French Adjectives Describing a Person

From LoveToKnow French

Finding French adjectives describing a person can be tricky - especially if you want to avoid words they are overused or trite. Adjectives in general can also pose a problem to French language learners because they must agree in gender and number to the noun that they are describing. The good news is that many adjectives are cognates - you can often guess the meaning because the word is similar in English.

Elle est jolie.

French Adjectives That Describe Physical Appearance

Adjectives that are used to describe physical appearances are generally the most common types of adjectives.

attractive - attrayant(e)
bald - chauve
beautiful - beau/belle
big - grand(e)
bloody - sanglant(e)
blonde - blond(e)
bony - osseux/osseuse
brunnette - brunette
chubby - pôtelé(e)
curly - bouclé(e)
cute/pretty - jolie
fat - gros(se)
haggard - exténué(e)
tall - grand(e)
short - petit(e), court(e) (hair)
slender - mince
ugly - laid(e)

French Adjectives Describing a Person's Personality

Go beyond the normal 'nice' or 'mean' and really try to describe someone in depth with this list of adjectives. Beware of false cognates, but also make note of those words that look similar to their English counterparts. Doing so will help you memorize them more easily.

academic - intellectuel(le)
active - actif/active
acrimonious - acrimonieux/acrimonieuse
affectionate - affectueux/affectueuse
aggressive - agressif/agressive
agreeable - agréable
aloof - distant(e)
amicable - amical(e)
approachable - abordable
bad - méchant(e)
bitter -amer/amère
blunt - brusque
bossy - autoritaire
brave - courageux/courageuse
candid - franc/franche
carefree - insouciant(e)
careless - négligent(e)
chatty - bavard(e)
cocky- trop sûr de soi
competent or capable - compétant(e)
conceited - vaniteux/vaniteuse
despicable - méprisable
dumb - bête
fashionable - à la mode
funny - drôle
generous - généreux/généreuse
gentle - doux/douce
impolite - impoli(e)
loving - affectueux/affecteuse
mean - méchant(e)
merciful - miséricordieux/miséricordieuse
nice - sympathique
obnoxious - odieux/odieuse
obstinate - obstiné(e)
petty - mesquin(e)
quiet - tranquille
ragged - dépenaillé(e)
sensitive - sensible
sporty - sportif/sportive
stodgy - lourd(e)
strong - fort(e)

French Adjectives Describing a Person's State of Being or Actions

Whether you are being ridiculous or petty - these adjectives focus on descriptive words that may fit you or your friends in a given situation (as opposed to a general personality trait). Don't let that fool you though since adjectives generally correspond from English to French.