Negative character traits list: 150 traits with examples

Negative character traits are habits of behavior that hurt someone, other people or the character themselves: arrogance, cowardice, envy, cruelty, impatience. The 150 below are sorted by who pays, from other people to the character, and by where the damage shows, from the office to a crisis. Each comes with how the trait looks on the page and the strength it can be the shadow of, because many negative traits are a good quality pushed too far.

Whether a trait counts as negative depends on who it hurts and when. Blunt is a gift in an emergency room and a wound at a funeral, and a stubborn character is also a determined one, so the story can show both sides. When the plot is built around one trait and makes it cost more and more, that trait is a flaw, and the character flaws list covers that job. For positive and neutral traits as well, see the full character traits list.

Traits that hurt other people

These are the traits readers judge fastest, so they need the most context. Give the character a reason, and let the cost come back to them.

1. Cruel: saves the cutting remark for when the target's mother is in the room. Shadow of: a sharp eye for weakness.
2. Manipulative: gets her sister to cancel her own birthday trip, and to thank her for it. Shadow of: understanding people.
3. Domineering: chooses his grown son's tie for the job interview, then the job. Shadow of: protectiveness.
4. Condescending: explains the joke to the person who told it. Shadow of: knowledge.
5. Spiteful: leaves a one-star review for the café where her ex works. Shadow of: a strong sense of injustice.
6. Vindictive: waits eleven years to return the favor, and does. Shadow of: a long memory.
7. Malicious: starts the rumor, then defends the target so she looks kind. Shadow of: social intelligence.
8. Bullying: calls the new boy “Professor” until the whole class does. Shadow of: leadership.
9. Exploitative: lets the eager intern work weekends for a reference he never writes. Shadow of: ambition.
10. Callous: discusses the layoffs over the sandwiches the laid-off staff ordered. Shadow of: composure.
11. Patronizing: calls the sixty-year-old receptionist “sweetheart.” Shadow of: protectiveness.
12. Meddlesome: re-sorts the neighbor's recycling “so it actually gets collected.” Shadow of: helpfulness.
13. Overcritical: hands back the birthday card with the spelling corrected. Shadow of: high standards.
14. Intolerant: quits the book club because someone liked the wrong book. Shadow of: conviction.
15. Contemptuous: rolls his eyes before the junior colleague has finished the sentence. Shadow of: discernment.
16. Inconsiderate: practices the drums at midnight in a building with paper walls. Shadow of: passion.
17. Thoughtless: books the celebration dinner at a steakhouse for the vegetarian. Shadow of: spontaneity.
18. Ungrateful: complains that the coat her neighbor gave her is the wrong color. Shadow of: self-respect.
19. Unforgiving: sends the apology letter back unopened. Shadow of: firm boundaries.
20. Stingy: splits the bill to the cent, including the tip he didn't want to leave. Shadow of: prudence.
21. Selfish: takes the only umbrella and says, “You're already wet.” Shadow of: self-preservation.
22. Sneaky: reads the diary and puts it back at exactly the same angle. Shadow of: resourcefulness.
23. Scheming: plans the whole office reorganization around getting the corner desk. Shadow of: strategic thinking.
24. Disloyal: trades the old friend's secrets for a place in the new crowd. Shadow of: adaptability.
25. Hostile: answers “Good morning” as if it were an accusation. Shadow of: wariness.
26. Belligerent: picks a fight with the referee, the umpire and the man selling programs. Shadow of: courage.
27. Bossy: hands out jobs at someone else's party. Shadow of: leadership.
28. Smothering: calls her son at college three times a day to check he's eating. Shadow of: devotion.
29. Overprotective: won't let his fifteen-year-old ride a bike on the street. Shadow of: care.
30. Two-faced: compliments the bride's dress, then sends a photo of it to her friends with a laughing face. Shadow of: tact.

Traits that turn on the character

These are the easiest negative traits to make sympathetic, because the character pays first. The danger is a character who only suffers, so let the trait do some damage to others as well.

