Ability---intelligent; bright; smart; able; figted; clever; shrewd; talented; brainy(colloquial)
Lacking ability---stupid; foolish; simple; silly; brainless; dumb; clueless;(the last three are colloquial)
Clever, in a negative way, using brains to trick or deceive---cunning; crafty; sly;
Attitudes toward life
Looking on the bright side or the dark side----optimistic; pessimistic;
Outward-looking or inward-looking----extroverted; introverted;
Calm or not calm---relaxed; tense/ anxious;
Practical, not dreamy---sensible; down to earth;
Feeling things intensely---sensitive;
Attitudes toward other people
Enjoying others' company---sociable; gregarious; congenial;
Disagreeing with others---quarrelsome; argumentative;
Taking pleasure in others' pain---cruel; sadistic;
Relaxed in attitude toward self and others---easygoing; even-tempered; affable;
Not polite to others----impolite; rude; ill-mannered; discourteous(formal)
Telling the truth/keeping promises----honest; trustworthy; reliable; sincere;
Unhappy if others have what one does not---jealous; envious;
One person's meat is another one's poison
The words in the right-hand column mean roughly the same as the words in the left-hand column except that they have negative rather than positive connotations.
| Positive | Negative |
| determined | |
| thrifty/economical | |
| self-assured/confident | |
| assertive | |
| unconventional/original | |
| frank/direct/open | |
| broad-minded | |
| inquiring | |
| generous | |
| innocent | |
| ambitous |
