123 Ideas For Character Flaws – A Writer’s Resource

writerswrite.co.za/123-ideas-for-character-flaws

Pay special attention to creating the four main characters in your novels. Great characters
have good and bad traits. They also have character flaws. Be sure to include the flaws when
you complete the character questionnaires for your fictional creations.

What Is A Character Flaw?

According to Oxford English Dictionaries, a character flaw is ‘a fault or weakness in a

person’s character’.

A character flaw can be defined more fully as an undesirable quality in a person. It is an

imperfection, limitation, deficiency, phobia, or a problem that affects the way others perceive
us. These character flaws are present in everybody.

A flaw can be a problem if it affects the way a person interacts with others. A reckless
person could endanger other people. A flaw can also simply make a character more three-
dimensional and empathetic. We relate to people who are not perfect.

3 Types Of Character Flaws

‘In general, character flaws can be categorised as minor, major, or tragic.

1. Minor Flaw: A minor character flaw is an imperfection which serves to distinguish the
character in the mind of the reader, making them memorable and individual, but
otherwise does not affect the story in any way.
2. Major Flaw: A major character flaw is a much more noticeable and important
hindrance which actually impairs the individual, whether physically, mentally, or
morally. Sometimes major flaws are not actually negative, but are classified as such in
that they often serve to hinder or restrict the character in some way.
3. Fatal Flaw: This is a specific sort of flaw, also known as “Hamartia“, which is
possessed by Aristotelian tragic heroes. It is a flaw which causes an otherwise noble or
exceptional character to bring about their own downfall and, often, their eventual
death. Examples of this could include hubris, misplaced trust, excessive curiosity,
pride, and lack of self-control.’

We can use a flaw to help us plot a book. Look at the examples below.

Examples Of Character Flaws In Fiction

1. In Little Women, Jo March’s bluntness and stubborness cause conflict with her
family.

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 2. In Macbeth, the protagonist suffers from hubris (excessive pride), and murders the
king. He then becomes paranoid, which causes him to order the killing of other
characters.
3. In Schindler’s List, Oskar Schindler must overcome his greed in order to save his
workers.
4. In Peter Pan, Captain Hook is obsessed with Peter Pan.
5. In Moby-Dick, Captain Ahab is fanatical about and obsessed with killing the whale.
6. In Othello the cruel, manipulative Iago uses Othello’ jealousy to drive him to
murder.
7. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Veruca Salt is unbearably selfish and greedy
and spoiled and behaves badly to get her way.
8. In Pride and Prejudice, Darcy and Elizabeth both show degrees of pride and
prejudice.
9. In The Great Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan is completely shallow and is only concerned
with her status and financial wealth.

123 Ideas For Character Flaws

Use this list (From Dark World RPG via The Character Therapist) of character flaws to help
you created rounded characters when you write your novels and stories. We have added a few
of our own choices at the end of the list.

1. Absent-minded – Preoccupied to the extent of being unaware of one’s immediate

surroundings. Daydreaming, inattentive, oblivious, forgetful.
2. Abusive – Characterised by the improper infliction of physical or psychological
maltreatment towards another.
3. Addicted – One who is addicted to a compulsive activity. Examples: gambling, drugs,
sex.
4. Aimless – Devoid of direction or purpose.
5. Alcoholic – A person who drinks alcohol habitually and to excess.
6. Anxious – Full of mental distress or uneasiness, because of fear of danger or
misfortune; greatly worried; solicitous.
7. Arrogant – Having or displaying a sense of overbearing self-worth or self-importance.
Inclined to social exclusiveness, rebuffs the advances of people considered inferior.
Snobbish.
8. Audacious – Recklessly bold in defiance of convention, propriety, law, or the like;
insolent; brazen, disobedient.
9. Bad Habit – This is usually a repulsive personal habit. Examples: picks nose, spits
tobacco, drools, bad body odour.
10. Bigmouth – A loud-mouthed or gossipy person.
11. Bigot – One who is strongly partial to one’s own group, religion, race, or politics and is
intolerant of those who differ.

