Writing Ideas: 170 Character Quirks
Quirk—a peculiar trait; idiosyncrasy; memorable little things about a character’s personality that make them charming, endearing, weird, or unique; can be cute habits; is anything worth describing about a character.
PERSONALITY QUIRKS
Very introverted, quiet and reserved, keeps to themselves
Highly extroverted, loves socializing and meeting new people
Mega control freak who has to have everything their way
Neat freak (often coincides with control freak)
Total slob who never knows where anything is
Super stubborn and will never admit when they’re wrong
Brutally honest and can’t lie to save their life
Extremely judgmental of other people
Short-tempered, especially when irritated
Always patient, even when frustrated
Hilarious or odd sense of humor
Very hard to make them laugh
Loves to eat and is obsessed with food
Loves to drink and is constantly partying
Constantly complains about everything
Extremely loyal and will do anything for their friends/family
Adventurous and willing to try anything
Cautious and careful no matter what
Energetic, hardly ever needs to rest
Sleeps all the time and still gets tired during the day
Horrible sense of direction and constantly gets lost
Overachiever who loves school/structure
Really modest and won’t ever brag about themselves
Extremely emotional and will cry at the drop of a hat
Stoic and detached, rarely shows emotion
Wildcard whose behavior is unpredictable, even to their friends
Notoriously two-faced and will betray anyone
Charismatic and can convince anyone to do their bidding
Very proper and always polite to others
Dates tons of people and has a new boyfriend or girlfriend every week
Obsessive personality — whether it’s a TV show, brand, musical artist, or even another person, they’ll get attached and think/talk about it constantly
PHYSICAL QUIRKS
Unique eye or hair color
Has two different eye colors
Extremely short or tall
Some discerning physical mark — birthmark, freckles, mole, or scar
Wears unusual glasses
Has braces and headgear
Large feet — may mean they’re clumsy
Bites their nails/lips or chews on their hair
Constantly fidgeting and can’t sit still
Acne, eczema, or other skin problems
Many tattoos or piercings
Often sick or has allergies (constantly sniffling/blowing their nose)
Talks very loudly or quietly
Says everything like it’s a question
Terrible breath — may be a coffee drinker
Gets sweaty easily (especially when nervous)
Unusually hairy arms or legs
Very long painted nails
Always wears a faceful of makeup
Has a stutter or other speech impediment
Incessantly clicks a pen
Often tucks their hair behind their ears
Constantly chews gum
Has a toothpick dangling from their mouth
Always picking their teeth
Smokes and has a raspy voice
Breathes heavily or snores
Is extremely muscular
Walks very slowly or quickly
Left-handed or ambidextrous
Constantly scratching themselves
Has some noticeable physical tic, like a twitch
Always wears a distinct item of clothing or accessory — a favorite pair of socks, a lucky jersey, or even a particular shade of lipstick
STRENGTHS/TALENTS
Fantastic cook or baker
Skilled musician (piano, guitar, violin, etc.)
Artistic talent (drawing, painting, sculpting, etc.)
Model athlete (football, hockey, swimming, etc.)
Great at voices/ventriloquy
Can do sleight-of-hand — may be a pickpocket
Speaks multiple languages, even obscure ones
Knows everything about history
Mathematical or scientific genius
Brilliant coder and can hack into any database
Skilled mechanical inventor
Can build or put together anything
Super-quick logical reasoning
Exceptional memory/genius IQ (several of the above might fall under this)
Special connection with animals
Super empathetic and understanding of other people
Extremely fast runner
Contortionist (can twist their body into any shape)
Psychic talent (can predict the future)
Amazing mechanic
Super strength, flying, invisibility or other superpowers
Unusually high tolerance for pain
Survival skills like hunting and fishing
Quick reflexes, acts fast in a crisis
Brave and fearless, not scared of anything
Able to talk their way out of any trouble/invent stories on the fly
WEAKNESSES/NEGATIVE TRAITS
Awful driver
Always running late
Illegible handwriting
Terrible at public speaking
Socially awkward — hard for them to make friends
Has tons of credit card debt from online shopping
Self-destructive and always wants what’s worst for them
Gets blackout drunk every time they go out
Extremely conceited or arrogant
Compulsive liar
Manipulative of friends
Gets jealous over nothing
Often mean for no reason
Unbelievably self-centered
Extremely passive-aggressive
Is a hero who doesn’t like using their superpowers
Arachnophobia (irrational fear of spiders)
Coulrophobia (irrational fear of clowns)
Agoraphobia (irrational fear of leaving the house)
Pantophobia (fear of everything)
COMMONLY USED QUIRKS
Pale skin
Crooked smile
“Intense” stare
Relentless clumsiness
Artificial hair colors that are supposedly natural
Characters thinking they’re unattractive when everyone else thinks they’re beautiful
OTHER QUIRKS
Dresses all in one color
Bedroom is decorated exactly like a Pinterest picture
Won’t drink still water, only sparkling
Refuses to use headphones and blasts their music in public
Always dresses too nicely for the occasion
Walks around barefoot, even in stores and other public places
Hates being inside, sleeps and goes to the bathroom outdoors
Can’t help but look in every mirror they pass
Wears a small plastic backpack everywhere
Preps their meals three weeks in advance
Drinks shots of espresso all day long
Sings opera in the shower
Always sneezes around pets
Has a collection of something mundane
Makes their own (terrible) abstract art and hangs it on their walls
Gets super excited about Christmas and then really depressed in January
Refuses to wear glasses even though they need them
Carries around a secret teddy bear
Has been wearing the same friendship bracelet for three years
Fastidiously lint-rolls all their clothing
Will leave a shop or restaurant if someone walks in with a baby
Extremely superstitious (knocks on wood, avoids the number 13, etc.)
Drops everything other people ask them to hold
Likes to go out dancing by themselves
Prefers to have the lights off or dimmed at all times
Only reads books written before 1900
Only watches movies that get really bad reviews
Always wears multiple sweaters on top of each other
Won’t eat anything that doesn’t have bread (at least on the side)
Thinks they’re a time-traveler from the medieval era
Gives friends and family excellent homemade presents
Leaves the office last every day so they can push all the chairs in
Hates jagged numbers (always fills their gas tank to the dollar, sends emails on the hour, etc.)
Has an imaginary friend they still talk to, even in adulthood
Owns a lizard that they try and use as a guard dog
Listens exclusively to Britney Spears
Leaves little notes in library books for future readers
Uses tissues to hold onto poles on public transportation
Wears their hair in Princess Leia buns
Never goes a day without talking to their mom
Hums “In the Hall of the Mountain King” when they get stressed
Clucks their tongue while walking, so they sound like a horse
Quotes Pulp Fiction all the time
Loves hanging out in completely empty places
Convinced they’re going to die in a freak accident
Grows all their own food in their vegetable garden
Never pays for train or bus tickets
Can recite Shakespearean sonnets
Recycles and eats vegetarian, but only out of guilt
Has a “vision board” posted on their ceiling
Loves the beach but hates swimming
Flicks people in the forehead when they get annoyed
Laughs at everything, even bad jokes
Curates a great Instagram feed of street art
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