101 Negative Adjective to Describe a Person (With Examples)

List of 101 negative adjectives to describe your antagonist or any negative character in your story.

A perfect word can express a character better than their actions and so this huge list of negative personality adjectives will help you to better portray your negative character in the story and will help in emphasizing a personality trait of your character firmly.

List of 101 Negative Adjectives to Describe a Person

Negative Adjectives That Start With ‘A’

1. Aggressive

: behaving in an angry and violent way; ready to fight, attack or argue; forceful

Example– Adam’s aggressive behavior with the customers cost him his job.

2. Arrogant

: behaving in a proud, unpleasant way because they think they are better, superior, or more important than others

Example– Everyone in the school knows that Mr. Smith is a very arrogant teacher.

3. Aloof

: not friendly, not willing to be involved in something, antisocial, reserved, distant

Example– She seemed aloof and anxious while meeting new people.

4. Abrasive

: rude and unkind, not show concern for the feelings of others in your actions; impolite, or harsh

Example– Her abrasive and arrogant personality was evident to everyone.

5. Apathetic

: having or showing little or no interest, concern, or emotion, often over something important; indifferent

Example– He became completely apathetic after getting rich.

6. Antisocial

: unwilling to meet and be friendly with other people, hostile or harmful to society

Example– People started recognizing her as an antisocial woman, but she is just shy and gets nervous while interacting with people around her.

Negative Adjectives That Start With ‘B’

7. Belligerent

: hostile and aggressive

Example- He started talking in a belligerent tone as soon as his proposal got rejected.

8. Boastful

: talking too proudly about something you have done or can do, expressing excessive self-pride over something

Example– He is always boastful about his high-paid job.

9. Bossy

: Someone always telling others what to do, authoritarian.

Example– She always gets bossy with people around her.

10. Bad-tempered

: someone gets angry and annoyed easily.

Example– Allen was famous in the whole school as a bad-tempered teacher.

11. Big-headed

: someone thinking that they are more important or intelligent than they really are

Example– Everyone in the office knows that Adam is a big-headed man.

12. Bigoted

: someone having a strong unreasonable opinion or belief and disliking other person’s opinion, belief, etc.

Example– Rachel is so bigoted that it is impossible to win an argument with her.

Negative Adjectives That Start With ‘C’

13. Callous

: someone unkind, cruel, and showing no sympathy or feelings for other people

Example– His callous behavior towards his stall made him an evil boss, whom everyone hated.

14. Careless

: someone not thinking much or paying enough attention to what they are doing, and so make mistakes, or cause damage, or harm.

Example- Peter has always been very careless about his relationships until she came into his life.

15. Chaotic

: In a state of chaos, completely confused or disordered.

Example– Steve is a chaotic sort of person, who is often involved in doing many different businesses at once.

16. Clingy

: someone wanting to be with another person all the time in a manner that is annoying.

Example- He always turns clingy when she’s around.

17. Conceited

: someone too proud of their abilities, actions, or achievements.

Example– He started talking in a conceited tone just after receiving the award.

18. Conniving

: someone making secret plans in order to get something, do something wrong or harm other people.

Example– Edith is just as conniving as his big brother.

19. Contemptuous

: showing that you do not like or respect someone or something at all.

Example: He was contemptuous of his new maths teacher.

20. Cowardly

: someone easily frightened and avoids doing difficult and dangerous things, not brave enough to do something dangerous.

Example– Peter was too cowardly to face Suzanne after laying to her.

21. Cynical

: someone believing that people always act selfishly and only care about themselves

Example- Mr Smith’s family had a cynical view of their neighbors, who were trying to help them.

Negative Adjectives That Start With ‘D’

22. Deceitful

: having a tendency to deceive or trick; misleading, fraudulent

Example– He is such a deceitful person that even his father doesn’t trust his words anymore.

23. Domineering

: trying to control other people without caring about their feelings

Example– Melissa is utterly domineering when it comes to executing her ideas.

