GMAT Vocabulary: Character

Long after the choir-loft beam was shown to bow, Ida remained obstinate, pinning her first pencil sketch to the workshop door and turning away every revised joint the carpenters proposed.

Even with the cottage paid off, Rosa stayed frugal, patching one wool coat, carrying lunch in a rinsed jar, and walking past the cafe on her way to the weekly reading circle she hosted at home.

Samuel was diligent at the town archive for a decade, arriving before the lamps warmed, speaking only to request a tray, skipping jokes, and staying until the last brittle card was copied.

Though the ferry dividends covered his rent twice over, Victor stayed penurious, rinsing one soup spoon for every meal and closing a cracked window with tape rather than paying a glazier.

The dock foreman was bellicose at every morning muster, squaring his shoulders and inviting anyone who questioned a shift change to step outside.

Improvident about winter, Luis spent three summers of boat wages on weekly fireworks and faced the freeze with no coal, no stored flour, and no repair money set aside.

Nkechi was provident with the clinic's small grant, labeling a reserve cabinet for the next quarter's syringes and refusing to spend that cushion on a celebration.

Thrifty in the print shop, Mr. Chen saved miscut card stock for bookmarks, kept a jar of mixed ink for proofs, and taught apprentices to print on the blank side of spoiled sheets.

A spendthrift once the prize money arrived, Nora bought a second piano she could not play, hired a weekly florist for an empty parlor, dropped the ensemble that had traveled with her, and was borrowing bus fare by spring.

Miserly despite a full warehouse of grain, Mrs. Adler weighed every loan of flour to a neighbor and wrote the ounces in a book she expected to collect on, even in a bad harvest.

Extravagant with the cannery bonus, Marco commissioned a gold-leaf weather vane for a toolshed and paid a quartet to play while he ate lunch alone on the loading dock.

Temperate at every harvest supper across twenty years, Mr. Solano told one sharp story, took a single small glass, and walked home while the louder toasts were still being planned.

Intemperate about cards and sauce for as long as the club had known him, Felix played until the marina lights went out, ordered a third platter no one had requested, and had to be walked home from every supper.

Julian kept a sybaritic river cabin for a decade, with heated floors, a valet on weeknights, and a menu that changed with the tide, calling a hard chair a form of punishment.

Born in Veracruz, Captain Soto kept a spartan routine on the survey ship: a bare bunk, cold washes, no seat at the officers' table, and extra blankets stored for the crew.

Persnickety about the map drawers, Ms. Lang measured each label's margin with a card, sent back any folder a finger's width too high, and rarely offered a compliment when the row was finally straight.

The night clerk was frowzy on every shift, with a frayed cuff, hair stuck up at the crown, and soup on a tie he never thought to change.

Slothful on the family farm, Eddie left the same gate hanging for a season, napped through two milking hours, and let his sister finish every chore he had promised to start.

Industrious from her first week in the bindery, Hana oiled the press herself, stayed to sew a torn signature, and turned down help so she could learn every step.

Persevering after the kiln cracked twice, Naomi rebuilt the firebricks on her own evenings, kept the same glaze recipe, and stayed in the studio when the third firing failed too.

Irresolute at the seed counter, Mr. Okada picked up the rye, set it down for barley, asked the clerk to hold both, and left with neither after twenty minutes.

Resolute about the footbridge, Priya surveyed in sleet, rejected a cheaper ferry plan at three town meetings, and drove the first piling the week the permit arrived.

Vacillating over the clinic site, Dr. Farooq approved the hill lot on Monday, revived the station lot on Thursday, and asked the board to wait while he switched a third time in a short note.

Headstrong about the millrace, Tomas ignored the posted detour, waved off the engineer's chalk marks, and cut the channel where he had first imagined it.

The lead violinist proved intractable through the whole rehearsal period, refusing a slower tempo, a shared solo, and every compromise the conductor wrote into the score.

Tractable in committee, young Harun adopted whichever seating plan the last speaker praised and rewrote his own motion to match it.