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12. Blunt – Characterised by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion.
Frank, callous, insensitive, brusque.
13. Bold – In a bad sense, too forward; taking undue liberties; over assuming or confident;
lacking proper modesty or restraint; rude; impudent. Abrupt, brazen, cheeky, brassy,
audacious.
14. Callous – Hardened to emotions, rarely showing any form of it in expression.
Unfeeling. Cold.
15. Childish – Marked by or indicating a lack of maturity; puerile.
16. Complex – An exaggerated or obsessive concern or fear.
17. Cruel – Mean to anyone or anything, without care or regard to
18. and feelings.
19. Cursed – A person who has befallen a prayer for evil or misfortune, placed under a
spell, or borne into an evil circumstance, and suffers for it. Damned.
20. Dependent – Unable to exist, sustain oneself, or act appropriately or normally
without the assistance or direction of another.
21. Deranged – Mentally decayed. Insane. Crazy. Mad. Psychotic.
22. Dishonest – Given to, or using, fraud, cheating; deceitful, deceptive, crooked,
underhanded.
23. Disloyal – Lacking loyalty. Unfaithful, perfidious, traitorous, treasonable
24. Disorder – An ailment that affects the function of mind or body. Read: Personality
Disorders – A Writer’s Resource
25. Disturbed – Showing signs or symptoms of mental or emotional illness. Confused,
disordered, neurotic, troubled.
26. Dubious – Fraught with uncertainty or doubt. Undecided, doubtful, unsure.
27. Dyslexic – Affected by dyslexia, a learning disorder marked by impairment of the
ability to recognise and comprehend written words.
28. Egotistical – Characteristic of those having an inflated idea of their own importance.
Boastful, pompous.
29. Envious – Showing extreme cupidity; painfully desirous of another’s advantages;
covetous, jealous.
30. Erratic – Deviating from the customary course in conduct or opinion; eccentric:
erratic behaviour. Eccentric, bizarre, outlandish, strange.
31. Fanatical – Outlook or behaviour especially as exhibited by excessive enthusiasm,
unreasoning zeal, or wild and extravagant notions on some subject.
32. Fickle – Erratic, changeable, unstable – especially with regard to affections or
attachments; capricious.
33. Fierce – Marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions; inclined to react
violently; fervid.
34. Finicky – Excessively particular or fastidious; difficult to please; fussy. Too concerned
with detail. Meticulous, fastidious, choosy, critical, picky, prissy, pernickety.

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35. Fixated – In psychoanalytic theory, a strong attachment to a person or thing,
especially such an attachment formed in childhood or infancy and manifested in
immature or neurotic behaviour that persists throughout life. Fetish, quirk, obsession,
infatuation.
36. Flirty -To make playfully romantic or sexual overtures; behaviour intended to arouse
sexual interest. Minx. Tease.
37. Gluttonous – Given to excess in consumption. Voracious, ravenous, wolfish, piggish,
insatiable.
38. Gruff – Brusque or stern in manner or appearance. Crusty, rough, surly.
39. Gullible – Will believe any information given, regardless of how valid or truthful it is,
easily deceived or duped.
40. Hard – A person who is difficult to deal with, manage, control, overcome, or
understand. Hard emotions, hard-hearted.
41. Hedonistic – Pursuit of, or devotion to, pleasure, especially to the pleasures of the
senses.
42. Hoity-toity– Given to flights of fancy; capricious; frivolous. Prone to giddy behaviour,
flighty.
43. Humourless – The inability to find humour in things, and most certainly in
themselves.
44. Hypocritical – One who is always contradicting their own beliefs, actions or sayings.
A person who professes beliefs and opinions for others that he does not hold.
45. Idealist – One whose conduct is influenced by ideals that often conflict with practical
considerations. One who is unrealistic and impractical, guided more by ideals than by
practical considerations.
46. Idiotic – Marked by a lack of intelligence or care; foolish or careless.
47. Ignorant – Lacking knowledge or information as to a particular subject or fact.
Showing or arising from a lack of education or knowledge.
48. Illiterate – Unable to read and write.
49. Immature – Emotionally undeveloped; juvenile; childish.
50. Impatient – Unable to wait patiently or tolerate delay; restless. Unable to endure
irritation or opposition; intolerant.
51. Impious – Lacking piety and reverence for a god/gods and their followers.
52. Impish – Naughtily or annoyingly playful.
53. Incompetent – Unable to execute tasks, no matter the size or difficulty.
54. Indecisive – Characterised by lack of decision and firmness, especially under
pressure.
55. Indifferent – Lacking enthusiasm for, or interest in, things generally, remaining calm
and seeming not to care; a casual lack of concern. Having or showing little or no
interest in anything; languid; spiritless.
56. Infamy – Having an extremely bad reputation, public reproach, or strong
condemnation as the result of a shameful, criminal, or outrageous act that affects how
others view them.

