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 in the description. I also have a short course
on Udemy which covers 55 common mistakes made by English learners. If you would like to receive
my discount for that, you'll also find the link 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... ... often... He's very sy... he's very
shy at school... The next one is... ... such a blabbebermouth...
blabbermouth... she's such a blabberm... Okay.
