12 Slang Words About People

BE CAREFUL!

Most of these words are not very complimentary. A lot of them have negative connotations, so it’s not a good idea to call a person these names.

sucker

1. Someone who is easily deceived.

  • Joe bought a fake gold watch for $5000 because the salesman told him it was real. What a sucker!

2. If you are “a sucker for” something, it means you are especially attracted to it.

  • I don’t usually spend so much money on clothes, but I’m a sucker for designer jeans.

chicken

A coward, someone who is not brave, has no courage.

  • You’re afraid of a little tiny spider? You’re such a chicken!

The verb “chicken out” means to act in a cowardly manner or to lose your courage:

  • She had the opportunity to sing in front of 2000 people, but she chickened out and canceled the performance at the last minute.

nerd

A person who enjoys at science, technology, or obscure (little-known) subjects, but who often doesn’t have good social skills.

  • My last boyfriend was a computer nerd – he would rather play video games than go out to a party.

doormat

Someone who submits to domination by others.

  • Don’t be a doormat – if your boss is overloading you with work, you need to say something and establish some limits.

airhead

A silly and rather unintelligent person.

  • Sally kind of seems like an airhead. She only talks about TV shows and what she ate for dinner last night.

troublemaker

Someone who causes problems.

  • Melvin starts fights almost every day at school – he’s a real troublemaker.

klutz

Someone who is clumsy (doesn’t have good motor coordination). A klutz is always dropping things, bumping into things, tripping and falling, etc.

  • Oh no, I just broke a wine glass. I’m such a klutz.

jock

An athlete (especially in college).

  • Diana only goes out with jocks – she’s into guys with muscles.

oddball

A person who is seen by others as strange, weird, or eccentric.

  • Did you hear that Helen quit her job and joined a religion that worships dogs? I’ve always thought she was a bit of an oddball.

cocky

Arrogant or overly self-confident.

  • Joe’s rather cocky – he always finds a way to mention how much money he makes.

whiz

A person with a lot of skills in an area.

  • Peter is a math whiz – he won a national math competition last year.

black sheep

A person who is seen as a failure or a disgrace by his or her family.

  • My cousin Nathan’s been arrested twice for theft. He’s the black sheep of the family.

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