31. Self-destructive: quits the job the morning after he's offered the promotion. Shadow of: independence.
32. Self-pitying: writes “nobody calls” in her journal and calls nobody. Shadow of: sensitivity.
33. Insecure: asks “Was it okay?” after every presentation, even the ones that won. Shadow of: humility.
34. Perfectionistic: rewrites the first chapter for three years and never starts the second. Shadow of: high standards.
35. Pessimistic: packs for rain on a trip to the desert. Shadow of: preparedness.
36. Indecisive: misses the job offer's deadline while making a list of pros and cons. Shadow of: thoughtfulness.
37. Timid: rehearses the complaint all the way to the counter, then says, “Never mind.” Shadow of: gentleness.
38. Withdrawn: stops answering the group chat and tells herself nobody noticed. Shadow of: self-sufficiency.
39. Fretful: checks the weather in the city her son flew to, every hour. Shadow of: care.
40. Guilt-ridden: still apologizes for something she did at nineteen. Shadow of: conscience.
41. Self-deprecating: makes the joke about herself before anyone else can. Shadow of: humor.
42. Envious: scrolls through an old classmate's photos until two in the morning. Shadow of: ambition.
43. Resentful: keeps a running tally of every favor she did and was never thanked for. Shadow of: generosity.
44. Bitter: tells young writers the industry is rigged, before they've asked. Shadow of: experience.
45. Cynical: assumes the kind stranger wants something, and is rude to him. Shadow of: realism.
46. Avoidant: leaves the letter from the tax office unopened on the hall table for a month. Shadow of: self-protection.
47. Fearful: stays in the job she hates because she knows where everything is. Shadow of: prudence.
48. Stubborn: walks the last six miles on a blister rather than accept a lift from her brother. Shadow of: determination.
49. Proud: sells his car rather than ask his son for a loan. Shadow of: dignity.
50. Workaholic: misses the last train home and sleeps under her desk, again. Shadow of: dedication.
51. Self-sacrificing: gives up her vacation every summer and resents it every December. Shadow of: generosity.
52. Escapist: sits reading in the car outside his own house rather than go in. Shadow of: imagination.
53. Complacent: ignores the noise in the engine for the third winter. Shadow of: contentment.
54. Naive: lends the rent money to a man she met on a train. Shadow of: trust.
55. Defeatist: doesn't enter the competition because “they always pick the same people.” Shadow of: realism.

Traits that show at work

Work gives a negative trait witnesses, deadlines and consequences, which is why office, newsroom and kitchen scenes expose characters so fast.

56. Lazy: replies “per my last email” instead of doing the thing. Shadow of: efficiency.
57. Unreliable: promised the slides “first thing” and sends them at four. Shadow of: optimism.
58. Sloppy: spells the client's name three different ways in one report. Shadow of: speed.
59. Micromanaging: asks to be copied on the emails about the office plants. Shadow of: responsibility.
60. Territorial: moves the new hire's mug off “his” shelf. Shadow of: ownership.
61. Glory-seeking: presents the team's work to the board using only “I.” Shadow of: ambition.
62. Opportunistic: befriends the new director the day the merger is announced. Shadow of: alertness.
63. Careless: leaves the client list on the train. Shadow of: ease.
64. Procrastinating: color-codes the calendar instead of making the call. Shadow of: patience.
65. Uncooperative: answers every request with “That's not my department.” Shadow of: boundaries.
66. Rigid: turns away the delivery because the form says noon and it's 12:04. Shadow of: consistency.
67. Bureaucratic: asks the man with the burst pipe to fill in a form first. Shadow of: fairness.
68. Ruthless: cuts the department and keeps the holiday party. Shadow of: decisiveness.
69. Cutthroat: forwards a rival's typo to the whole board “by accident.” Shadow of: competitiveness.
70. Arrogant: skips the training because he wrote the old manual. Shadow of: expertise.
71. Disorganized: loses the signed contract in the pile of unsigned ones. Shadow of: big-picture thinking.
72. Apathetic: shrugs when the project is canceled; he stopped working on it in March. Shadow of: calm.
73. Negligent: signs off the safety check without looking under the bus. Shadow of: trust.
74. Entitled: expects a raise for arriving on time. Shadow of: self-worth.
75. Overextended: says yes to four projects and finishes none of them. Shadow of: eagerness.
76. Calculating: decides whose birthday cake to show up for by job title. Shadow of: strategy.
77. Inattentive: nods through the briefing, then asks the question it answered. Shadow of: imagination.
78. Defensive: answers every note on the draft with a paragraph of explanation. Shadow of: commitment.
79. Know-it-all: corrects the CEO's pronunciation of the client's name, in front of the client. Shadow of: knowledge.
80. Dishonest: adds a taxi he never took to every expense report. Shadow of: resourcefulness.

Traits in love and friendship

Close relationships are where negative traits hurt most, because the other person can't easily leave the room. Romance and family stories live on these.