Negative Adjectives That Start With ‘E’

24. Egocentric

: someone thinking only about oneself, self-centered, selfish

Example– He was trying hard to suppress his egocentric thoughts.

25. Envious

: wanting, or wishing for something that someone else has; jealous

Example– He was so envious of his brother’s success.

Negative Adjectives That Start With ‘F’

26. Facetious

: treating serious subjects with inappropriate humor, joking at an inappropriate time.

Example– He was so facetious at the important board meeting.

27. Fawning

: praising someone too much in an insincere way to seek approval, favor, admiration, or in want of something.

Example– The whole class was fawning over Miss Bennet, hoping for cancelling the test.

28. Fickle

: someone keeps changing their mind about what they like or want

Example– Adam is so fickle, that he keeps changing his job interests.

29. Fierce

: very aggressive or angry

Example– Mr. Tom was a fierce old man who never lets kids enter his lawn when they mistakenly threw their balls.

30. Finicky

: someone difficult to please, giving too much attention to small details, liking things only when they are perfect in every detail

Example- Friends of Mr. Smith hate to invite him over for dinner as he is a very finicky eater.

31. Foolish

: someone not sensible and shows a lack of good judgment, unwise, stupid

Example– She sounded totally foolish by imitating one of her professor’s accents.

32. Fussy

: anxious about petty details and not easily satisfied; hard to please

Example– She gets fussy whenever I ask her to go on a vacation.

Negative Adjectives That Start With ‘G’

33. Greedy

: wanting more of something especially money or food, than you need or is necessary

Example- Philip went greedy and asked for more money before completing his work.

34. Grumpy

: unhappy and easily annoyed; bad-tempered

Example– He missed his breakfast and was very hungry, and by the afternoon rather grumpy.

35. Gullible

: easily tricked or persuaded to believe, or trust other people

Example– Smith’s elder brother was a very gullible person, and that’s why Smith always asked him for money and never returned it back.

Negative Adjectives That Start With ‘H’

36. Harsh

: unkind, severe, bitter, or unpleasant

Example– Philip said some harsh words to his parents after they denied providing him with more money.

37. Hostile

: unfriendly, aggressive, inhospitable

Example– Ron was openly hostile to Meg in the office.

38. Horrible

: very bad, unpleasant, unkind, or unlikable

Example– He’s such a horrible teacher that students hate to attend his class.

39. Hypercritical

: eager to find mistakes in everything, extremely critical, fussy, overcritical

Example– Britney gets hypercritical when buying clothes for her kids.

Negative Adjectives That Start With ‘I’

40. Ignorant

: not polite or kind; rude, showing no respect

Example– The newly elected mayor suddenly turned ignorant and corrupt.

41. Impatient

: having a lack of patience; not willing to wait and getting annoyed when things do not happen quickly or delays

Example– She got extremely impatient after not getting any reply to her job applications even after a week.

42. Inflexible

: unwilling to change their mind or their way of doing something

Example– He was completely inflexible in his decision of leaving his job.

43. Inconsiderate

: not caring about other peoples’ feelings

Example– Adam is so inconsiderate and careless, yet Jane loves him so much.

44. Indecisive

: unable to or find it very difficult to make a decision; not good at making decisions

Example– Robert was indecisive about what to do after his graduation.

45. Indiscreet

: talking about things that are intended to be private or said secretly.

Example– He is being careless and indiscreet about everything happening in his life.

46. Indolent

: wanting to avoid activity or effort, disliking or avoiding work; lazy, idle

Example– Jimmy is an indolent child in the family who won’t lift a finger to help his siblings.

47. Intolerant

: not accepting ideas, behavior, or opinions that are different from their own.

Example– Sam was highly intolerant of any criticism.

48. Impulsive

: doing things suddenly without thinking about them carefully first or considering their results

Example– Stuart’s impulsive behavior always gets him in trouble.

