- Abrasive – showing little concern for the feelings of others; harsh
- Absurd – wildly unreasonable, illogical, or inappropriate
- Accusatory – suggesting someone has done something wrong, complaining
- Acerbic – sharp and forthright
- Acidic – harsh or critical
- Admiring – approving; think highly of; respectful; praising
- Aggressive – hostile; determined; forceful; argumentative
- Aggrieved – angry and sad because you think you have been unfairly treated
- Airy – giving an impression of being unconcerned or not serious
- Ambivalent – having mixed feelings; uncertain; in a dilemma; undecided
- Amused – pleasantly; entertain or divert in an enjoyable or cheerful manner
- Angry – incensed or enraged; threatening or menacing
- Animated – full of life or excitement; lively; spirited; impassioned; vibrant
- Anxious – typically with a feeling of unease
- Apathetic – showing little interest; lacking concern; indifferent; unemotional
- Apologetic – full of regret; repentant; remorseful; acknowledging failure
- Appreciative – grateful; thankful; showing pleasure; enthusiastic
- Ardent – enthusiastic; passionate
- Arrogant – pompous; disdainful; overbearing; condescending; vain; scoffing
- Assertive – self-confident; strong-willed; authoritative; insistent
- Authoritative – commanding and self-confident
- Awestruck – amazed, filled with wonder/awe; reverential
- Barbed – deliberately hurtful
- Barking – utter a command or question abruptly or aggressively
- Belligerent – hostile; aggressive; combatant
- Benevolent – sympathetic; tolerant; generous; caring; well meaning
- Bitter – angry; acrimonious; antagonistic; spiteful; nasty
- Blasé – unimpressed or indifferent to something because one has experienced or seen it so often before
- Bleak – without hope or encouragement; depressing; dreary
- Bombastic – high-sounding but with little meaning; inflated
- Booming – loud, deep, and resonant
- Bored – to tire or make weary by being dull, repetitious, or uninteresting
- Brash – self-assertive in a rude, noisy, or overbearing way
- Braying – speak or laugh loudly and harshly
- Breathy – producing or causing an audible sound of breathing, often related to physical exertion or strong feelings
- Breezy – appearing relaxed, informal, and cheerily brisk
- Brittle – lacking warmth, sensitivity, or compassion; aloof
- Bubbly – full of cheerful high spirits
- Burbling – speak in an unintelligible or silly way, typically at unnecessary length
- Callous – cruel disregard; unfeeling; uncaring; indifferent; ruthless
- Candid – truthful, straightforward; honest; unreserved
- Caustic – making biting, corrosive comments; critical
- Cautionary – gives warning; raises awareness; reminding
- Celebratory – praising; pay tribute to; glorify; honour
- Chatty – informal; lively; conversational; familiar
- Cheery – happy and optimistic
- Childish – silly and immature
- Chirping – say something in a lively and cheerful way
- Clipped – speech that is fast, that uses short sounds and few words, and that is often unfriendly or rude
- Cloying – disgust or sicken (someone) with an excess of sweetness, richness, or sentiment
- Coarse – rude, crude, or vulgar
- Colloquial – familiar; everyday language; informal; colloquial; casual
- Comic – humorous; witty; entertaining; diverting
- Compassionate – sympathetic; empathetic; warm-hearted; tolerant; kind
- Complex – having many varying characteristics; complicated
- Compliant – agree or obey rules; acquiescent; flexible; submissive
- Concerned – worried; anxious; apprehensive
- Conciliatory – intended to placate or pacify; appeasing
- Condescending – stooping to the level of one’s inferiors; patronising
- Confused – unable to think clearly; bewildered; vague
- Contemptuous – showing contempt; scornful; insolent; mocking
- Crisp – briskly decisive and matter-of-fact, without hesitation or unnecessary detail
- Critical – finding fault; disapproving; scathing; criticizing
- Croaking – a characteristic deep hoarse sound
- Cruel – causing pain and suffering; unkind; spiteful; severe
- Curious – wanting to find out more; inquisitive; questioning
- Curt – rudely brief
- Cynical – scornful of motives/virtues of others; mocking; sneering
- Defensive – defending a position; shielding; guarding; watchful
- Defiant – obstinate; argumentative; defiant; contentious
- Demeaning – disrespectful; undignified
- Depressing – sad, melancholic; discouraging; pessimistic
- Derisive – snide; sarcastic; mocking; dismissive; scornful
- Detached – aloof; objective; unfeeling; distant
- Dignified – serious; respectful; formal; proper
- Diplomatic – tactful; subtle; sensitive; thoughtful
- Disapproving – displeased; critical; condemnatory
- Disheartening – discouraging; demoralising; undermining; depressing
- Disparaging – dismissive; critical; scornful
- Direct – straightforward; honest
- Disappointed – discouraged; unhappy because something has gone wrong
- Discordant – harsh and jarring because of a lack of harmony
