Character Traits Word Lists
Choose from two versions to help your students during reading.
This is another free resource for teachers and homeschool families from www.freewordwork.com.
About these lists
You can download the printable version of each list by scrolling to the bottom of this page.
You will find two versions of these word lists. One list is one page and the other is two pages. Both lists contain more complex words than just kind or mean. They are designed to help your students choose words that tell more about a character.
The list with one page has a mix of some basic words along with more in-depth options.
The set with two pages was written to help develop student vocabulary. Students might encounter words they do not know.
I will be using this second list with my 6th graders. I plan on talking about a few words a day and having students add a couple words or a sketch to support the meaning. Too often, my students will use a word like nice when they are so many great word choices out there! My goal is to push them to do this on their own.
I plan on copying the list front to back and having students keep it in their reading folder as a resource throughout the year.
Character Traits List 1 (one page)
- adaptable
- adventurous
- ambitious
- assertive
- authentic
- brave
- calm
- capable
- caring
- cautious
- charismatic
- clever
- compassionate
- confident
- conscientious
- considerate
- cooperative
- courageous
- creative
- curious
- daring
- dedicated
- dependable
- determined
- disciplined
- empathetic
- enthusiastic
- expressive
- flexible
- gloomy
- hardworking
- honest
- humble
- independent
- kind
- lonely
- loyal
- mischievous
- moody
- motivated
- nurturing
- open-minded
- optimistic
- organized
- passionate
- patient
- persistent
- persuasive
- polite
- positive
- proactive
- reliable
- respectful
- responsible
- self-aware
- sensitive
- thoughtful
- timid
- upbeat
List 2 (two pages)
- adaptable
- adventurous
- aloof
- ambitious
- apathetic
- argumentative
- arrogant
- assertive
- authentic
- brave
- careless
- caring
- cautious
- charismatic
- clever
- compassionate
- confident
- conscientious
- considerate
- cooperative
- courageous
- creative
- critical
- cruel
- curious
- daring
- decisive
- dedicated
- demanding
- dependable
- determined
- diligent
- disciplined
- dishonest
- disrespectful
- eccentric
- eloquent
- empathetic
- enthusiastic
- expressive
- fearful
- fearless
- flexible
- forgiving
- generous
- gentle
- genuine
- gracious
- grateful
- greedy
- gullible
- hardworking
- honest
- hopeful
- humble
- impatient
- impulsive
- inconsistent
- indecisive
- independent
- indifferent
- industrious
- innovative
- inquisitive
- insecure
- inspirational
- intrepid
- joyful
- judgmental
- lazy
- logical
- loyal
- manipulative
- mean
- meticulous
- mischievous
- modest
- motivated
- naive
- negative
- nurturing
- objective
- observant
- obstinate
- open-minded
- optimistic
- overbearing
- passionate
- patient
- persistent
- persuasive
- pessimistic
- positive
- practical
- proactive
- quirky
- realistic
- rebellious
- reckless
- reflective
- relentless
- reliable
- reserved
- resilient
- resourceful
- respectful
- responsible
- self-aware
- selfish
- sensitive
- shallow
- sincere
- spontaneous
- stubborn
- supportive
- thoughtful
- thoughtless
- timid
- tolerant
- trustworthy
- understanding
- unmotivated
- valiant
- vindictive
- vivacious
- wise
You can download these free lists below:
*I have added grade level recommendations for the word lists but choose what works best for your students!
List 1 (1 page), designed for 3rd – 5th grade students
List 2 (2 pages), designed for 5th – 8th grade students
This is intended to be a free resource for teachers and homeschool families. You can copy and use for your personal use. You may not sell or modify and then sell these materials in any manner.