Grey’s Anatomy: Miranda’s 5 Best (& 5 Worst) Traits

The feisty Miranda Bailey is one of the most beloved, and empowered, characters on the hit ABC medical drama, Grey’s Anatomy, which has created history as one of the longest-running shows on popular television. Miranda is not, however, without her flaws, which makes her all the more realistic as a character.

Miranda is a smart, confident woman with a strong conscience and a clear sense of discipline. But she can also be petty at times and finds it hard to come to terms with her own mistakes. A veritable admixture of good and bad traits, Miranda Bailey is someone to be reckoned with.

10 Worst: Impulsive

Although Bailey has shown a thoughtful side to her nature, the Chief of Surgery can also be impulsive at times. Her rash decisions caused her relationships to be strained on more than one occasion.

For instance, she randomly decided that Richard needed to be replaced as the Director of the Surgical Residency Program at Grey Sloan Memorial and even forgot to inform him of her decision. Then, when she was going through a stressful time as a result of tremendous anxieties both in her personal and professional lives, she impulsively decided to take a break from Ben who was nothing but loving and respectful towards her.

9 Best: Confident

Miranda Bailey is one of the most confident characters in the Grey’s universe. She is smart, sharp, and confident in herself and her skills as a surgeon.

No doubt, as a woman who wields tremendous power in the medical community, Bailey needs to know what she is doing and take responsibility for her choices. Her confidence, coupled with her natural talent, have catapulted her to her current position of Chief.

8 Worst: Petty

Miranda, for all her brilliance, has demonstrated herself to be capable of pettiness and mean-mindedness at times. For instance, when Callie Torres was made Chief Resident instead of Bailey, she behaved with extraordinary meanness.

Bailey tried to demean and bring Callie down at every step, intent on showing Richard that Callie was incapable whereas Miranda herself was much better at handling the interns and the other duties typically assigned to the Chief Resident. Eventually, she even managed to step into her shoes, leaving Callie high and dry.

7 Best: Devoted To Her Work

Bailey is devoted to her work and doesn’t cut any corners when it comes to saving lives. In fact, she was not ready to compromise with her work even when her first husband Tucker was aggrieved with her long working hours.

Later, too, Bailey did her utmost to save Charles Percy during the hospital shooting and would have saved him too had she been able to get to the OR on time. Bailey once again put the life of her patient first when she chose to operate on Adele Webber who had suffered a heart attack, in turn postponing her wedding. Her dedication to her work has always been appreciated and supported by her current husband, Ben Warren.

6 Worst: Quick To Pass On Blame

While she is inherently good and goes to any lengths for her patients, Miranda’s behavior can be erratic at times.

She seems to find it difficult to accept that she might not be right all the time. When a few of her patients died due to post-op infection, Miranda immediately assumed that the intern Leah had been responsible. She also found it difficult to accept that it was she who had carried the MRSA all along. She also berated Meredith every time she broke a rule, even if she did it to save a life. And finally, she blamed Ben for causing her excess anxiety which might not have been entirely fair.

5 Best: Respects Rules

The Chief of Surgery respects rules and doesn’t look very kindly on those who don’t.

This trait of hers has ensured the smooth running of the surgical program at Seattle Grace/Grey Sloan Memorial more than one. From putting her foot down when Izzie cut Denny’s L-Vad wire to refusing to let Meredith’s insurance fraud pass, Miranda’s sense of discipline and order has been the backbone of the surgical program for years.

4 Worst: Too Competitive

Miranda can be overly competitive. True, she has not had it easy and has had to carve a niche for herself at every step.

But her competitive attitude seems to go a tad overboard sometimes. When Bailey and Alex were both making their case for a place on the hospital board, Miranda seemed to make it a point to score over Alex, who now actually owned a share in the hospital legally since Cristina had left him hers. Suffice to say that a major part of the fans wasn’t too happy when the board went with Miranda over Alex in this case.

3 Best: Strength Of Character

Miranda Bailey has faced obstacles in her life, right from the time she wanted to graduate from Wellesley College and her mother wasn’t sure she could let her daughter go.

From fighting with her husband who wasn’t on board with all the time she spent in the hospital, to arguing with her father who didn’t approve of her divorce, and then eventually going on to become the hospital’s first female Chief of Surgery, Miranda has shown great strength of character.

2 Worst: Can Get Judgemental

Miranda gets judgemental which was apparent from the way she treated Meredith when she found her getting cozy with Derek in her car.

While Derek and Meredith surely played fast and loose with the boundaries of professionalism at the time, Miranda’s show of anger and disapproval wasn’t particularly mature either.

1 Best: A Brilliant Surgeon & A Good Person

Miranda Bailey, for all her flaws, is a brilliant general surgeon at the end of the day.

It is Miranda who mentored other greats such as Meredith and Cristina and needless to say, patients generally feel safe in her hands. She is also good-hearted, in spite of being nicknamed ‘the Nazi’. It was Miranda who took the initiative to start the free clinic, which came to be known as the Denny Duquette Memorial Clinic.

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