11+ words for behaviour and manners
Words for how people act and treat each other: gracious or brusque, tactful or hostile, docile or chivalrous. Many of them come in natural opposites, which makes them easy to learn in pairs.
There are 140 words here: 61 describing words, 59 doing words and 20 naming words. Each has its meaning, an example sentence and similar words. Tap a word for its opposites and a practice question.
Describing words (adjectives)61
- admirable
- So good that people look up to it and praise it.
- Maya showed admirable patience as she taught her little brother to tie his laces.
- Similar: worthy, fine, great
- assiduous
- Working with great care, effort and determination.
- The assiduous student checked every answer twice before handing in her test.
- Similar: diligent, hardworking, industrious
- awkward
- Uncomfortable and clumsy, or difficult to deal with.
- There was an awkward silence when Tom realised he had called the teacher 'Mum'.
- Similar: clumsy, uncomfortable
- boisterous
- Noisy, lively and full of rough energy.
- The boisterous puppies knocked over two chairs and a plant before breakfast.
- Similar: noisy, rowdy, wild
- brazen
- Bold and cheeky, without any shame.
- With brazen cheek, the seagull strolled onto our picnic blanket and stole a whole sausage roll.
- Similar: bold, cheeky, shameless
- brusque
- Using few words in a way that seems rude and unfriendly.
- 'No. Busy. Come back later,' was the shopkeeper's brusque reply.
- Similar: blunt, gruff, snappy
- cautious
- Careful to avoid danger or mistakes.
- Ever cautious, Dad tested the ice with a stick before letting us near the pond.
- Similar: careful, watchful, alert
- chivalrous
- Polite, kind and brave, especially towards people who need help.
- The chivalrous knight leapt from his horse to help the old woman carry her firewood.
- Similar: polite, noble, kind
- conventional
- Usual and traditional, done the way things are normally done.
- Instead of a conventional birthday cake, Maya asked for a tower of doughnuts.
- Similar: usual, traditional, ordinary
- cordial
- Warm, friendly and polite.
- The rival captains shook hands and exchanged a cordial good luck before kick-off.
- Similar: friendly, warm, polite
- courteous
- Polite and showing good manners.
- The courteous waiter held the door open and wished every guest a lovely evening.
- Similar: polite, respectful, kind
- covert
- Done secretly, so that other people do not notice.
- The spies planned a covert mission behind enemy lines.
- Similar: secret, hidden, undercover
- defiant
- Refusing to do what you are told.
- The defiant toddler folded his arms and shouted 'No!' when asked to tidy his toys.
- Similar: rebellious, stubborn
- deliberate
- Done on purpose, not by accident.
- The foul looked deliberate, and the referee agreed.
- Similar: intentional, planned, meant
- demure
- Quiet, shy and very well-behaved.
- The demure new girl sat quietly at the back of the class, too shy to raise her hand.
- Similar: shy, modest, quiet
- discreet
- Careful not to attract attention or give away secrets.
- 'Be discreet about the surprise party,' whispered Mum, 'or Dad will guess in a second.'
- Similar: careful, quiet, private
- distasteful
- Unpleasant or offensive, so that you dislike it.
- Laughing at someone who has fallen over is distasteful.
- Similar: offensive, nasty, unpleasant
- docile
- Quiet, gentle and easy to control.
- The docile old pony stood perfectly still while the smallest children brushed her mane.
- Similar: tame, gentle, meek
- dutiful
- Careful to do everything you are supposed to do.
- The dutiful pupil fed the class hamster every morning without ever being reminded.
- Similar: obedient, loyal, reliable
- exempt
- Allowed to skip something that everyone else must do.
- Because of his broken arm, Theo was exempt from swimming lessons all term.
- Similar: excused, free, spared
- extravagant
- Spending or costing far more than is needed.
- Buying gold balloons for a hamster's birthday seemed a little extravagant, even to Zara.
- Similar: wasteful, fancy, showy
- frivolous
- Silly and not serious, when you really ought to be sensible.
- Miss Patel sighed at their frivolous questions and asked if anyone had actually read the chapter.
- Similar: silly, trivial, foolish
- frugal
- Careful not to waste money or things.
- Frugal Uncle Pete saves every bit of string and has reused the same wrapping paper for three Christmases.
- Similar: thrifty, careful, sparing
- furtive
- Done secretly, hoping nobody will notice.
- With a furtive glance around the kitchen, Alfie slid the last biscuit into his pocket.
- Similar: sneaky, sly, secret
- gracious
- Kind, polite and pleasant to others.
- Though she lost the final, the gracious skater smiled and congratulated the winner warmly.
