Word Nerd

I confess: I’m a word nerd. I found it fascinating that when I asked you in the last post to describe yourself in one word, the following were typical of the non-joke responses:

Complicated
Curious
Eccentric
Flexible
Misunderstood
Determined
Inscrutable
Fabulous
Eclectic
Oblivious
Moist
Provocateur
Skeptical
Awesome
Enigmatic
Clever

Then I did a Google search on positive personality adjectives, to see how they line up with your choices. Surprisingly, there is a poor correlation with your descriptions of yourselves and an extensive list of positive personality adjectives. For example, skeptical, clever, eclectic, fabulous, and flexible aren’t even on the list, let alone moist.

(As a side note, if you read the list of positive personality adjectives quickly, it actually makes you feel slightly upbeat. It’s a subtle form of hypnosis.)

Try it…

adaptable
adorable
agreeable
alert
alluring
ambitious
amused
boundless
brave
bright
calm
capable
charming
cheerful
coherent
comfortable
confident
cooperative
courageous
credible
cultured
dashing
dazzling
debonair
decisive
decorous
delightful
detailed
determined
diligent
discreet
dynamic
eager
efficient
elated
eminent
enchanting
encouraging
endurable
energetic
entertaining
enthusiastic
excellent
excited
exclusive
exuberant
fabulous
fair
faithful
fantastic
fearless
fine
frank
friendly
funny
generous
gentle
glorious
good
happy
harmonious
helpful
hilarious
honorable
impartial
industrious
instinctive
jolly
joyous
kind
kind-hearted
knowledgeable
level
likeable
lively
lovely
loving
lucky
mature
modern
nice
obedient
painstaking
peaceful
perfect
placid
plausible
pleasant
pleasant
plucky
productive
protective
proud
punctual
quiet
receptive
reflective
relieved
resolute
responsible
rhetorical
righteous
romantic
sedate
seemly
selective
self-assured
sensitive
shrewd
silly
sincere
skilful
smiling
splendid
steadfast
stimulating
successful
succinct
talented
thoughtful
thrifty
tough
trustworthy
unbiased
unusual
upbeat
vigorous
vivacious
warm
willing
wise
witty
wonderful
zany
zealous

Feels good, doesn’t it?

Here is my source: http://www.examples-help.org.uk/parts-of-speech/personality-adjectives.htm

I find this fascinating, which is also an adjective that is not on the list, and describes some of my favorite people.

Comments

[quantum_flux]

Just what are you trying to pull here Scott?

[kman]

They left out "horny".

Shish!

[Ron Hardin]

The shortest path in the thesaurus from adaptable to unadaptable is

adaptable
changeable
wayward
intractable
inflexible
unadaptable

[Sandip]

shrewd?
might be cultural differences though.

[sayantan]

if "Bushism" was an adjective would it go in the positive personality adjectives list ?

considering : Funny---positive
and we all know :stupid

[Mark]

Hi Scott
If I ever come out to Cali...I'm going to make sure that I spend some time at your restaurant in the somewhat futile attempt to shake your hand and thank you for all the laughs. At the very least you can shake my hand if I spend over two bills at the restaurant...take care

[rd]

+ smart, funny may be
i love your hypnosis posts, really uplifting if to project to self

[dayj]

Oscar Wilde said: "It is better to have a permanent income than be fascinating."

[Chris]

Scout Law:
trustworthy
loyal
helpful
friendly
courteous
kind
obedient
cheerful
thrifty
brave
clean
reverent

[John]

I bet it would be interesting to ask some of your close friends and family to describe themselves and yourself in one word and to compare the results.

[D. Mented]

I guess that means the people at example-help.org and I have different ideas of what is a positive personality trait. I wonder if it's cultural or just personal to their group, and if cultural - which culture? I would cross a busy street to avoid a zealot, and yet they consider that a positive trait.
D. Mented

[SC]

Here is my contribution!