81. Possessive: checks who liked his girlfriend's photo. Shadow of: devotion.
82. Jealous: goes quiet all evening because her husband laughed at the waitress's joke. Shadow of: love.
83. Clingy: moves her desk to sit near her new friend in the open-plan office. Shadow of: warmth.
84. Emotionally unavailable: answers “I love you” with “You too” and changes the subject to traffic. Shadow of: self-containment.
85. Fickle: falls in and out of love with three hobbies and one person in a month. Shadow of: enthusiasm.
86. Flaky: cancels the dinner she organized, two hours before. Shadow of: spontaneity.
87. Unfaithful: “only” flirts, by text, every night. Shadow of: charm.
88. Needy: needs to hear the friendship is fine after every small disagreement. Shadow of: openness.
89. Dismissive: calls his partner's new business “your little project.” Shadow of: confidence.
90. Neglectful: forgets the anniversary, then the apology. Shadow of: focus.
91. Demanding: has a list of what a good birthday looks like, and nobody has met it yet. Shadow of: high standards.
92. Cold: hugs as if he's measuring the other person. Shadow of: reserve.
93. Secretive: has been engaged for three months and told no one. Shadow of: privacy.
94. Controlling: “helps” her boyfriend choose his friends. Shadow of: care.
95. Smug: wins the argument and replays it at dinner. Shadow of: confidence.
96. Competitive: answers his friend's good news with his own, slightly better news. Shadow of: drive.
97. Moody: makes the whole group check her face before anyone tells a joke. Shadow of: depth of feeling.
98. Unappreciative: eats the meal and says it needed salt. Shadow of: honesty.
99. Fault-finding: spots the one weed in her daughter's garden. Shadow of: attention to detail.
100. People-pleasing: promises to go to two weddings on the same Saturday. Shadow of: kindness.
101. Vain: checks his reflection in her sunglasses while she's talking. Shadow of: self-respect.
102. Withholding: goes silent for a day to win the argument. Shadow of: self-control.
103. Gossipy: tells you the secret “because you'd find out anyway.” Shadow of: sociability.
104. Fair-weather: calls when there's a party, not when there's a funeral. Shadow of: lightness.
105. Overbearing: plans her friend's divorce party before the friend has decided to leave. Shadow of: support.

Traits under pressure

Some negative traits stay hidden until the stakes rise. A crisis scene is the natural place to reveal them, and the reveal often works best when the reader has seen the strength first.

106. Hot-tempered: kicks the vending machine that ate her last coin. Shadow of: passion.
107. Panicky: pulls the fire alarm because the toast is burning. Shadow of: alertness.
108. Cowardly: blames the dog for the broken vase, and the dog is punished. Shadow of: caution.
109. Reckless: drives through the flooded underpass because the map says it's shorter. Shadow of: boldness.
110. Rash: signs the lease on the first apartment he sees, at eleven at night. Shadow of: decisiveness.
111. Vengeful: waits outside the courthouse with a bucket of paint. Shadow of: a sense of justice.
112. Evasive: answers the police officer's question with a question about parking. Shadow of: discretion.
113. Brittle: snaps at the waiter over a wrong order on the morning of the audit. Shadow of: sensitivity.
114. Easily rattled: forgets her own address when the officer asks for it. Shadow of: conscientiousness.
115. Irritable: barks at the child asking for juice during the call about the mortgage. Shadow of: focus.
116. Volatile: laughs, shouts and laughs again in one phone call. Shadow of: emotional honesty.
117. Self-serving: saves his own files first when the office floods. Shadow of: self-preservation.
118. Buck-passing: tells the boss it was the intern who sent the email. Shadow of: self-protection.
119. Obstinate: refuses to leave the house as the river rises. Shadow of: loyalty to home.
120. Alarmist: calls it a disaster when the train is four minutes late. Shadow of: vigilance.
121. Short-tempered: honks before the light has turned green. Shadow of: urgency.
122. Impetuous: jumps into the river before checking how deep it is. Shadow of: courage.
123. Treacherous: gives up his partner for a lighter sentence. Shadow of: self-preservation.
124. Weak-willed: agrees to work the weekend again, five minutes after promising his children the beach. Shadow of: agreeableness.
125. Spineless: agrees with whoever spoke last in the meeting. Shadow of: open-mindedness.
126. Merciless: fires the waiter on the spot, in front of the customers. Shadow of: standards.
127. Deceptive: fakes a phone call to escape the conversation, with the phone upside down. Shadow of: quick thinking.
128. Fatalistic: stops bailing because “it's going down anyway.” Shadow of: acceptance.
129. Aggressive: squares up to the bus driver over a two-dollar fare. Shadow of: assertiveness.
130. Petty: argues about who forgot the corkscrew while the tent blows away. Shadow of: attention to detail.

Traits in conversation

These show up in dialogue before anywhere else, which makes them the quickest way to introduce a difficult character: one line, and the reader knows. See how to write dialogue for giving each voice its own habits.