- Similar: polite, kind, charming
- haphazard
- Done in a messy way with no plan at all.
- His haphazard packing meant socks, books and biscuits were all jumbled in one bag.
- Similar: messy, random, careless
- hostile
- Very unfriendly and ready to argue or fight.
- The hostile crowd booed and shook their fists at the referee.
- Similar: unfriendly, angry, aggressive
- hygienic
- Clean and free from germs that could spread illness.
- Washing your hands before eating keeps them hygienic.
- Similar: clean, sterile, germ-free
- idle
- Not busy or not in use, or not wanting to work.
- The cat lay idle in the sun all day while the mice played freely.
- Similar: lazy, unused, still
- impertinent
- Rude and not showing respect.
- 'That was an impertinent question,' said Gran, shocked that he had asked her age.
- Similar: rude, cheeky, bold
- impudent
- Rude and cheeky, showing no respect.
- The impudent parrot squawked rude words at the visitors.
- Similar: cheeky, rude
- innocuous
- Harmless, and not likely to upset or hurt anyone.
- The spider looked scary, but it was completely innocuous.
- Similar: harmless, safe, inoffensive
- insolent
- Rude in a bold, cheeky way.
- The insolent boy rolled his eyes and answered the teacher back.
- Similar: rude, cheeky, bold
- juvenile
- To do with young people, or behaving in a childish way.
- The referee called their tongue-poking juvenile and told them to act their age.
- Similar: childish, young, silly
- lax
- Not strict or careful enough.
- The lax guard dozed at the gate, so the fox slipped into the henhouse unseen.
- Similar: careless, loose, slack
- lenient
- Gentle and not strict when someone breaks a rule.
- The lenient referee gave a warning instead of a red card.
- Similar: gentle, soft, easy
- mischievous
- Naughty in a playful way.
- The mischievous puppy hid one slipper from every pair in the house.
- Similar: naughty, playful, cheeky
- moral
- Knowing and doing what is right, fair and honest.
- Grandad is a deeply moral man who always tells the truth.
- Similar: good, honest, decent
- negligent
- Not taking proper care of something you should look after.
- The negligent zookeeper forgot to lock the gate, and the penguins waddled into town.
- Similar: careless, sloppy, lazy
- nonchalant
- Looking calm and relaxed, as if you do not care at all.
- Milo strolled past the head teacher, quite nonchalant, as if the flour bomb had nothing to do with him.
- Similar: calm, relaxed, casual
- obedient
- Doing what you are told without a fuss.
- The obedient puppy sat down the moment Leo raised his hand.
- Similar: dutiful, well-behaved
- obnoxious
- Very rude and unpleasant in a way that annoys everyone.
- The obnoxious parrot squawked insults at every guest who walked through the door.
- Similar: rude, annoying, horrid
- painstaking
- Done with great care and attention to every detail.
- The model ship was the result of months of painstaking work.
- Similar: meticulous, thorough, careful
- prim
- Very neat, proper and easily shocked by rude things.
- Aunt Iris was so prim that she gasped when the children ate their chips with their fingers.
- Similar: proper, neat, fussy
- rash
- Acting too quickly without thinking about what might happen.
- Diving into the pond fully dressed was a rash decision he regretted immediately.
- Similar: hasty, careless, reckless
- rebellious
- Refusing to obey rules or people in charge.
- The rebellious parrot ignored every command and squawked rudely at the vet.
- Similar: defiant, naughty, wild
- reckless
- Doing dangerous things without caring what might happen.
- The reckless cyclist sped through the red light without even slowing down.
- Similar: careless, wild, thoughtless
- rowdy
- Noisy and behaving in a rough, wild way.
- The rowdy fans banged drums and chanted until the referee covered his ears.
- Similar: noisy, loud, wild
- sanitary
- Clean, and helping to protect people's health.
- The campsite had sanitary showers and toilets.
- Similar: hygienic, clean, sterile
- spontaneous
- Done suddenly without planning it first.
- In a spontaneous burst of joy, the whole class started clapping.
- Similar: sudden, impulsive, unrehearsed
- submissive
- Always willing to obey others without arguing.
- The submissive puppy rolled onto its back when the big dog came near.
- Similar: obedient, meek, docile
- tactful
- Careful not to upset people with what you say or do.
- Tactful as ever, Nina praised the wobbly cake before gently mentioning the salt.
- Similar: diplomatic, thoughtful, sensitive
- uncouth
- Rude and bad-mannered.
- Talking with your mouth full is uncouth, Gran reminded us for the third time.
- Similar: rude, crude, impolite
- unorthodox
- Unusual and different from the normal way of doing things.
