Acting Words - Character Traits

To help color your actions with a life-like feeling it can help to create a set of traits for your character. There are many traits you can choose from but most helpful are those traits that affect behavior and will be apparent to an audience.

Positive / Negative Traits

alert / unaware amenable / testy amiable / insulting amicable / inconsiderate assertive / passive attentive / unconcerned bold / fearful calm / short-tempered careful / careless caring / self-centered cautious / preoccupied charitable / avaricious cheery / fussy civil / irascible clear-headed / confused compassionate / indifferent composed / emotional consistent / variable content / covetous cordial / ornery courageous / cowardly courteous / insolent deferent / rude diligent / lazy discerning / oblivious discreet / blundering docile / fussy encouraging / depressed enthusiastic / apathetic flexible / stubborn frank / evasive friendly / hostile generous / stingy gentle / harsh gracious / cantakerous gregarious / aloof honest / deceitful hopeful / desperate humble / proud kind / mean knowledgable / ignorant meek / angry mindful / dazed obedient / willful obliging / irritable optimistic / pessimistic patient / anxious peaceful / violent persuasive / contentious polite / rude respectful / disrespectful responsible / unreliable satisfied / greedy sensitive / callous serious / frivolous sincere / artificial sociable / cranky stable / moody straight-forward / deceptive sunny / surly thorough / superficial thoughtful / boorish tolerant / prejudiced trusting / skeptical vigilant / absent-minded wise / foolish

Neutral Traits

accepting / jealous comfortable / awkward competetive / cooperative conservative / progressive down-to-earth / spoiled lust-full / icey neat, orderly / messy quiet / loud secure / insecure self-effacing / arrogant sincere / sarcastic straight-laced / perverted virtuous / promiscuous