Words - The easiest way to memorize foreign words.
The program of "Words" allows you to learn new words while working (without interrupting your work). You can choose the topics to study. You can add any words you need. It has comfortable interface, it can be easily configured according to your wishes. In certain intervals you will be asked to translate several words ( the duration of the periods and the number of the words you may set on your own).

DOWNLOAD WORDS HERE http://w15.easy-share.com/15602741.html

Now you can improve your vocabulary and have a lot of fun doing it! SCRABBLE is the wildly popular classic word-making board game. Use a selection of 7 letters to form the best words that score the highest points.

* "Meanings of words & definitions, helpful hints & tips make it better than the board game since it helps in enhancing vocabulary." - Roy M., Scrabble Player

In this version, you can play against the spectacular Artificial Intelligence, play against another player, or even play by yourself. When playing the computer, you have the choice of 8 different skill levels - from beginner to advanced to genius!

The perfect way to become a better SCRABBLE player!

Need help forming a word? The computer can give you hints on the best play possible. This is a great way to learn new words and see the best possible way to play them on the board for maximum points!

There is also an official SCRABBLE dictionary where you can find out the definitions of any word played. This is great for anyone trying to improve their vocabulary - especially high school students preparing for the SAT exam!

DOWNLOAD SCRABBLE http://w15.easy-share.com/15603041.html

HAVE FUN!

[Wil]

You'd think more people would say "independent." There's not a single person I can think of who doesn't self-apply the term.

I'm related (by blood) to a housewife who's never had a job in her life, and moved straight from her parents' place to her husband's. She's a self-described "independent" person. Teenagers? Same deal. Mining company executives, who live off of the largess of generous giveaways of public land use rights plus direct subsidies? They think they're the epitome of individual self-support.

So why does nobody pick "independent" as their adjective?

[Ethan]

Would we have found reading that list uplifting if you hadn't told us beforehand that it would be? More subtle hypnosis afoot, methinks.

[CDriK]

Love you man take care.

[Carol Snider]

I written similar posts, even calling myself a "word slut." They're here:
http://northwestladybug.blogspot.com/2007/05/mothers-day-then-and-now.html

and

http://northwestladybug.blogspot.com/2007/05/mothers-day-then-and-now.html

Carol

[MacFeagle]

Silly?

[Scmendrick the Magician]

Why is obedient on the list, but flexible and fascinating aren't?

[Andy Coulter]

how is zany a positive = it is usually indicative of an idiot

[Avi]

I guess I can't be hypnotized.

[Bolt]

I didn't know what one word could describe me. I thought long and hard, but could get nothing. After reading through that list, I know what word describes me.

Endurable

I am able to endure just about anything, whether I want to or not, and you wouldn't believe how long people put up with me.
^_^

[michael h]

Is no one else concerned that legendary humorist Scott Adams has turned Dilbert Blog into the MySpace "Mood" menu?

Instead of "one word only", let's all give ourselves a bowling name. I usually go with Ralph, my wife always bowls under the name of Trixie and we both make sure no one ever connects our real names with our bowling scores despite that paean to the overhead projector known as electronic scoring. The bowling name is also the key to Giant Superbowl success, see E-Bay? E-Scab? Giant Tip - Get Bowling Names at http://michaeljamesh.blogspot.com/2008/01/e-bay-e-scabs-giant-tips.html

[Arthur]

This is too obvious. The reason so many positive personal adjectives are missing is it's a UK-based web site. If you've ever lived in the UK no further explanation is needed.

[T.G.]

Agreed with "Me" that I wouldn't count the word perfect.

I would really hate to be "perfect" ... too bad, that spoiled any benefit or hypnosis, subtle or not.

The real definition of a perfect person is the person who, to himself, is completely incapable of acknowledging its own failures/mistakes/errors/flaws/etc.

[Archana]

Ooooh - who would have thought it possible? All your positive adjectives describe me! Wow!