- The coach's unorthodox training included dance lessons for the rugby team.
- Similar: unusual, original
- unruly
- Wild and difficult to control.
- The unruly puppies knocked over the water bowl and shredded the newspaper.
- Similar: wild, rowdy, naughty
- vile
- Extremely unpleasant or nasty.
- 'Calling people names is a vile way to behave,' warned Mr Cole.
- Similar: nasty, foul, horrid
- volatile
- Likely to change suddenly, often for the worse.
- The weather in the mountains is volatile, so pack for both sun and snow.
- Similar: unpredictable, changeable, erratic
- wary
- Careful because you sense there might be danger.
- The deer stayed wary at the water's edge, ears twitching at every sound.
- Similar: careful, watchful, alert
- wasteful
- Using more of something than you need, so some of it is thrown away or lost.
- Leaving all the lights on in an empty house is very wasteful.
- Similar: extravagant, uneconomical
- wayward
- Behaving badly and hard to control.
- The wayward goat kept escaping through the fence, no matter how often it was mended.
- Similar: unruly, wild, naughty
- wholesome
- Good for you and healthy.
- Gran cooked a wholesome stew packed with fresh vegetables.
- Similar: healthy, good, nourishing
Doing words (verbs)59
- adhere
- To stick firmly to something, or to follow a rule closely.
- The stickers adhere to the window even in the rain.
- Similar: stick, cling, follow
- aggravate
- To make a problem worse, or to really annoy someone.
- Scratching the itchy bite will only aggravate it and make it even redder.
- Similar: worsen, annoy, bother
- appease
- To calm someone down by giving them what they want.
- To appease the grumpy toddler, Mum handed over the biscuit tin.
- Similar: calm, soothe, please
- beguile
- To charm or trick someone in a clever way.
- The fox tried to beguile the hen with sweet words and a friendly smile.
- Similar: charm, trick, tempt
- betray
- To let someone down by breaking their trust, often by giving away their secrets.
- A true friend would never betray your secret.
- Similar: double-cross, deceive
- cajole
- To gently persuade someone by being nice or making promises.
- It took ten minutes to cajole the cat down from the tree with a tin of tuna.
- Similar: coax, persuade, tempt
- commend
- To praise someone for doing something well.
- The head teacher commended Ava for her honesty in handing in the lost purse.
- Similar: praise, compliment
- compel
- To force someone to do something.
- The storm compelled the campers to pack up and shelter in the village hall.
- Similar: force, make, push
- consent
- To agree to something or give permission for it.
- Did your parents consent to the sleepover?
- Similar: agree, permit, allow
- contribute
- To give something, such as money, time or ideas, to help.
- Everyone was asked to contribute a cake to the school fair.
- Similar: give, donate, provide
- curb
- To control or hold back something so that it does not get out of hand.
- Mum tried to curb our screen time during the holidays.
- Similar: restrain, control, limit
- deceive
- To trick someone into believing something that is not true.
- The fox deceived the hen by pretending to be her friend, when really he planned to steal her eggs.
- Similar: trick, fool, mislead
- decline
- To politely say no to something you have been offered.
- I had to decline the invitation because it was my gran's birthday.
- Similar: refuse, reject, rebuff
- dedicate
- To give your time and effort to something because it matters to you.
- Priya dedicated every Saturday morning to swimming practice because she dreamed of winning gold.
- Similar: commit, give, pledge
- deprive
- To take away something that a person needs.
- The greedy king deprived the villagers of food, leaving their cupboards completely bare.
- Similar: rob, deny, strip
- deter
- To put someone off doing something.
- Not even the pouring rain could deter Gran from her morning walk along the pier.
- Similar: discourage, stop, prevent
- devote
- To give a lot of your time, effort or love to something.
- Nell likes to devote her Saturdays to looking after the ponies.
- Similar: dedicate, commit, give
- eavesdrop
- To listen secretly to other people's private conversation.
- Hidden behind the sofa, Milo eavesdropped on his parents planning his surprise party.
- Similar: overhear, snoop, spy
- entice
- To tempt someone by offering them something nice.
- Dad tried to entice the shy kitten out from under the bed with a piece of chicken.
- Similar: tempt, lure, attract
- feign
- To pretend to feel or be something.
- Max feigned a tummy ache to skip the spelling test, groaning dramatically until Mum raised an eyebrow.
- Similar: pretend, fake, act
- forbid
- To order someone not to do something.
- The rules forbid running beside the swimming pool.
- Similar: ban, prohibit, bar
- forsake
- To leave behind someone or something you should stay with.
- 'A true friend will never forsake you,' said Grandpa, 'even when times are hard.'
