	skinny
complex	jealous	smart
conceited	jocular	sneering
condescending	joyful	snivelling
confident	judgemental	sober
conscientious	keen	sociable
conservative	kind	soft
considerate	knowledgeable	sombre
content	laid-back	spirited
convivial	larger-than-life	sporty
cool	lazy	stable
cooperative	leader	static
courageous	lethargic	stock
courteous	light	stocky
coward	light-hearted	straightforward
creative	likeable	strong
creepy	likely	strong
curious	listener	stubborn
cynical	loud	studious
dainty	loveable	stupid
daring	loving	successful
dark	loyal	sympathetic
dashing	lucky	tactful
decisive	manipulative	talkative
defiant	materialistic	tall
demanding	mature	technological
dependable	mean	temperamental
determined	meek	territorial
devious	melancholy	thick-skinned
devout	mellow	thorough
diligent	merry	thoughtful
dim	messy	thrifty
diplomatic	meticulous	thrilling
direct	mighty	tidy
disagreeable	mischievous	tidy
discerning	modest	timid
discreet	moody	tired
disgruntled	motivated	tolerant
disorganised	naive	tough
disruptive	nasty	tranquil
distant	neat	trustworthy
distinct	needy	truthful
dramatic	nervous	ugly
dreamer	networker	unassuming
dreary	neurotic	understanding
dull	nice	unique
dutiful	noble	unlucky
dynamic	noisy	unselfish
eager	nurturing	unstable
easy-going	obedient	untidy
effective	obnoxious	upbeat
efficient	observant	vain
egotistical	opinionated	versatile
eloquent	optimistic	virtuous
embarrassed	orderly	warm
emotional	organised	warmhearted
energetic	ostentatious	wild
enquiring	outgoing	willing
enthusiastic	outward	wise
ethical	overweight	wise
evasive	passionate	witless
exceptional	passive	witty
excitable	patient	wonderful
excited	patriotic	youthful
expert	perfect	zealous

Not sure of the meaning of a word on the list? Look it up in the dictionary.