- Dispassionate – impartial; indifferent; unsentimental; cold; unsympathetic
- Dispirited – having lost enthusiasm and hope; disheartened
- Distressing – heart-breaking; sad; troubling
- Docile – compliant; submissive; deferential; accommodating
- Drawling – speak in a slow, lazy way with prolonged vowel sounds
- Dulcet – sweet and soothing
- Dull – lacking interest or excitement
- Earnest – showing deep sincerity or feeling; serious
- Egotistical – self-absorbed; selfish; conceited; boastful
- Empathetic – understanding; kind; sensitive
- Encouraging – optimistic; supportive
- Enthusiastic – excited; energetic
- Evasive – ambiguous; cryptic; unclear
- Excited – emotionally aroused; stirred
- Facetious – inappropriate; flippant
- Farcical – ludicrous; absurd; mocking; humorous and highly improbable
- Feathery – extremely light and soft or delicate
- Flippant – superficial; glib; shallow; thoughtless; frivolous
- Forceful – powerful; energetic; confident; assertive
- Formal – respectful; stilted; factual; following accepted styles/rules
- Frank – honest; direct; plain; matter-of-fact
- Fretful – expressing distress or irritation
- Frustrated – annoyed; discouraged
- Gentle – kind; considerate; mild; soft
- Ghoulish – delighting in the revolting or the loathsome
- Glum – dejected; morose
- Goofy – foolish; harmlessly eccentric
- Grating – harsh and unpleasant
- Gravelly – deep and rough-sounding
- Grim – serious; gloomy; depressing; lacking humour;macabre
- Growling – low grating voice, typically in a threatening manner
- Gruff – rough and low in pitch
- Gullible – naive; innocent; ignorant
- Guttural – produced in the throat; harsh-sounding
- Hard – unfeeling; hard-hearted; unyielding
- Harsh – cruel or severe
- Hearty – loudly vigorous and cheerful
- Hoarse – sounding rough and harsh, typically as the result of a sore throat or of shouting
- Honeyed – soothing, soft, and intended to please or flatter
- Humble – deferential; modest
- Humorous – amusing; entertaining; playful
- Husky – sounding low-pitched and slightly hoarse
- Hypercritical – unreasonably critical; hair splitting; nitpicking
- Impartial – unbiased; neutral; objective
- Impassioned – filled with emotion; ardent
- Imploring – pleading; begging
- Impressionable – trusting; child-like
- Inane – silly; foolish; stupid; nonsensical
- Incensed – enraged
- Incredulous – disbelieving; unconvinced; questioning; suspicious
- Indifferent – having no particular interest or sympathy; unconcerned
- Indignant – annoyed; angry; dissatisfied
- Informative – instructive; factual; educational
- Insinuating – suggest or hint in an indirect and unpleasant way
- Inspirational – encouraging; reassuring
- Intense – earnest; passionate; concentrated; deeply felt
- Intimate – familiar; informal; confidential; confessional
- Ironic – the opposite of what is meant
- Irreverent – lacking respect for things that are generally taken seriously
- Jaded – bored; having had too much of the same thing; lack enthusiasm
- Joyful – positive; optimistic; cheerful; elated
- Jubilant – expressing great happiness and triumph
- Judgmental – critical; finding fault; disparaging
- Laudatory – praising; recommending
- Lifeless – lacking vigor, vitality, or excitement
- Light-Hearted – carefree; relaxed; chatty; humorous
- Lively – full of life and energy; active and outgoing
- Loving – affectionate; showing intense, deep concern
- Macabre – gruesome; horrifying; frightening
- Malicious – desiring to harm others or to see others suffer; ill-willed; spiteful
- Matter-of-fact – unemotional and practical
- Mean-Spirited – inconsiderate; unsympathetic
- Mellifluous – sweet or musical; pleasant to hear
- Melodious – pleasant-sounding
- Mocking – scornful; ridiculing; making fun of someone
- Monotonous – lacking in variation in tone or pitch
- Mourning – grieving; lamenting; woeful
- Muffled – not loud because of being obstructed in some way; muted
- Naive – innocent; unsophisticated; immature
- Narcissistic – self-admiring; selfish; boastful; self-pitying
- Nasty – unpleasant; unkind; disagreeable; abusive
- Negative – unhappy, pessimistic
- Nonchalant – casually calm and relaxed; not displaying anxiety, interest, or enthusiasm
- Nostalgic – thinking about the past; wishing for something from the past
- Objective – without prejudice; without discrimination; fair; based on fact
- Obsequious – overly obedient and/or submissive; fawning; grovelling
- Oily – unpleasantly smooth and ingratiating
- Optimistic – hopeful; cheerful
- Outraged – angered and resentful; furious; extremely angered
- Outspoken – frank; candid; spoken without reserv
- Pathetic – expressing pity, sympathy, tenderness
- Patronizing – condescending; scornful; pompous
- Pensive – reflective; introspective; philosophical; contemplative
- Persuasive – convincing; eloquent; influential; plausible
- Pessimistic – seeing the negative side of things
- Philosophical – theoretical; analytical; rational; logical
- Piping – high-pitched.
