Unite 44. Describing character.

Question 1

warm

Answer 1

A warm person is friendly and shows a lot of affection or enthusiasm in their behaviour.

She was a warm and loving mother.
His familiar warm voice made everybody who knew him feel welcome.
I would like to express my warmest thanks to the doctors.

Question 2

friendly [to smn.]

Answer 2

If someone is friendly, they behave in a pleasant, kind way, and like to be with other people.

Godfrey had been friendly to me. [+ to]
…a man with a pleasant, friendly face.
Robert has a friendly relationship with his customers.
…a friendly atmosphere.
Your cat isn’t very friendly.

Question 3

cold

Answer 3

A cold person does not show much emotion, especially affection, and therefore seems unfriendly and unsympathetic. If someone’s voice is cold, they speak in an unfriendly unsympathetic way.

What a cold, unfeeling woman she was.
‘Send her away,’ Eve said in a cold, hard voice.

Question 4

unfriendly [to smn.]

Answer 4

If you describe a person, organization, or their behaviour as unfriendly, you mean that they behave towards you in an unkind or rather hostile way.

It is not fair for him to be permanently unfriendly to someone who has hurt him. [+ to]
People always complain that the big banks and big companies are unfriendly and unhelpful.
Judy spoke in a loud, rather unfriendly voice.

Question 5

kind

Answer 5

If you refer to someone’s kind, you are referring to all the other people that are like them or that belong to the same class or set.

I hate Lewis and his kind just as much as you do.
I can take care of your kind.

Question 6

unkind [to smn.]

Answer 6

If someone is unkind, they behave in an unpleasant, unfriendly, or slightly cruel way. You can also describe someone’s words or actions as unkind.

All last summer he’d been unkind to her. [+ to]
No one has an unkind word to say about him.
Without wishing to be unkind, she’s not the most interesting company.
I think it’s a bit unkind to describe the ship in those terms.

Question 7

nice

Answer 7

If you say that someone is nice, you mean that you like them because they are friendly and pleasant.

I’ve met your father and he’s rather nice.
He was a nice fellow, very quiet and courteous.

Question 8

pleasant

Answer 8

Someone who is pleasant is friendly and likeable.

The woman had a pleasant face.
Lloyd George was most anxious to be agreeable and pleasant.

Question 9

horrible

[informal]

Answer 9

If you describe something or someone as horrible, you do not like them at all.

The record sounds horrible.
…a horrible small boy.

Question 10

unpleasant

Answer 10

An unpleasant person is very unfriendly and rude.

She thought him an unpleasant man.
Don’t start giving me problems otherwise I’ll have to be very unpleasant indeed.
…a thoroughly unpleasant person.

Question 11

generous [in smth.]

Answer 11

A generous person gives more of something, especially money, than is usual or expected.

German banks are more generous in their lending. [+ in]
The gift is generous by any standards.

Question 12

mean

Answer 12

If you describe someone as mean, you are being critical of them because they are unwilling to spend much money or to use very much of a particular thing.

Don’t be mean with fabric, otherwise curtains will end up looking skimpy.

Question 13

optimistic [about smth.; that smth…]

Answer 13

Someone who is optimistic is hopeful about the future or the success of something in particular.

The President says she is optimistic that an agreement can be worked out soon.
Michael was in a jovial and optimistic mood.
[Also + about]

Question 14

pessimistic [about smth.; that smth…]

Answer 14

Someone who is pessimistic thinks that bad things are going to happen.

Not everyone is so pessimistic about the future. [+ about]
Hardy has often been criticised for an excessively pessimistic view of life.
…one of the most pessimistic forecasts of the year.

Question 15

cheerful [+about smth.]

Answer 15

Someone who is cheerful is happy and shows this in their behaviour.

They are both very cheerful in spite of their colds.
Jack sounded quite cheerful about the idea. [+ about]

Question 16

miserable

Answer 16

If you describe someone as miserable, you mean that you do not like them because they are bad-tempered or unfriendly.

He always was a miserable man. He never spoke to me nor anybody else.

Question 17

relaxed

Answer 17

If you are relaxed, you are calm and not worried or tense.

As soon as I had made the final decision, I felt a lot more relaxed.
Try to adopt a more relaxed manner.

Question 18

easy-going

Answer 18

If you describe someone as easy-going, you mean that they are not easily annoyed, worried, or upset, and you think this is a good quality.

He was easy-going and good-natured.
Athenians have a very easy-going attitude to life.

Question 19

tense

Answer 19

If you are tense, you are anxious and nervous and cannot relax.

Dart, who had at first been very tense, at last relaxed.

Question 20

strong

Answer 20

Someone who is strong is confident and determined, and is not easily influenced or worried by other people.

He is sharp and manipulative with a strong personality.
It’s up to managers to be strong and do what they believe is right.
Eventually I felt strong enough to look at him.

Question 21

weak

Answer 21

If you describe someone as weak, you mean that they are not very confident or determined, so that they are often frightened or worried, or easily influenced by other people.

He was a nice doctor, but a weak man who wasn’t going to stick his neck out.
You have been conditioned to believe that it is weak to be scared.

