202 Positive Words

John Spacey, November 18, 2021

Positive words are vocabulary that invoke images of strength, goodness, wonder, joy and potential. These are quite useful in conversation, public speaking and writing such that many of these words have become cliche. The following is an attempt at a vocabulary of positive words that avoids cliche. For example, "inventive" or "original" instead of the overused "innovative".

Absorbing	Acceptance
Active	Admiration
Adventurous	Ambition
Animated	Appreciate / Appreciation
Audacious	Auspicious
Authoritative	Beneficial
Bliss	Brave
Bright	Buoyant
Calm	Caring
Celebrated	Change
Charming	Cheery
Civilized	Classic
Classy	Cogent
Committed	Compassionate
Competent	Complete
Composed	Confident
Conscientious	Considerate
Constructive	Content / Contentment
Cool	Courageous
Courteous	Cultivated
Cultured	Curious / Curiosity
Daring	Dauntless
Decisive	Decorous
Deep	Delicate
Desirable	Different
Direction	Discipline
Distinguished	Dutiful
Earnest	Efficient
Effortless	Elastic
Elation	Elegant
Encouraging	Enduring
Engrossing	Enthusiastic
Essential	Esteemed
Ethical	Fair
Faithful	Fast
Fearless	Fine
Flexible	Fortunate
Friendly	Fun
Gainful	Generous
Gifted	Graceful
Gracious	Grateful / Gratitude
Grit	Grounded
Gutsy	Happy
Healthy	Help / Helpful
Human	Humble
Imaginative	Immersed
Impassioned	Important
Impressive	Inclusion
Industrious	Inspired
Introspective	Intuitive
Invaluable	Inventive
Involved	Joy
Kind	Legitimate
Lively	Loving
Loyal	Lucid
Lucky	Luminous
Masterly	Momentous
Moving	Natural
Nice	Nostalgic
Notable / Noteworthy	Novel
Nurturing	Open
Opportune	Optimistic
Original	Perceptive
Playful	Poised
Polished	Polite
Potent	Powerful
Practical	Practiced
Pragmatic	Principled
Productive	Promise / Promising
Protected	Quick
Rare	Rational
Real	Realistic
Reassuring	Recognized
Refined	Reflection
Regard	Relaxed
Reliable	Remarkable
Resounding	Resourceful
Respected	Respectful
Responsible	Responsive
Rewarding	Robust
Rosy	Selfless
Sentimental	Shared / Sharing
Sharp	Singular
Sophisticated	Spirited
Spry	Stability
Stewardship	Strenuous
Strong	Stylish
Subtle	Sure
Talented	Tasteful
Thankful	Thoughtful
Thriving	Tough
True	Trusting / Trusted
Unaffected	Unafraid
Uncommon	Understanding
Unreal	Unselfish
Untiring	Untroubled
Useful	Valuable
Venturesome	Versatile
Vigorous	Vital
Well-known	Wonder
Worthwhile	Youthful

In many cases, using the most simple and direct word available is a good way to avoid cliche. For example, "good" instead of "amazing." Generally speaking, modern English speakers tend to use the most dramatic word they can find in everyday situations such that dramatic words become tired, overused and stripped of their original meaning.