Compliant on the ward through years of changing charge nurses, Nurse Adeyemi followed each posted protocol without argument, repeated the steps aloud, and never tried to redesign the round.

Insubordinate toward every yard master she had served, Celia crossed out posted shift orders, sent the crew to the job she preferred, and laughed when a written warning was read aloud.

Impudent with senior partners from his first month, Leo mocked their briefs in the open conference room, kept his shoes on the table, and answered a direct question with a joke about their age.

The intern was impertinent in case review after case review, interrupting the senior surgeon on the very point under discussion and addressing her by a nickname the rest of the staff never used.

Brazen in review after review, Rita pinned each error on a colleague who was absent, took a bow at the staff lunch, and repeated the story to clients with her own name in the lead.

Unassuming at her own gallery opening, as at every earlier show, Min stood by the coat rack, redirected praise to the framer, and declined the chair set at the front.

Pretentious about a single published review, Colin insisted that interns call him maestro, quoted himself in meetings, and described a classroom handout as a treatise.

Pompous at the county fair year after year, Mr. Brandt arrived in a rented sash, required a separate table for his pie notes, and read his comments as if the tent were a lecture hall.

Imperious in the costume shop, Madame Voss snapped her fingers for pins, refused the designer's suggestions, and told the apprentices to speak only when she pointed.

Overbearing on the family boat each summer, Aunt Lila assigned every seat, talked over her brother's course corrections, and treated an apology as something other people owed her.

Subservient in the law office, Patrick stood until the partner sat, rewrote a correct memo because a senior had frowned, and never offered an opinion unless invited.

Standoffish at the reunion, Camille stayed on the porch, declined stories about old roommates, and left before the photographs were passed around.

Reticent through the whole pottery retreat, Ruth answered with a nod, kept her glaze notes in a closed tin, and slipped out before the evening critique asked anyone to speak.

Voluble in every waiting room, Mr. Santos described his knee, his nephew's knee, and the history of the clinic carpet, hardly pausing when the nurse called the next number.

Glib at donor lunches for years, Seth produced a smooth answer for every budget question, skipped the figures in the folder, and later could not repeat a single number he had just offered.

Unctuous with every visiting editor, Paul praised their coats, their handwriting, and their most ordinary questions, laying the flattery on so thick that the interns traded looks.

Servile around the conductor from the first tour, the new horn player agreed with every tempo change, laughed at jokes aimed at himself, and waited to sit until he was told the chair was his.

Arrogant after each prize, Owen told the committee the design could not have come from anyone else and left his two coauthors off the plaque without asking them.

Conceited about a regional medal, the pianist practiced before a mirror, corrected guests who understated the award, and waved off a master class because he said he had nothing left to learn.

Vain before every recital, Andre checked the side mirror twice, adjusted a curl the audience would never see, and asked whether the lights favored his profile, though the concerts themselves were real performances and not empty gestures.

Unpretentious about the vaccine schedule she had built, Dr. Okafor credited the nurses, wore her ordinary cardigan, and described a year's careful work as lists because that was truly how she had made it, not because she was unsure of the facts or performing simplicity.

Bumptious at the co-op dinner, as at every harvest meal, Martin retold his tomato yield three times, compared it with every other plot, and never asked what his neighbor had harvested.

Hubristic about the dam model, the young engineer skipped peer review, told the town the river would obey his numbers, and put only his initials on a plan three seniors had warned him to revise.

Shrewd at the cattle auction each autumn, Mrs. Bennett ignored the auctioneer's patter, priced the feed against the winter she had already calculated, and bought only the lot that paid.

Astute in contract talks throughout her career, Leila noticed that the flattery always arrived just before a penalty clause and asked for the appendix the other side had hoped no one would read.

Obtuse about the crew's hints for years, the night editor kept assigning the same overloaded page, missed jokes aimed at that habit, and still asked why the desk looked tired, in a newsroom where no one was measuring angles.

Perspicacious with witnesses across a long career, Detective Ruiz caught the one date that did not match the ledger and asked the quiet question that made the accountant stop smiling.