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57. Intolerant – Unwilling to tolerate difference of opinion and narrow-minded about
cherished opinions.
58. Judgemental – Inclined to make and form judgements, especially moral or personal
ones, based on one’s own opinions or impressions towards
others/practices/groups/religions based on appearance, reputation, occupation, etc.
59. Klutz – Clumsy. Blunderer.
60. Lazy – Resistant to work or exertion; disposed to idleness.
61. Lewd – Inclined to, characterised by, or inciting to lust or lechery; lascivious. Obscene
or indecent, as language or songs; salacious.
62. Liar – Compulsively and purposefully tells false truths more often than not. A person
who has lied or who lies repeatedly.
63. Lustful – Driven by lust; preoccupied with or exhibiting lustful desires.
64. Masochist – The deriving of sexual gratification, or the tendency to derive sexual
gratification, from being physically or emotionally abused. A willingness or tendency to
subject oneself to unpleasant or trying experiences.
65. Meddlesome – Intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner, given to meddling;
interfering.
66. Meek – Evidencing little spirit or courage; overly submissive or compliant; humble in
spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness.
67. Megalomaniac – A psycho-pathological condition characterised by delusional
fantasies of wealth, power, or omnipotence.
68. Naïve – Lacking worldly experience and understanding, simple and guileless; showing
or characterised by a lack of sophistication and critical judgement.
69. Nervous – Easily agitated or distressed; high-strung or jumpy.
70. Non-violent – Abstaining from the use of violence.
71. Nosey – Given to prying into the affairs of others; snoopy. Offensively curious or
inquisitive.
72. Obsessive – An unhealthy and compulsive preoccupation with something or someone.
73. Oppressor – A person of authority who subjects others to undue pressures, to keep
down by severe and unjust use of force or authority.
74. Overambitious – Having a strong excessive desire for success or achievement.
75. Overconfident – Excessively confident; presumptuous.
76. Overemotional – Excessively or abnormally emotional. Sensitive about themselves
and others, more so than the average person.
77. Overprotective – To protect too much; coddle.
78. Overzealous – Marked by excessive enthusiasm for and intense devotion to a cause or
idea.
79. Pacifist – Opposition to war or violence as a means of resolving disputes. (Can double
as a merit in certain cases)
80. Paranoid – Exhibiting or characterised by extreme and irrational fear or distrust of
others.

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 81. Peevish – Expressing fretfulness and discontent, or unjustifiable dissatisfaction.
Cantankerous, cross, ill-tempered, testy, captious, discontented, crotchety, cranky,
ornery.
82. Perfectionist – A propensity for being displeased with anything that is not perfect or
does not meet extremely high standards.
83. Pessimist – A tendency to stress the negative or unfavourable or to take the gloomiest
possible view.
84. Pest – One that pesters or annoys, with or without realising it. Nuisance. Annoying.
Nag.
85. Phobic – They have a severe form of fear when it comes to this one thing. Examples:
Dark, Spiders, Cats. Read: Writing About Characters With Phobias
86. Practical – Level-headed, efficient, and unspeculative. No-nonsense.
87. Predictable – Easily seen through and assessed, where almost anyone can predict
reactions and actions of said person by having met or known them even for a short
time.
88. Pride – Filled with or showing excessive self-esteem and will often shirk help from
others for the sake of pride.
89. Rebellious – Defying or resisting some established authority, government, or
tradition; insubordinate; inclined to rebel.
90. Reckless – Heedless. Headstrong. Foolhardy. Unthinking boldness, wild carelessness
and disregard for consequences.
91. Remorseless – Without remorse; merciless; pitiless; relentless.
92. Rigorous – Rigidly accurate; allowing no deviation from a standard; demanding strict
attention to rules and procedures.
93. Sadist – The deriving of sexual gratification or the tendency to derive sexual
gratification from inflicting pain or emotional abuse on others. Deriving of pleasure, or
the tendency to derive pleasure, from cruelty.
94. Sadomasochist – Both sadist and masochist combined.
95. Sarcastic – A subtle form of mockery in which an intended meaning is conveyed
obliquely.
96. Sceptic – One who instinctively or habitually doubts, questions, or disagrees with
assertions or generally accepted conclusions.
97. Seducer – Lead others astray, as from duty, rectitude, or the like; corrupt. To attempt
to lead or draw someone away, as from principles, faith, or allegiance.
98. Selfish – Concerned chiefly or only with oneself.
99. Self-Martyr – One who purposely makes a great show of suffering in order to arouse
sympathy from others, as a form of manipulation, and always for a selfish cause or
reason.
100. Self-righteous – Piously sure of one’s own righteousness; moralistic. Exhibiting pious
self-assurance. Holier-than-thou, sanctimonious.
101. Senile – Showing a decline or deterioration of physical strength or mental functioning,
especially short-term memory and alertness, as a result of old age or disease.