49. Irresponsible

: done without thinking about the possible results.

Example– It was totally irresponsible of Sam leaving his younger brother alone in the house.

Negative Adjectives That Start With ‘J’

50. Jealous

: fearing someone will take what you have, especially your partner or friend; suspicious, protective

Example– Lolita started dancing with a stranger just to make her boyfriend jealous.

51. Judgmental

: too quick to criticize

Example– Peter had the habit of being judgmental of any new cuisine he tried.

Negative Adjectives That Start With ‘M’

52. Manipulative

: make people do what they want by persuading or influencing them in a dishonest or clever way

Example– Charlie was so manipulative and selfish even with his close friends.

53. Malevolent

: wanting to do something bad to someone, causing or trying to cause harm to someone

Example– His malevolent gaze made them uncomfortable.

54. Malicious

: intended to harm, upset, or embarrass other people

Example– Tom invited his ex-wife to his birthday party with completely malicious intent.

55. Meddlesome

: someone involving themselves in a situation where they are not wanted or have no right to be involved in as it doesn’t concern them.

Example– The meddlesome stranger was creating a mess at the party.

56. Melodramatic

: showing exaggerated emotion than are necessary or usual for a situation

Example– Kate has always been a melodramatic kid among her siblings.

57. Morose

: unwilling to talk to other people, feeling unhappy, in a bad mood

Example– He was morose, anxious, and restless.

58. Moody

: someone’s frequent or sudden change in feelings and behavior often becoming angry or depressed.

Example– He can be moody and act foolish at the same time.

Negative Adjectives That Start With ‘N’

59. Naive

: having or showing a lack of experience often because you are young or lacking worldly wisdom

Example– Johnny was just a 23-year-old young and naive college dropout when he started his own company.

60. Neurotic

: extremely worried about something unimportant; disturbed, unstable, nervous

Example– Earlier he was just worried but now he turned neurotic.

61. Narcissistic

: having or showing too much admiration for oneself, extremely self-centered

Example- He has always exhibited self-centered and narcissistic behavior.

62. Narrow-minded

: unwilling to accept new ideas or other people’s opinions

Example– Everyone in the office found it very hard to work with the newly appointed and narrow-minded CEO.

63. Nasty

: behaving in an unkind, spiteful, or unpleasant way

Example– Peter was a nasty, mean, and vain person

Negative Adjectives That Start With ‘O’

64. Obnoxious

: someone very unpleasant or rude

Example– Her parent’s extreme pampering has turned Tina into a spoiled and obnoxious teenager.

65. Ostentatious

: intended to impress people or seeking to attract their attention by showing your money, possessions, or power

Example– Everyone criticized the ostentatious gesture of the newly elected mayor.

66. Overcritical

: someone inclined to point out or find faults

Example– The overcritical football coach was discouraging female players.

Negative Adjectives That Start With ‘P’

67. Patronizing

: showing a superior attitude toward others

Example– He always had a patronizing tone while talking to his junior employees.

68. Petulant

: annoyed, unreasonably angry, and upset in a childish manner

Example– Whenever he loses his temper he turns silly and petulant.

69. Pessimistic

: the tendency to only think that bad things will happen, expecting the worst, hopeless

Example– He was totally pessimistic after losing his job.

70. Petty

: carrying too much about small or unimportant things

Example– He was being so petty on the party decorations.

71. Pig-headed

: not willing to change their mind or opinion; stupidly obstinate

Example– He was too pig-headed to listen.

72. Pompous

: behaving or speaking in a very serious way as they think they are more important than they really are.

Example– Mr. Will was being pompous all the time.

73. Possessive

: want to have all of someone’s love and attention.

Example– Her possessive mother never let her go on a trip with her friends.

74. Predatory

: trying to get something that belongs to other people; having selfish motives

Example– He had gotten fed up with reluctantly helping his predatory new friend.

