Italian Adjectives & Expressions to talk about someone’s Personality
Describing someone’s personality in one’s native language is difficult enough, let alone in a language we don’t know well. Adjectives are commonly used to describe someone’s personality.
I’ve created a list of some of the most basic Italian adjectives to use when discussing personality, as well as some fun and useful expressions for more advanced learners.
I recommend learning every adjective and its antonym and associating it with someone you know or yourself.
Italian expressions to describe someone’s personality
Italian Expression
English Translation
avere un caratteraccio
to be bad-tempered
avere un carattere solare
to have a radiant personality
avere una personalità affascinante
to have a charming personality
essere una vipera
to be bitchy
avere la mente aperta
to be open-minded
avere la mente chiusa
to be close-minded
essere alla mano
to be easygoing
avere un carattere deciso
someone who knows what he or she wants
essere un rompiscatole (vulgar)
to be a pain in the neck
essere un attaccabrighe
to be a troublemaker
essere una persona di buon cuore
to be good-hearted
essere una persona di sani principi
to be someone with good values
essere in (gran) forma
to be in great shape
essere fuori forma
to be in poor shape
vivere in un modo tutto suo
to live in one’s own world
essere pieni di sé
to be full of oneself
essere fuori dagli schemi
an unconventional person
avere una personalità forte
to have a strong personality
avere i piedi per terra
to be down-to-earth
Italian adjectives to describe someone intellectual ability
Italian Adjective
English Translation
geniale
brilliant
brillante
brilliant
sveglio
brainy (colloquial), smart
intelligente
intelligent
acuto
sharp
furbo
cunning (negative)
essere in gamba
to be very capable
Ciao! I'm Serena, a certified Italian teacher and author, born in Sicily and based in Rome. I learned to speak seven languages through stories and context — not by memorizing endless rules — and since 2022 I've written easy readers to help others do the same, with 25,000+ copies sold on Amazon now out in the world. My mission? To help Italian learners truly thrive.
Serena Capilli
Ciao! I’m Serena, a certified Italian teacher and author, born in Sicily and based in Rome. I learned to speak seven languages through stories and context — not by memorizing endless rules — and since 2022 I’ve written easy readers to help others do the same, with 25,000+ copies now out in the world.