- Similar: abandon, desert, leave
- gape
- To stare at something with your mouth wide open.
- The children gaped at the enormous dinosaur skeleton towering above them.
- Similar: gawp, goggle, stare
- glare
- To stare at someone in an angry way; or that angry stare.
- The librarian glared at the giggling boys until they fell silent.
- Similar: stare, scowl, frown
- grovel
- To crawl or beg in an overly humble way to please someone.
- 'You needn't grovel,' said the king. 'A simple apology will do.'
- Similar: crawl, beg, creep
- hoard
- To collect lots of things and hide them away.
- The dragon hoarded gold coins, piling them into a glittering mountain in its cave.
- Similar: store, collect, save
- imitate
- To copy the way someone speaks or acts.
- The parrot imitated Grandpa's cough so well that everyone turned around.
- Similar: copy, mimic, echo
- indulge
- To let yourself or someone else enjoy a treat.
- On her birthday, Gran indulged us with ice cream for breakfast.
- Similar: treat, spoil, pamper
- interfere
- To get involved in something that is not your business, often making it worse.
- Please don't interfere while I'm trying to fix my bike.
- Similar: meddle, intrude, disrupt
- intervene
- To step in to stop trouble or help sort something out.
- The teacher intervened before the argument over the football turned into a fight.
- Similar: interfere, interrupt, mediate
- lure
- To tempt a person or animal into going somewhere.
- The smell of cheese lured the mouse straight into the trap.
- Similar: tempt, attract, draw
- meddle
- To interfere in things that are not your business.
- 'Don't meddle in my project,' snapped Ria, snatching back her glue.
- Similar: interfere, tamper, fiddle
- mingle
- To mix with other people at a gathering.
- New pupils mingled with old friends until the playground buzzed with chatter.
- Similar: mix, blend, join
- mislead
- To give someone a wrong idea on purpose.
- The treasure map was drawn to mislead robbers, pointing them towards the swamp.
- Similar: trick, fool
- nurture
- To care for something and help it grow.
- Ava promised to nurture the tiny kitten until it was strong enough to climb the stairs by itself.
- Similar: raise, feed, tend
- oblige
- To do something helpful that someone has asked you to do.
- When Gran asked for help with the shopping bags, Tom was happy to oblige and carried them all.
- Similar: help, assist, please
- offend
- To upset someone by being rude or unkind.
- Ella did not mean to offend her friend, but her joke about his painting hurt his feelings.
- Similar: upset, insult, hurt
- oppose
- To be against something and try to stop it.
- Many villagers came to oppose the plan to build a road through their beloved meadow.
- Similar: resist, fight, challenge
- oppress
- To treat people cruelly and unfairly, keeping them under control.
- The wicked ruler used his soldiers to oppress the people.
- Similar: crush, bully, dominate
- pamper
- To look after someone with too much care and comfort.
- Gran likes to pamper the dog with cushions, treats and even a tiny woolly jumper.
- Similar: spoil, indulge, treat
- pardon
- To forgive someone for something they have done wrong.
- The king agreed to pardon the thief, letting him go free instead of punishing him.
- Similar: forgive, excuse, free
- pester
- To annoy someone by bothering them again and again.
- The puppy would pester Dad for walks, tugging at his trouser leg every five minutes.
- Similar: bother, annoy, nag
- plunder
- To steal goods by force, especially during a battle or raid.
- The pirates planned to plunder the merchant ship.
- Similar: loot, raid, rob
- prohibit
- To officially say that something is not allowed.
- Signs by the pond prohibit fishing, so the ducks paddle about in peace.
- Similar: ban, forbid, stop
- provoke
- To deliberately make someone angry or cause a reaction.
- Poking the sleeping bear with a stick was sure to provoke it, but Finn did it anyway.
- Similar: annoy, anger, tease
- quell
- To calm or put an end to something, such as fear or a fight.
- The teacher raised her hand to quell the noise in the classroom.
- Similar: calm, suppress, quash
- relent
- To give in and become less strict after refusing something.
- Dad refused at first, but the children's hopeful faces made him relent and say yes to the puppy.
- Similar: yield, soften, surrender
- resign
- To give up a job or position by your own choice.
- The captain decided to resign after the team lost every match.
- Similar: quit, leave
- sabotage
- To damage or spoil something on purpose so it does not work.
- Someone tried to sabotage the school play by hiding all the costumes the night before.
- Similar: wreck, ruin, damage
- sacrifice
- To give up something you value, to help someone or to gain something more important.
- Ella chose to sacrifice her playtime to help the new pupil catch up.
- Similar: surrender
- shun
- To avoid someone or something on purpose.