- Playful – full of fun and good spirits; humorous; jesting
- Pragmatic – realistic; sensible
- Pretentious – affected; artificial; grandiose; rhetorical; flashy
- Quavering – shake or tremble in speaking, typically through nervousness or emotion
- Querulous – complaining in a petulant or whining manner
- Rasping – harsh-sounding and unpleasant; grating
- Reedy – high and thin in tone
- Refined – elegant; cultured
- Regretful – apologetic; remorseful
- Resentful – aggrieved; offended; displeased; bitter
- Resigned – accepting; unhappy
- Restrained – controlled; quiet; unemotional
- Reverent – showing deep respect and esteem
- Righteous – morally right and just; guiltless; pious; god-fearing
- Robust – strong and healthy; vigorous
- Saccharine –
excessively sweet or sentimental- Satirical – making fun to show a weakness; ridiculing; derisive
- Sarcastic – scornful; mocking; ridiculing
- Scathing – critical; stinging; unsparing; harsh
- Scornful – expressing contempt or derision; scathing; dismissive
- Scratchy –
rough; grating- Sensationalist – provocative; inaccurate; distasteful
- Sentimental – thinking about feelings, especially when remembering the past
- Shrill –
high-pitched and piercing
- Silvery –
gentle, clear, and melodious- Sincere – honest; truthful; earnest
- Skeptical – disbelieving; unconvinced; doubting
- Smarmy –
excessively or unctuously flattering; ingratiating; servile
- Smoky –
a raspy, coarse and tone of quality that is deeper than usual- Snide –
derogatory or mocking in an indirect way- Solemn – not funny; in earnest; serious
- Somber –
oppressively solemn or sober in mood; grave- Sonorous –
imposingly deep and full
- Sour – resentment, disappointment, or anger
- Steely – coldly determined; hard
- Strident –
loud and harsh; grating
- Stony –
not having or showing feeling or sympathy- Suave –
charming, confident, and elegant- Subjective – prejudiced; biased
- Submissive – compliant; passive; accommodating; obedient
- Sulking – bad-tempered; grumpy; resentful; sullen
- Surly –
bad-tempered and unfriendly
- Sympathetic – compassionate; understanding of how someone feels
- Thoughtful – reflective; serious; absorbed
- Throaty –
deep and rasping
- Tolerant – open-minded; charitable; patient; sympathetic; lenient
- Tragic – disastrous; calamitous
- Tremulous –
shaking or quivering slightly
- Unassuming – modest; self-effacing; restrained
- Unctuous –
excessive piousness or moralistic fervor, especially in an affected manner; excessively smooth, suave, or smug- Uneasy – worried; uncomfortable; edgy; nervous
- Urgent – insistent; saying something must be done soon
- Velvety – soft; smooth
- Vindictive – vengeful; spiteful; bitter; unforgiving
- Virtuous – lawful; righteous; moral; upstanding
- Whimsical – quaint; playful; mischievous; offbeat
- Witty – clever; quick-witted; entertaining
- Wonder – awe-struck; admiring; fascinating
- World-Weary – bored; cynical; tired
- Worried – anxious; stressed; fearful
- Wretched – miserable; despairing; sorrowful; distressed
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C.A. Jacobs