A famously red-headed little girl once said, “The sun will come up tomorrow.” Annie, the titular character of the movie of the same name, became a beloved figure in film, and an enduring symbol of staying optimistic in hard times. Annie had several character traits, but her hopefulness is what’s often remembered about her. Having hope or optimism is a positive character trait. Some of the most memorable heroines and heroes in film and literature have positive character traits. So what are positive character traits, and why do authors choose to use them?
Positive Character Traits List
First, let’s define positive character traits
What are positive character traits? Before we dive into positive character traits examples, let’s define what they entail.
POSITIVE CHARACTER TRAITS DEFINITION
What is a positive character trait?
What makes a character good? If you were asked to explain why you like your favorite character from literature, TV, or film, you’d probably make a list of positive character traits. Positive character traits are good characteristics of someone’s personality. Good characteristics come in many forms, ranging from someone being funny to someone being selfless.
Negative and positive character traits exist in all of us, and they exist in well-written characters too. But usually, characters that are beloved have more positive traits than negative traits. What’s the difference? Perhaps the easiest way to check if something is a positive trait is to ask if the trait benefits others. “Good” characters tend to have a “good” effect on the world around them. A character who is funny makes people laugh, and one who is selfless prioritizes others. An intelligent character can help solve problems, and a sensitive one can help others who are struggling.
Read the positive character traits list below for some common examples of positive character traits and some different categories to consider when thinking about positive character traits.
Examples of Positive Character Traits:
- Traits that are considered moral or ethical: Honest, brave, selfless, empathetic, principled, sensitive
- Traits that we as a society consider to be “good”: Intelligent, beautiful, adaptable, confident, athletic
- Traits that help the character and those around them reach their goals: Ambitious, endurance, determination, tenacious, focused
Positive Character Traits List
Positive Traits for Characters
When crafting realistic characters, it’s important to remember that you need to ascribe both positive and negative character traits to them. A well-rounded person contains multitudes; they aren’t wholly good, or wholly bad.
However, in the course of your story, certain traits will define how the audience perceives the character. If you want the character to be positively received, you might give them more positive traits, while a villain, for example, will largely have negative character traits.
An explanation of good positive traits
You can choose to give characters positive character traits for a variety of reasons. Positive character traits may make the character more relatable to an audience, or more inspirational. It may endear an audience to them, or keep an audience watching because they admire the character’s positive traits.
List of positive character traits
List of positive character traits
Ready to start writing your “good” characters? What are some positive character traits you can use in your own writing? See the positive character traits list below to help you pick traits to ascribe to your characters.
- Generosity
- Compassion
- Mercy
- Goodwill
- Grace
- Reliability
- Devotion
- Commitment
- Kindness
- Accountability
- Trustworthiness
- Honesty
- Diplomacy
- Acceptance
- Thoughtfulness
- Maturity
- Self-awareness
- Understanding
- Empathy
- Attentiveness
- Perceptiveness
- Boldness
- Determination
- Resilience
- Passion
- Fearlessness
- Confidence
- Steadfastness
- Solidarity
- Protectiveness
- Resolve
- Audacity
- Tenacity
- Composure
- Irreverence
- Mischievousness
- Optimism
- Charisma
- Integrity
- Loyalty
- Friendliness
- Gentleness
- Supportiveness
- Sensitivity
- Helpfulness
- Enthusiasm
- Energeticness
- Imaginativeness
- Whimsy
- Boisterousness
- Spontaneity
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Now that you understand how to write “good” characters, you may want to learn about the major archetypes of characters that typically appear in stories. Read on to learn more about these types of characters, and how you can incorporate them into your story.
