# What word do people \*always\* use to describe you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 23, 2000, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-do-people-always-use-to-describe-you/46972 "2000-12-23T05:59:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tiburon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e36b37/32.png) [@Tiburon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tiburon)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-do-people-always-use-to-describe-you/46972/1 "2000-12-23T05:59:02Z")
My friends and I like to discuss how we each see ourselves as opposed to how others see us. When asked to describe each other, sometimes we all come up with one word that seems to encompass that person and upon which we all agree. For me, all of my friends agree that I am an intense person. It is the adjective I hear most often to describe myself. I just don’t do a whole lot half assed. (Hmm…maybe there were looking for “extremist”…) How about for yourself? I’ll broaden it a little - and ask 2 question: 1. What adjective do people always (or most often) use to describe you? and 1. What five adjectives do you think _best_ describe you? My own answers: 1) intense 2) intense, introspective, perceptive, mercurial and conscientious. Tibs ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-do-people-always-use-to-describe-you/46972/2 "2000-12-23T07:16:43Z")
Well, if I had any friends, I’m not sure what words they would use. Among my many co-workers, the most common “comment” is a rueful shake of the head. ---
**Author:** ![Anniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/cc9497/32.png) [@Anniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anniz)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-do-people-always-use-to-describe-you/46972/3 "2000-12-23T10:00:16Z")
**Stubborn**. ---
**Author:** ![Emperor\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@Emperor\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emperor_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-do-people-always-use-to-describe-you/46972/4 "2000-12-23T10:04:41Z")
People always say one thing “ **Big** , and with good reason (6’4”, ~250 lbs.) Personally, I would descibe myself as: [ol] [li]Intelligent[/li][li]Laid back[/li][li]Generous[/li][li]Introverted[/li][li]Friendly[/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![zen101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c68b51/32.png) [@zen101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zen101)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-do-people-always-use-to-describe-you/46972/5 "2000-12-23T10:51:54Z")
You know that “jacking off” motion people do? Thats what people usually use to describe me. That and the one people do when the twirl their index finger near an ear and cross their eyes (the “crazy person” face.). ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-do-people-always-use-to-describe-you/46972/6 "2000-12-23T10:55:22Z")
Weird. Synonyms of weird. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-do-people-always-use-to-describe-you/46972/7 "2000-12-23T14:05:13Z")
People usually describe me by saying, “Dave, he’s not like anyone but Dave” I’m not quite sure wether that is good or bad. I’d describe myself as introverted, intense and I do things things my way, or rather people tell me that I don’t follow convention. To me I’m logical but the way life has unfolded for me means that I never seem to be doing all the things that everyone else does, like own a car, married etc, still charge around on bicycles, motorbikes, not interested in home decor or Sunday lunch. I’m not eccentric but I notice that most other people are. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-do-people-always-use-to-describe-you/46972/8 "2000-12-23T14:59:31Z")
Well, everybody _else_ uses the word “quiet,” which is technically accurate but really doesn’t convey all that much. Sometimes I’m quiet because I want to hear what other people are saying, and sometimes I’m quiet because the other people are annoying the heck out of me and I don’t want to encourage them. Fortunately, most folks aren’t very good at telling the difference. The best description of myself that I’ve ever heard from someone else came from one of my high school English teachers: “You drink a tall glass of cynicism every morning, don’t you?” It was eight years ago, but I have yet to improve on that line. ---
**Author:** ![lolagranola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ea5d25/32.png) [@lolagranola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lolagranola)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-do-people-always-use-to-describe-you/46972/9 "2000-12-23T15:17:26Z")
Elementary school through junior high, it was always weird, and I have the yearbooks to prove it. During my early 20’s, I was described as fun. During my recent return to college, people everywhere kept describing me as smart. People I didn’t know would stop me in the hall and say “Hey, you’re the smart one, right? Can you help me?”. I was actually getting a complex about it. I’m not really that smart. My sister always describes me by putting her index finger to her ear and twirling. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-do-people-always-use-to-describe-you/46972/10 "2000-12-23T15:47:50Z")
Deaf. Pretty easy. But due to an extremely limited vocabulary, women also use the word, ‘cute’ if they don’t know about deaf. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-do-people-always-use-to-describe-you/46972/11 "2000-12-23T16:05:45Z")
Ugly. Well, you asked. ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-do-people-always-use-to-describe-you/46972/12 "2000-12-23T16:28:06Z")
1. Devious. 2. Quiet, introspective, sarcastic, protective, resigned. ---
**Author:** ![Nacho4Sara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Nacho4Sara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nacho4Sara)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-do-people-always-use-to-describe-you/46972/13 "2000-12-23T16:42:18Z")
People always call me “cute,” which I hate with a passion. Cute. It sounds like a disease. I don’t think I’m particularly cute-looking, but then it’s definitely a personality thing. For instance, I baked cookies for everyone at work today, since it’s almost Christmas (they have red and green sprinkles). Now that is just too CUTE! And I smile a lot. I’ve been branded as “smart” for the duration of my schooling. In high school, I was the smart girl who did her homework, and believe me, it was NOT a compliment. Then when I went to college orientation a few years back, I quickly earned the “smart” tag for getting all the answers in the trivia challenge. Sample questions: Name all three members of the Fugees. Name the four South Park kids. Can you store a gun in your dorm room? What pet are you allowed to have? :rolleyes: I was the only one who raised my hand. I’d describe myself as: 1. Introspective 2. Intense 3. Happy 4. Artistic 5. Ah hell, maybe cute fits me after all. ---
**Author:** ![Montfort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Montfort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montfort)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-do-people-always-use-to-describe-you/46972/14 "2000-12-23T16:45:16Z")
“Smart” ---
**Author:** ![Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wonko_The_Sane)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-do-people-always-use-to-describe-you/46972/15 "2000-12-23T18:04:33Z")
Eccentric. Eccentric is a polite word for odd, weird, etc. It fits. ---
**Author:** ![Odieman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a87d85/32.png) [@Odieman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odieman)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-do-people-always-use-to-describe-you/46972/16 "2000-12-23T18:31:55Z")
On this board it is sweet, I’ve grown to accept the term. I know I’d rather be seen as handsome, intelligent, dshng or charming, but sweet isn’t bad. Keith ---
**Author:** ![JamesGrey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/258eb7/32.png) [@JamesGrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JamesGrey)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-do-people-always-use-to-describe-you/46972/17 "2000-12-23T19:52:31Z")
1. mean 2. Intelligent Logical Thrifty unemotional friendly ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-do-people-always-use-to-describe-you/46972/18 "2000-12-23T20:35:54Z")
I don’t get described as one word… Actually, in my grade 9 crowd, it’s usually ‘gay’. With everyone else, it’s annoying, mean, or tall. The ones I’d use to describe myself are 1. Sarcastic 2. Skeptical 3. Hyper 4. Whiny 5. Low self esteem (could you tell?) ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-do-people-always-use-to-describe-you/46972/19 "2000-12-23T21:22:15Z")
My friends would probably all describe me as **odd**. That’s the word most often used on me. “Jenn, that’s just odd.” “Jenn, will you stop being so odd?” “Ok, THAT’S quite odd.” My enemies would call me annoying. I guess they’re both right. ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-do-people-always-use-to-describe-you/46972/20 "2000-12-23T21:25:52Z")
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