NEGATIVE TRAIT THESAURUS

SLEAZY



Never struggle with Show-and-Tell again. Activate your free trial or subscribe to view the Negative Trait Thesaurus in its entirety, or visit the Table of Contents to explore unlocked entries.

CHOOSE MY PLAN

HELPFUL TIP:

Characters with this flaw will be extra sensitive to certain emotions, so think about how events in your story might specifically trigger these feelings to generate compelling tension and conflict. Another idea is to give a supporting character a positive attribute that is an opposite of this flaw, which will get under the skin of both characters and cause friction in their relationship.
DEFINITION:
Sordid and corrupt; creepy

SIMILAR FLAWS:
Degenerate, insidious

POSSIBLE CAUSES:
A lack of dignity for oneself or others
Low self-esteem
A lack of morality
Having experienced or witnessed victimization in the past
A pessimistic view of humanity
A mental disorder
Brain damage
A sociopathic nature

ASSOCIATED BEHAVIORS AND ATTITUDES:
Vulgarity
Low body image
Poor hygiene
Dishonesty
Stealing
Drug trafficking
Enjoying how one makes others feel uncomfortable and unsafe
Blackmailing people
Liking to watch or spy unseen
Justifying one's actions by claiming that everyone is immoral on some level
Using someone's weaknesses for one's own gain
Providing free drugs in order to create addicts
Betraying the privacy of others (placing hidden cameras in a washroom, etc.)
Making others uncomfortable through one's actions (leering, ignoring boundaries, etc.
...

ASSOCIATED THOUGHTS:
...

ASSOCIATED EMOTIONS:
...

POSITIVE ASPECTS:
...

NEGATIVE ASPECTS:
...

EXAMPLE FROM FILM:
...

OVERCOMING THIS TRAIT AS A MAJOR FLAW:
...

TRAITS IN SUPPORTING CHARACTERS THAT MAY CAUSE CONFLICT:
...