Discerning at the textile stall, as she had been at every market for years, Farah rubbed the weave, rejected a cheap shine, and bought the bolt that would still look honest after washing.

Judicious about the bakery expansion, Helen compared rent, oven capacity, and foot traffic, then chose the smaller shop because the numbers held, with no courtroom, statute, or joke involved in the choice.

Injudicious with the school's reserve, the treasurer bought a courtyard fountain, skipped the roof bid, and was surprised when the spring leaks returned, a pattern of poor choices rather than legal training or slow spending.

Foolhardy on closed ground, Chris crossed the flagged lava crust after the guide turned back, just as he had crossed a shut pier the winter before, treating a real collapse as if caution were an insult.

Chary with both praise and cash, the features editor marked one line of approval, promised nothing beyond the next assignment, and kept the travel budget in a locked drawer.

Heedless of posted load limits, the driver stacked a fourth crate, waved off the scale, and rolled onto the bridge while the warning light flashed, the same shortcut he had taken on the last two runs.

Rash about every contract she touched, Gina signed the buyout before reading the debt schedule, as she had with two earlier leases, and spent the evening wishing she had waited, with no spots or itching on her skin.

Reckless in the machine shop, Pavel removed the blade guard to finish faster, ignored the taped safety line, and told the apprentice that caution was for people with time, a habit the shop had tried to break for months.

Wary of smooth suppliers throughout his buying career, Mr. Ortiz visited warehouses unannounced, counted the cartons himself, and kept a second quote in his pocket until the delivery matched the sample.

Duplicitous with both captains, Renee promised the east crew the overtime and the west crew the same hours, then denied each promise when the crews compared notes, and she never touched a copier.

Candid with the board, the coach said the defense had been unprepared, named his own missed practices, and asked for no title and no softer wording, making plain that he was not seeking office.

Forthright in parent meeting after parent meeting, Ms. Iqbal said when a student had skipped the reading, listed the dates, and answered follow-ups without a hint or a detour, staying in her chair the whole time.

Evasive about missing tools whenever the question came up, Darren praised the weather, retold an old fishing trip, and left the garage without once saying where the drill had gone, though he was never short of words.

Secretive about the new glaze, the potter locked the formula in a tin, mislabeled the shelf, and changed the subject whenever another studio asked what was in the blue.

Artful in negotiation and not at a canvas, Mr. Delgado let the other firm propose the first number, then steered them into the clause he had wanted all along while sounding as if they had thought of it.

Artless in interviews, Sophie admitted she had never used the software, showed her real notebook, and did not invent a polished story or a studio credential she lacked.

Wily at the flea market for decades, Old Marin let buyers think the chipped bowl was ordinary, then mentioned the maker's mark only after they had shown how badly they wanted it.

Callow on his first voyage, the cadet believed every dockside boast, packed dress shoes for a wet deck, and asked whether the tide clock was a kitchen timer.

Distrustful of charity drives, Mrs. Kent assumed every collection jar hid a personal cut and checked the treasurer's books before giving a coin.

Doctrinaire about classroom seating, Professor Lind applied one diagram from his book to every room for a decade, refused a wider circle when a class grew, and treated the chart as a rule rather than a suggestion.

Insular in a downtown newsroom far from any coast, the metro editor dismissed foreign dispatches as gossip and would not run a story that began outside his own postal code.

Provincial in taste though she held no public office, the city bookseller stocked only hometown authors, waved off translated novels, and called anything from another country a fad.

Bigoted about the choir's repertoire, Mr. Crowe refused any hymn from outside his own upbringing, would not hear the music director's examples, and called disagreement itself an insult.

Latitudinarian on the seminary panel, Rabbi Cohen welcomed readings from other traditions, defended the students' questions, and had nothing to say about maps, borders, or how far north the campus sat.

Factional in the book-prize meetings, Ellen defended her old teacher's novels at every round and scored rivals low before she finished them.

Disinterested in the boundary dispute, the surveyor cared enough to remeasure twice, owned no land on either side, and refused a gift from both families before filing the map.