- After the argument, the other geese shunned the noisy gander and swam to the far bank.
- Similar: avoid, dodge, ignore
- sneer
- To smile in a nasty way that shows you look down on someone; or that nasty smile.
- 'You call that a goal?' he sneered, curling his lip at the younger boys.
- Similar: mock, smirk, scoff
- squander
- To waste money or time in a careless way.
- Jack squandered all his pocket money on sweets in a single afternoon.
- Similar: waste, fritter, misuse
- submit
- To give in to someone, or to hand in work for someone to judge.
- The rebels refused to submit to the cruel king.
- Similar: surrender, obey
- succumb
- To give in to something you have been fighting against.
- After hours of walking, Leo finally succumbed to tiredness and fell asleep on the bus.
- Similar: surrender, submit, yield
- swagger
- To walk in a proud, show-off way; or that proud way of walking.
- The new champion swaggered into the playground as if he owned it.
- Similar: strut, parade, boast
- tamper
- To touch or change something you should not, often causing damage.
- Someone had tampered with the lock, and now the shed door swung open.
- Similar: meddle, fiddle, interfere
- uphold
- To support or defend something, such as a rule or belief.
- The referee must uphold the rules even when the crowd disagrees.
- Similar: support, defend, maintain
- yield
- To give in and stop fighting, or to produce something like crops.
- After a long argument, Dad finally yielded and let us camp in the garden.
- Similar: surrender, submit, produce
Naming words (nouns)20
- caution
- The care you take to avoid danger or mistakes.
- Cross the icy playground with caution, or you might slip.
- Similar: care, wariness, watchfulness
- chaos
- A state of complete confusion, where nothing is in order.
- When the goat escaped into the school hall, the assembly turned to chaos.
- Similar: confusion, mayhem
- clemency
- The mercy a ruler or judge shows by giving a gentler punishment.
- The prisoner begged the queen for clemency.
- Similar: mercy, leniency, forgiveness
- custom
- A way of doing something that people have followed for a long time.
- It is a custom in our family to open one present on Christmas Eve.
- Similar: tradition, habit, practice
- deceit
- The act of tricking someone by lying or hiding the truth.
- The fox's deceit fooled every one of the hens.
- Similar: trickery, dishonesty, lying
- disarray
- A state of untidiness and confusion.
- After the puppy's visit, the living room was in complete disarray.
- Similar: mess, chaos, muddle
- feud
- A long, bitter quarrel between two people or groups.
- The two farmers had kept up their feud over the hedge for twenty years, never once speaking.
- Similar: quarrel, fight, row
- hoax
- A trick that makes people believe something that is not true.
- The photo of the ghost turned out to be a hoax made with string and a bedsheet.
- Similar: trick, prank, con
- impostor
- Someone who pretends to be another person to trick people.
- The guard realised the man in the crown was an impostor when the real king walked in.
- Similar: fraud, fake, cheat
- justice
- The fair treatment of people, where right is rewarded and wrong is punished.
- The superhero promised to fight for justice in the city.
- Similar: fairness
- leeway
- Freedom to do things in your own way or make small mistakes.
- Our teacher gives us some leeway in art, letting us choose our own colours and subjects.
- Similar: freedom, room, space
- liberty
- The freedom to live, think and act as you choose.
- The escaped parrot enjoyed its liberty, flying from tree to tree.
- Similar: freedom, independence, release
- menace
- Something or someone that causes danger or harm.
- That loose dog is a menace; it chased three cyclists into the hedge.
- Similar: threat, danger, pest
- mercy
- The kindness you show someone when you could have punished or harmed them.
- The king showed mercy and let the hungry thief go free.
- Similar: kindness, pity, forgiveness
- mutiny
- A time when a group refuses to obey their leader and tries to take over.
- The hungry sailors plotted a mutiny, planning to lock the cruel captain in his cabin.
- Similar: revolt, uprising, rebellion
- nuisance
- Someone or something that annoys you or causes trouble.
- The buzzing wasp was a nuisance at our picnic.
- Similar: pest, bother, annoyance
- privilege
- A special right or advantage that only some people have.
- Being chosen as team captain was a great privilege.
- Similar: right, benefit
- subterfuge
- A trick used to hide what you are really doing, or to get your own way.
- The fox used subterfuge to sneak into the hen house.
- Similar: trickery, deception, scheme
- tantrum
- A sudden burst of angry, childish behaviour.
- The toddler threw a tantrum in the supermarket when Mum said no to sweets.
- Similar: fit, strop
- traitor
- Someone who betrays their friends, team or country.
- The soldiers were shocked to discover a traitor in their camp.
- Similar: betrayer, double-crosser