What do you call a person who chooses to live alone, or someone at a social event who has no one to dance or talk with? Read on and you will know the answers.

NEGATIVE EXPRESSIONS

1. A fuddy-duddy – someone who has old-fashioned attitudes and is rather boring: They think I’m an old fuddy-duddy because I don’t approve of tattoos.
2. A pain in the neck = a pain – a very annoying person: You’re being a real pain! In British English, more impolite expressions with the same meaning are a pain in the arse /ɑː(r)s/ and a pain in the backside. In American English – a pain in the ass and a pain in the butt. 
3. A busybody – someone who is very interested in other people’s private lives and activities and tries to get involved in them in a way that is annoying. In other words, they pry: Our neighbor is such a busybody! I try to avoid her, but sometimes I just can’t!
4. A troublemaker – someone who causes problems, often by being violent or by making others argue or not obey people in authority: There is always at least one troublemaker in a class. 
5. A slob – someone who is lazy or untidy. A layabout is a British English word with a similar meaning. You can use it to talk about someone who doesn’t work and is lazy: My boyfriend used to call his brother a fat slob.
6. A sponger /ˈspʌndʒə(r)/, a parasite /ˈpærəsaɪt/ – someone who asks for money and other things from someone such as a friend or relative and makes no effort to give them anything or to pay for anything themselves: Thank you! I don’t mean to be a sponger. I’ll pay you back. 
7. A wet blanket – someone who spoils other people’s fun by being negative and complaining: Stop complaining about everything! Don’t be such a wet blanket! A killjoy is someone who just does not like other people enjoying themselves, and so they stop them from enjoying themselves, often by reminding them of something unpleasant: He was a killjoy reminding everyone of that awful experience in summer. A party pooper and a spoilsport are the same kind of people (but they don’t necessarily bring up something bad) – they spoil other people’s fun: I hate to be a party pooper, but I am really tired. She did ask her dad if she could have a big party, but the old spoilsport refused (he spoilt her plans).
8. A windbag, a gasbag – someone who talks too much in a boring way: He’s just a windbag, and I hate his long boring stories. 
9. A slave driver – a person who makes other people work very hard: My boss is a real slave driver! 
10. An airhead – a silly or stupid person: You are such an airhead! How could you mock a teacher?
11. A doormat – someone who allows other people to treat them badly and does not complain: Don’t be a doormat! Tell them what you really think!

POSITIVE EXPRESSIONS

1. A brick (British English) – a nice helpful person: You were a brick, a real friend in need.
2. The salt of the earth – an ordinary person who is respected because they are honest and good: Even with all his success, Ben is still the salt of the earth. He donates most of his salary to charity and volunteers weekly at the hospital.
3. A golden boy (British English) – a man or boy who is especially popular and successful: When the movie came out, the critics went wild, hailing Tarantino as the golden boy of the 1990s.
4. A high-flyer/flier – someone who has a lot of ability and is likely to be very successful in their career: High-flyers in the industry typically earn 25% more than their colleagues.
5. The life and soul (of the party) – someone who is very lively at social events: You are the life and soul of each party, and you never have problem making new friends. I envy you. 
6. Eager beaver – someone who is extremely enthusiastic and enjoys working extremely hard: If you are an eager beaver, you are likely to become a high flier. A busy bee is a similar kind of person – they are always busy doing things: I love busy bees. They are hard-working and enthusiastic. 

NEUTRAL EXPRESSIONS

1. A chatterbox – someone who talks a lot: My eight-year-old daughter is a real chatterbox! She wants me to know about everything that happens at school, but I don’t mind at all.
2. A party animal – someone who loves parties: I was a party animal when I was 20, now I’m a party pooper. 
3. An early bird – someone who gets up or arrives early: It’s 7 a.m. and you are already at work. You are an early bird, aren’t you?
4. A night owl /aʊl/ – a person who prefers to be awake and active at night: I go to bed no earlier than 1 a.m. I guess you can call me a night owl. 
5. A wallflower – someone at a social event who has no one to dance with or talk to, often because they are shy: I hate being a wallflower every time. How can I get more self-confident? 
6. A tough nut – someone who is very strict or very determined: My mom is a tough nut, but I’ll persuade her to take me there. 

Check out our other posts on how to describe people and their character. Thank you for reading!

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