131. Boastful: mentions his salary in the toast at his brother's wedding. Shadow of: pride in work.
132. Sarcastic: answers the waiter's “How is everything?” with “Edible.” Shadow of: wit.
133. Tactless: tells his sister-in-law she looks “much bigger than last time.” Shadow of: honesty.
134. Pompous: uses “myself” where “me” would do, and Latin where nothing would. Shadow of: learning.
135. Preachy: turns a question about dinner into a lecture on farming. Shadow of: conviction.
136. Self-absorbed: asks “How are you?” and answers it himself. Shadow of: enthusiasm.
137. Whiny: describes her ten-day cruise as “exhausting.” Shadow of: candor.
138. Nagging: reminds her husband about the gutters every morning, by text, from the next room. Shadow of: diligence.
139. Glib: has a quick answer for everything and nothing to say at the funeral. Shadow of: fluency.
140. Flippant: jokes through the bank manager's bad news. Shadow of: resilience.
141. Argumentative: debates the menu with the waiter. Shadow of: intellect.
142. Crude: tells the dirty joke at the christening. Shadow of: candor.
143. Pretentious: calls the diner's coffee “a touch over-extracted.” Shadow of: taste.
144. Long-winded: answers “What time is it?” with how he came to own the watch. Shadow of: storytelling.
145. Indiscreet: tells the dinner table what her friend said in confidence. Shadow of: openness.
146. Mocking: imitates his father's accent for his friends. Shadow of: a gift for mimicry.
147. Curt: answers the wedding invitation with “Yes. Two.” Shadow of: efficiency.
148. Insincere: says “We must have lunch!” to everyone, and never has lunch. Shadow of: friendliness.
149. Hypocritical: lectures the teenagers about phones from behind his phone. Shadow of: high ideals.
150. Cagey: answers “Where were you last night?” with “Out.” Shadow of: privacy.

Negative trait or character flaw?

The two words are often used as if they mean the same thing, and every flaw is a negative trait. The difference is the job it does in the story. A negative trait is a habit the reader notices. A flaw is a negative trait the plot is built to test, with a cost that rises until the character keeps it or changes. The character flaws list sorts 130 flaws from minor to fatal, with what each one costs.

Mr. Collins never changes and doesn't need to: his pomposity is a source of comedy and pressure on the Bennets. Elizabeth's quickness to judge is a flaw because the plot turns on it. She believes Wickham, misjudges Darcy, and has to unlearn both.

The same goes for a fatal flaw: the label describes what the trait does to the plot, not how bad the trait is. Impatience is fatal if the story lets it cost a life, and real cruelty can stay in the background of a scene without ever deciding the ending.

How to make a negative trait sympathetic

Readers will follow a character they don't approve of. They have far less patience for one they don't understand. These steps keep a difficult character readable:

1. Show what the trait protects them from

   A controlling character is often afraid of what happens when nobody is in charge. Put that fear on the page once, early, and the control reads as a defense rather than as malice.

2. Give the trait a history

   In A Christmas Carol (1843), the Ghost of Christmas Past shows Scrooge himself as a boy, left alone at school while the others go home for the holidays. It doesn't excuse the miser of the first pages, but the reader now knows where the coldness began. Keep the history short, and keep it out of chapter one.

3. Let the trait do some good

   A stubborn character who refuses to leave a burning building might also be the one who refuses to abandon a friend. Use the shadow strength from the list above in at least one scene.

4. Make them pay in front of the reader

   A cost the reader witnesses tends to buy forgiveness. A cost that happens offstage, or never comes, tends to buy resentment.

5. Let someone love them anyway

   Toad in The Wind in the Willows (1908) is boastful, impulsive and wasteful with money. Badger, Rat and Mole keep trying to save him from himself, and their loyalty tells the reader he is worth saving.

6. Give them a moment of self-awareness

   One line where the character sees the trait for what it is, even if they don't change, can turn an irritating person into a human one.

Barrie names the trait, admits it's a fault and enjoys it in the same breath. Then he lets the reader see who pays. Wendy has just sewn Peter's shadow back on, and he takes the credit. Her answer is sarcasm, and a moment later she says that if she is no use she “can at least withdraw,” and springs “in the most dignified way into bed” with the blankets over her face. The narrator can afford to find the conceit charming because its cost is on the page.

In your own draft, ask the Strokes Assistant to list each scene in a run of chapters where the trait shows and who pays for it. If the answer is always someone else, the character hasn't yet paid in front of the reader.

Negative traits in heroes and villains

Heroes and villains can share the same traits. What differs is the story's attitude to them. A protagonist's negative trait is a question the story asks: will she keep it? A villain's is a weapon the story points at the hero.

A villain still needs more than a list of vices. The guide to writing a villain readers believe in covers motive and the mirror between villain and hero, and character archetypes pairs each of the 12 types with its typical flaw. Sometimes the sharpest way to expose a protagonist's negative trait is a foil who has the opposite one.