Following the success of our popular article “Describing Character with Compound Adjectives,” we’re excited to introduce the next installment. In this piece, we’ll explore expressive and memorable phrases—like wallflower or Curious George—that bring personality descriptions to life. Let’s dive into this rich and useful selection!

Positive or Neutral Descriptions

Phrase	Meaning	Example
social butterfly	someone who enjoys being around people	At every party, she’s the social butterfly, chatting with everyone in the room.
wallflower	someone who is shy or introverted in social settings	While others danced and mingled, she was content observing quietly from the sidelines—a thoughtful wallflower who enjoyed taking everything in at her own pace. Not everyone needs to be the life of the party to belong.
life of the party	a person who is lively, fun, and the center of attention in social gatherings	see above 👆
Curious George	someone who is very curious, often poking their nose into things	My son’s a real Curious George—he’s always poking around and asking a million questions.
busy bee	someone who is constantly active or hard at work	He’s such a busy bee—always working on three projects at once.
jack of all trades	a person who has skills in many different areas rather than specializing in just one. (It can be a compliment or, sometimes, imply that they aren’t an expert in any one field.)	Moms are the true jacks of all trades—one minute they’re chefs, the next they’re therapists, teachers, chauffeurs, and CEOs of the household.
old soul	someone who seems wise or mature beyond their years	Even as a child, he preferred classical music and deep conversations—he’s always been an old soul.
straight shooter	someone who is honest and direct	I trust her feedback—she’s a straight shooter who’ll tell you the truth, even if it’s hard to hear.
lone wolf	someone who prefers to act independently or spend time alone	As a lone wolf, she doesn’t mind skipping group outings—solitude gives her energy and clarity.
ray of sunshine	a person who is consistently cheerful and uplifting	We love looking after our grandchild. He’s a ray of sunshine!
goody two-shoes	someone who always follows the rules (sometimes used teasingly)	She’s the goody two-shoes of the group, always turning in her assignments early and never missing a deadline.
gentle giant	big person who is kind and soft-hearted	Despite his towering height, he’s a gentle giant, always helping others and offering a listening ear.
space cadet /kəˈdet/	someone who is a bit dreamy or out of touch with reality	She’s a bit of a space cadet, always staring out the window and missing what’s happening in the meeting.
teddy bear	someone who appears tough but is actually warm and cuddly	He might seem gruff at first, but once you get to know him, he’s a real teddy bear, always looking out for others.
smooth talker	charming speaker (sometimes with manipulative intent)	I was wary of his compliments at first because he’s a smooth talker, but I soon realized he genuinely meant what he said.

Negative Descriptions

Phrase	Meaning	Example
drama queen	someone (a man or a woman) who exaggerates problems or makes everything a crisis, often for attention	Emily spilled her coffee and acted like the world was ending — total drama queen move.
drama magnet	a person who seems to attract or create drama, often unnecessarily	Every time she walks into the room, there’s some kind of crisis—she’s a total drama magnet.
control freak	a person who tries to control everything, often excessively, and has difficulty letting others take charge	He’s such a control freak, insisting on managing every detail of the project.
wet blanket	a person who says or does something that stops other people enjoying themselves	Don’t be a wet blanket—just come to karaoke night and sing your heart out!
party pooper	someone who ruins the fun for others; wet blanket	We were having a blast until Brian, the party pooper, complained about the noise.
stick-in-the-mud	someone who is old-fashioned and too serious and avoids enjoyable activities	Grandpa’s a bit of a stick-in-the-mud when it comes to new tech—still refuses to get a smartphone.
couch potato	someone who spends a lot of time sitting around, usually watching TV	I had plans to go hiking, but my inner couch potato won.
backseat driver	someone who gives unwanted advice, especially when you’re already handling things	He doesn’t help with the project but has all the opinions—classic backseat driver behavior.
fair-weather friend	someone who’s only around when things are good, but disappears when times get tough	She was there for the parties, but vanished when I needed help—definitely a fair–weather friend. (More friendship-related vocabulary is here.)
walking disaster	someone who’s always getting into trouble or clumsy chaos just follows them around	Tina tripped over her own shoelaces, spilled coffee on her boss, and got locked out of her car—all before 10 AM. She’s a walking disaster.
hot mess	an extremely disordered yet attractive person	She forgot her lines, spilled coffee on her dress, and lost a shoe—total hot mess, but somehow she pulled it off with style.
Negativity Nancy	someone who always finds something to complain about; vibe killer	We were excited about the road trip, but Negativity Nancy had to point out every potential disaster.
loose cannon	someone unpredictable, impulsive, and possibly dangerous	Don’t put Kyle in charge of the client meeting—he’s a loose cannon and might go off-script again.
cold fish	someone emotionally distant, unfeeling, or hard to connect with	He might be brilliant, but as a manager, he’s a cold fish with zero people skills.
snake in the grass	a sneaky, untrustworthy person who pretends to be your friend but is secretly plotting something shady	Watch out for Trevor—he acts nice to your face, but he’s a snake in the grass.

Practice

Exercise 1. Click the link here and type in the phrase describing a person based on what you see in the picture.

Exercise 2. Click the link here and match the phrases with their meanings.

Which of today’s phrases is your favorite? Which one best describes your personality? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!