Partial toward alumni applicants, the reviewer finished every file, then added points only when the school name matched his own, and called the habit loyalty rather than a half-finished job.

Equitable with overtime, the floor manager rotated holiday shifts by a posted list, gave her own cousin the same late turn as everyone else, and never brought a horse, a saddle, or a guess into the schedule.

Ruthless in cutbacks, the publisher closed the poetry list, dismissed longtime editors mid-sentence, and showed no second chance and no patience for a farewell issue.

Forbearing with late copy, the magazine editor waited through two missed Fridays, kept the writer on the piece, and did not turn a delay into a public scolding.

Lenient with first offenses, the shop teacher assigned a redo instead of a zero, explained the rule clearly, and refused the fine some parents wanted posted on the board.

Severe with the apprentices, the chef restarted a sauce for a single curdled spoon, allowed no jokes during service, and wore a bright patterned scarf that no one would call plain.

Exacting about every choral recording, Maestro Ellison stopped for a single late consonant, posted the tempo in numbers, and would not accept a take the choir thought was close enough.

Indulgent with his trainees, Coach Rahman allowed an extra dessert on travel days, moved curfew whenever they asked, and noticed every request even when the trainers wanted a harder rule.

Self-effacing after rescue drills, Parveen stepped behind the crew photo, spelled every teammate's name correctly for the reporter, and described her own role in a single clause.

Egotistical in the writers' room, Marcus turned every plot note into a story about his own childhood, interrupted the others, and left their names off the drafts he circulated.

High-minded about the scholarship fund, Esther refused a gift that would have steered awards toward her cousins, published the criteria, and aimed the money at students with no tie to the board.

Self-serving on the awards panel, Greg nominated his own consultancy, argued for a rule that paid him, and showed no embarrassment about the invoice he hoped would follow.

Covetous of his partner's clients, the agent kept a private list of her accounts, lingered over her commission sheet, and offered none of his own leads in return.

Rapacious in land deals, the broker pressed sellers to sign quickly, took fees from both sides, and counted every acre as something he should hold.

Acquisitive on every trip, Beatrice bought the cabinet, then the ledger that matched it, then the desk, and she shipped them home rather than leaving a piece for the next collector.

Openhanded with the studio tools, Mr. Diallo lent the good chisels to beginners, refused a plaque for the gesture, and restocked blades without announcing whose money had paid.

Rancorous years after the split, the two founders still refused a handshake at the trade show, revived the old insult in every interview, and kept a folder of grievances in each briefcase.

Placable after sharp rehearsals, the director accepted a clear apology, restored the dancer to the opening, and dropped the threat to recast the role.

Vengeful about a bad review, the playwright waited a full season, then blocked the critic's access to opening night and told friends the snub was payback.

Humane toward the shelter animals and the staff, Dr. Singh ended hopeless cases gently, sat with shaken new volunteers, and was praised for mercy rather than for simply being a person.

Malicious toward every understudy she outranked, Carla hid costume shoes on purpose, hoped a stumble would cost the new girl the role, and later bragged that the trick was meant to hurt.

Beneficent with the night students, Mrs. Alvarez kept the library open late on purpose, paid their exam fees from her own account, and refused repayment when they offered.

Unswerving toward the neighborhood paper, Samir kept the schools column after the pay dropped to nothing, turned down a rival's offer, and still covered the Friday games.

Treacherous to the research team, the archivist copied their unpublished map for a rival museum and smiled through the weekly meeting, all of it on solid museum floors rather than on thin ice.

Staunch when the grant was cut, the lab assistant defended the project's lead in private emails, stayed through the unpaid month, and was never asked to bandage a wound.

Capricious about the menu, the owner swapped dumpling fillings every morning, abandoned Tuesday's special by noon, and laughed at the printed cards he had approved the night before.

Constant in friendship, Elise visited the same hospital room every Sunday for a year, kept the confidence she had been given, and was quiet company rather than a stream of events or noise.

Pertinacious about the water rights, Mrs. Boateng said little while she waited in line but returned to the records office for seven months, refiling after each rejection until the clerk stopped telling her to quit.