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# Character flaws
- URL: https://www.boscutti.com/character-flaws/
- Published: 2022-06-17T14:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2024-02-11T22:05:42.000Z
- Author: Stefano Boscutti
- Tags: Journal

Character flaws are what make stories tick.

It’s the flaws that reveal themselves in each character in the beginning of a story that gives you a means to arc their transformation.

Unless of course you’re working on a tragedy that compounds the flaws so the character either doesn’t change or changes for the worse.

Below is a stack of them from annoying to dreadful to absolutely terrible. (Even good characters have bad flaws because, well, we’re all flawed, right. Shading a character with a flaw or two makes them human. Same goes for bad characters who need a sliver of good or a kind gesture to make them a little more real and keep audiences guessing.)

A minor flaw for one character can be a fatal flaw for another. (Amy’s vanity in “Little Women” is a small, amusing aspect of her character she matures out of. While for Narcissus, vanity proves deadly.)

Even a seemingly innocuous flaw can turn fatal if not recognized and kept in check. Subvert audiences’ expectations to keep them guessing.

**Awkward** – socially uneasy, uncomfortable.

**Boring** – dull, tedious, uninteresting.

**Capricious** – given to flights of fancy, impulsive behaviors.

**Childish** – silly, immature, innocent.

**Clumsy** – uncoordinated, fumbling, often accident-prone.

**Foolish** – lacking good judgment, common sense.

**Gossipy** – inclined to spread rumors, talk about others behind their backs.

**Gullible** – easily fooled, persuaded to believe something.

**Humorless** – having no sense of humor, solemn.

**Lazy** – unwilling to work, slothful.

**Meek** – overly gentle, submissive.

**Mischievous** – playfully troublesome, rascally, roguish.

**Naïve** – childlike, trusting, unworldly.

**Obnoxious** – highly irritating, unpleasant.

**Prideful** – having a lofty opinion of themselves, rarely admitting to being wrong.

**Shallow** – having few profound thoughts, caring only for insignificant things.

**Skeptical** – doubtful, disbelieving.

**Spacey** – having one’s head in the clouds, absent-minded.

**Spoiled** – bratty, self-centered as a result of overindulgence.

**Stubborn** – willful, headstrong, refusing to give up.

**Tactless** – not very nuanced, insensitive in dealings with others.

**Vain** – preoccupied with their physical appearance.

**Adulterous** – cheating on their partner or spouse.

**Anxious** – experiencing frequent nerves, apprehensions.

**Apathetic** – having little interest in life, lacking enthusiasm.

**Arrogant** – haughty, conceited, exaggeratedly self-important.

**Belligerent** – hostile and aggressive, even when unprovoked.

**Bitter** – resentful, unpleasant because of a past experience.

**Cowardly** – lacking the courage to stand up for what’s right.

**Dishonest** – lying, behaving in a deceitful manner, usually to take advantage of others.

**Envious** – wanting to possess what another has whether it’s a physical object or a character trait.

**Greedy** – always desiring more whether it’s food, wealth, attention, anything to their own detriment.

**Hedonistic** – indulging completely in the pursuit of pleasure.

**Hubristic** – excessively self-confident in one’s ideas, abilities.

**Hypocritical** – acting in opposition to their beliefs or proclamations about others, typically because they believe they’re above them.

**Ignorant** – possessing little practical knowledge, awareness of the world.

**Incompetent** – unable to perform basic tasks.

**Inconsiderate** – caring little for the feelings of others.

**Judgmental** – critical, disapproving, often in an outspoken way.

**Lustful** – overwhelmed with sexual desire.

**Morally gray** – neither good nor evil in a conventional sense, moral ambiguity.

**Obsequious** – so deferential and flattering as to be unsettling.

**Possessive** – overprotective, controlling.

**Quixotic** – overly idealistic, hindered by their own expectations.

**Rigid** – utterly inflexible in one’s principles, even when presented with reason to change.

**Selfish** – being solely concerned with their own needs and desires.

**Short-tempered** – quick to anger.

**Spiteful** – bitter, malicious.

**Stingy** – mean, ungenerous.

**Stupid** – showing little intelligence in their decisions or actions.

**Vengeful** – seeking ramifications for others as a form of revenge.

**Weak-willed** – timid, spineless.

**Abusive** – engaging in habitual, extreme cruelty or violence.

**Bigoted** – harboring fierce, immovable prejudices about a certain group.

**Cruel** – willfully causing pain and suffering to others.

**Disloyal** – failing to remain true to the person or entity they pledged their allegiance to.

**Fanatical** – extremely zealous to the point of delusion.

**Intolerant** – narrow-minded, unaccepting of others, sometimes to the point of violence.

**Machiavellian** – cunning, manipulative, unscrupulous in their schemes.

**Manipulative** – conniving, controlling others to get what they want.

**Murderous** – desiring to kill, homicidal.

**Neglectful** – failing to give proper care or attention to someone or something.

**Obsessive** – so consumed by a single subject that they cannot function normally.

**Oppressive** – brutally authoritarian toward a group of people considered lesser.

**Paranoid** – unusually suspicious, mistrustful, nervous that something bad will happen to them.

**Remorseless** – feeling no shame, regret, or sympathy when they’ve done something wrong.

**Sadistic** – taking pleasure in inflicting pain or humiliation upon others.

**Self-destructive** – acting in such a way as to destroy their own health and happiness.

**Treacherous** – deeply disloyal, traitorous, usually for personal gain.

**Violent** – viciously, physically harmful to others.

It’s the flaws that shapes our characters, however petty or brutal.