Negative Adjectives That Start With ‘Q’

75. Quarrelsome

: repeatedly argues with other people, or often gets involved in arguments

Example– He was a quarrelsome friend, so everyone resisted opening a discussion with him on any topic.

Negative Adjectives That Start With ‘R’

76. Resentful

: feeling angry or expressing bitterness at having been treated unequally.

Example– He was so resentful when the coach appreciated everyone except her.

77. Rude

: someone having impolite behavior towards other people or saying impolite things about them

Example– She was rude to him even though he had apologized for his mistakes.

78. Ruthless

: willing to make other people suffer so that you can achieve your aims; cruel, pitiless

Example– He could be utterly ruthless to his workers for gaining more profits.

Negative Adjectives That Start With ‘S’

79. Sadistic

: getting pleasure by hurting other people

Example– Only Adam’s wife was aware of his sadistic behavior.

80. Scheming

: making clever, secret plans to achieve something and often deceive others

Example– His scheming wife was trying to get all his property and then leave him.

81. Secretive

: hiding their thoughts, feelings, intentions, and actions from other people

Example– He’s being very secretive about his job.

82. Selfish

: someone only thinking of or care only about himself and not about others

Example– He has been very selfish in his new relationship.

83. Shifty

: looking or giving the impression of being dishonest; untrustworthy

Example– The stranger looked a little shifty even though he helped him.

84. Silly

: foolish, childish, stupid, ridiculous

Example– His silly behavior was the main reason for all his breakups.

85. Sullen

: bad-tempered, in an unhappy mood, and unwilling to talk

Example– Emma gave his parents a sullen glare and left.

86. Supercilious

: behaving in a way that shows they think they are better than others

Example– His supercilious speech upset everyone.

87. Sneaky

: doing things in a secret and unfair way rather than openly and fairly

Example– Tom’s sneaky behavior is the main concern of his parents being worried about him all the time.

88. Sneering

: mocking, scornful, contemptuous, and not showing respect

Example– James is always sneering at his juniors.

89. Stubborn

: opposed to change, suggestions, or listening to

Example– In a stubborn tone, he refuses to join them.

Negative Adjective That Start With ‘T’

90. Thoughtless

: ignoring other people’s feelings or needs; lacking concern for others

Example– Samuel is just a little thoughtless sometimes and he knows this very well.

Negative Adjectives That Start With ‘U’

91. Unforgiving

: unwilling to forgive other people

Example– He was an unforgiving man who kept all his grudges.

92. Unfaithful

: having a physical relationship with someone else while being in a relationship; failing to be firm with your promise or vow; disloyal

Example– Jack has been unfaithful to Rachel many times, but after their first childbirth he’s now a completely changed man.

93. Unpredictable

: likely to change suddenly and unexpectedly

Example: Sam is utterly unpredictable.

94. Unreliable

: not to be trusted or depended on

Example– He turned out as an unreliable friend many times.

95. Untrustworthy

: someone not able to be trusted

Example– He hated making untrustworthy friendships.

Negative Adjectives That Start With ‘V’

96. Vacuous

: lacking or not showing intelligent thoughts, meaning, or purpose; empty

Example– He turns vacuous whenever she’s around.

97. Vain

: extremely proud of one’s appearance, intelligence, possessions or achievements.

Example– He was vain and shallow.

98. Vague

: someone does not seem to be thinking clearly; an absent-minded, distracted

Example– A vague stranger was asking everyone for a lift.

99. Vulgar

: not polite and socially acceptable

Example– His manners at the party were childlike and vulgar.

100. Vindictive

: disposed to seek revenge; having or showing a strong desire for revenge

Example– His vindictive former business partner was doing all he could to harm his new company.

Negative Adjective That Start With ‘W’

101. Weak-Willed

: easily influenced to change their decisions, plans, or opinions; easily swayed

Example– His weak-willed attitude was the main reason for all of his failures.

negative adjectives list to describe a person