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102. Shallow – Lacking depth of intellect or knowledge; concerned only with what is
obvious.
103. Smart Ass – Think they know it all, and in some ways they may, but they can be
greatly annoying and difficult to deal with at times, especially in arguments.
104. Soft-hearted – Having softness or tenderness of heart can lead them into trouble;
susceptible to pity or other kindly affection. They cannot resist helping someone they
see in trouble, suffering, or in need, and often don’t think of the repercussions or
situation before doing so.
105. Solemn – Deeply earnest, serious, and sober.
106. Spineless – Lacking courage. Cowardly, wimp, lily-livered, gutless.
107. Spiteful – Showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt; motivated by spite;
vindictive person who will look for occasions for resentment. Vengeful.
108. Spoiled – Treated with excessive indulgence and pampering from earliest childhood,
and has no notion of hard work, self-care or money management; coddled, pampered.
Having the character or disposition harmed by pampering or over-solicitous attention.
109. Squeamish – Excessively fastidious and easily disgusted.
110. Stubborn – Unreasonably, often perversely unyielding; bull-headed. Firmly resolved
or determined; resolute.
111. Superstitious – An irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear from an irrational
belief that an object, action, or circumstance not logically related to a course of events
influences its outcome.
112. Tactless – Lacking or showing a lack of what is fitting and considerate in dealing with
others.
113. Temperamental – Moody, irritable, or sensitive. Excitable, volatile, emotional.
114. Theatrical – Having a flair for over dramatising situations, doing things in a ‘big way’
and loving to be ‘centre stage’.
115. Timid -Tends to be shy and/or quiet, shrinking away from offering opinions or from
strangers and newcomers, fearing confrontations and violence.
116. Tongue-tied – Speechless or confused in expression, as from shyness,
embarrassment, or astonishment.
117. Troublemaker – Someone who deliberately stirs up trouble, intentionally or
unintentionally.
118. Unlucky – Marked by or causing misfortune; ill-fated. Destined for misfortune;
doomed.
119. Unpredictable – Difficult to foretell or foresee, their actions are so chaotic it’s
impossible to know what they are going to do next.
120. Untrustworthy – Not worthy of trust or belief. Backstabber.
121. Vain – Holding, or characterised by, an unduly high opinion of their physical
appearance. Lovers of themselves. Conceited, egotistic, narcissistic.
122. Weak-willed – Lacking willpower, strength of will to carry out one’s decisions,
wishes, or plans. Easily swayed.
123. Withdrawn – Not friendly or Sociable. Aloof.

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 124. Zealous – A fanatic.

Plus A Few More

1. Jealous – feeling or showing an envious resentment of someone or their achievements,

possessions, or perceived advantages
2. Manipulative – exercising unscrupulous control or influence over a person or situation
3. Greedy – Having or showing an intense and selfish desire for wealth or power, or
having an excessive desire or appetite for food.
4. Bad-tempered – Easily annoyed or made angry
5. Violent – Using or involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or
something.
6. Prejudiced – Preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience.
Dislike, hostility, or unjust behaviour deriving from preconceived and unfounded
opinions.

Seven Of The Most Destructive Flaws

Some of the most destructive character flaws are included in the illustration below. They are
described as flaws with a “dominant negative attitude — a defensive and potentially
destructive pattern of thinking, feeling and acting. We could also call it a constraining factor
or personal stumbling block.”

Source for image

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