Question 22

sensitive [+to smth.]

Answer 22

If you are sensitive to other people’s needs, problems, or feelings, you show understanding and awareness of them.

The classroom teacher must be sensitive to a child’s needs. [+ to]
He was always so sensitive and caring.

Question 23

insensitive [+ about smth.]

Answer 23

If you describe someone as insensitive, you are criticizing them for being unaware of or unsympathetic to other people’s feelings.

I felt he was being insensitive about the enormity of what we had done. [+ about]

Question 24

honest

Answer 24

If you describe someone as honest, you mean that they always tell the truth, and do not try to deceive people or break the law.

My dad was the most honest man I ever met.
I know she’s honest and reliable.

Question 25

dishonest

Answer 25

If you say that a person or their behaviour is dishonest, you mean that they are not truthful or honest and that you cannot trust them. ## Footnote You have been dishonest with me. It would be dishonest not to present the data as fairly as possible.

Question 26

hard-working

Answer 26

If you describe someone as hard-working, you mean that they work very hard. ## Footnote He was hardworking and energetic.

Question 27

lazy [+ to do smth.]

Answer 27

If someone is lazy, they do not want to work or make any effort to do anything. ## Footnote Lazy and incompetent police officers are letting the public down. I was too lazy to learn how to read music. [+ to-infinitive]

Question 28

punctual

Answer 28

If you are punctual, you do something or arrive somewhere at the right time and are not late. ## Footnote He's always very punctual. I'll see if he's here yet.

Question 29

reliable

Answer 29

People or things that are reliable can be trusted to work well or to behave in the way that you want them to. ## Footnote She was efficient and reliable. Japanese cars are so reliable.

Question 30

unreliable

Answer 30

If you describe a person, machine, or method as unreliable, you mean that you cannot trust them. ## Footnote Diplomats can be a notoriously unreliable and misleading source of information. His judgement was unreliable. He had an unreliable car.

Question 31

clever

Answer 31

Someone who is clever is intelligent and able to understand things easily or plan things well. ## Footnote He's a very clever man. My sister was always a lot cleverer than I was. Her mother was clever at many things.

Question 32

bright

Answer 32

If you describe someone as bright, you mean that they are quick at learning things. ## Footnote I was convinced that he was brighter than average.

Question 33

stupid

Answer 33

If you say that someone or something is stupid, you mean that they show a lack of good judgment or intelligence and they are not at all sensible. ## Footnote I'll never do anything so stupid again. I made a stupid mistake. Your father wouldn't have asked such a stupid question. If you give him half a chance he can make you look stupid.

Question 34

thick

Answer 34

Something that is thick has a large distance between its two opposite sides. ## Footnote For breakfast I had a thick slice of bread and syrup. He wore glasses with thick rims. This material is very thick and this needle is not strong enough to go through it.

Question 35

flexible

Answer 35

Something or someone that is flexible is able to change easily and adapt to different conditions and circumstances as they occur. ## Footnote Look for software that's flexible enough for a range of abilities. ...flexible working hours.

Question 36

inflexible

Answer 36

If you say that someone is inflexible, you are criticizing them because they refuse to change their mind or alter their way of doing things. ## Footnote His opponents viewed him as stubborn, dogmatic, and inflexible.

Question 37

ambitious

Answer 37

Someone who is ambitious has a strong desire to be successful, rich, or powerful. ## Footnote Chris is so ambitious, so determined to do it all. He's a very ambitious lad and he wants to play at the highest level.

Question 38

unambitious

Answer 38

An unambitious person is not particularly interested in improving their position in life or in being successful, rich, or powerful. ## Footnote He was a reliable, unambitious officer who did as he was told.

Question 39

shy [+of smn , or smth.]

Answer 39

A shy person is nervous and uncomfortable in the company of other people. ## Footnote She was a shy, quiet-spoken girl. She was a shy and retiring person off-stage. He is painfully shy of women. [+ of]

Question 40

self-confident

Answer 40

Someone who is self-confident behaves confidently because they feel sure of their abilities or value. ## Footnote She'd blossomed into a self-confident young woman.

Question 41

reserved

Answer 41

Someone who is reserved keeps their feelings hidden. ## Footnote He was unemotional, quite quiet, and reserved. Even though I'm quite a reserved person, I like meeting people.

Question 42

emotional

Answer 42

If someone is or becomes emotional, they show their feelings very openly, especially because they are upset. ## Footnote He is a very emotional man. I don't get as emotional as I once did.

Question 43

initiative

Answer 43

If you have initiative, you have the ability to decide what to do next and to do it, without needing other people to tell you what to do. ## Footnote She was disappointed by his lack of initiative. ...workers who are able to sort out problems on their own initiative.

Question 44

common sense

Answer 44

Your common sense is your natural ability to make good judgments and to behave in a practical and sensible way. ## Footnote Use your common sense. She always had a lot of common sense. ...a common-sense approach.

Question 45

sensible [+about smth.]

Answer 45

Sensible people behave in a sensible way. ## Footnote She was a sensible girl and did not panic. Oh come on, let's be sensible about this. [+ about] I'm trying to persuade you to be more sensible.