List of Adjectives in English

Adjectives are words that describe or modify a noun, meaning they tell us what something or someone is like in English. There are many types of adjectives, and knowing them will help you speak English with more clarity and precision.

In this article, we will look at lists with over 100 examples of adjectives in English, categorized by type, along with their Spanish pronunciation so you can learn and master them easily.

Let’s get started!

Types of Adjectives in English

Adjectives in English can be classified into different types based on their function and the type of information they provide about the subject of the sentence. Some describe characteristics, while others indicate possession, quantity, comparison, or distribution, and some help us to point out or limit a noun.

Let’s explore the main types of adjectives in English:

Descriptive Adjectives

Descriptive adjectives are the most common in English. They help us describe the qualities or characteristics of a noun. They can refer to color, size, shape, mood, temperature, and many other qualities of the subject. For example:

• She has a beautiful dress.
• The water is cold.
• This book is interesting.

Here’s a list of 50 common descriptive adjectives:

1. Angry
2. Beautiful
3. Big
4. Brave
5. Bright
6. Busy
7. Calm
8. Cheap
9. Clean
10. Cold
11. Dark
12. Deep
13. Delicious
14. Dirty
15. Dry
16. Empty
17. Expensive
18. Famous
19. Fast
20. Friendly
21. Funny
22. Gentle
23. Happy
24. Hard
25. Healthy
26. Heavy
27. High
28. Hot
29. Hungry
30. Kind
31. Lazy
32. Light
33. Loud
34. Nervous
35. New
36. Noisy
37. Old
38. Poor
39. Rich
40. Sad
41. Shy
42. Slow
43. Small
44. Soft
45. Strong
46. Tall
47. Tired
48. Ugly
49. Weak
50. Young

Demonstrative Adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives in English help us point out or indicate the location of a noun in relation to the speaker. They are used to indicate whether something is near or far, and whether it is singular or plural. For example:

• This book is interesting.
• That car is expensive.
• These apples are fresh.
• Those mountains are beautiful.

Here is a full list of the demonstrative adjectives:

• This
• That
• These
• Those

Quantitative Adjectives

Quantitative adjectives in English indicate the quantity or degree of something. They help answer the questions:

• How much?
• How many?

Types of Quantitative Adjectives:

1. For specific quantities: Used with numbers or words that indicate an exact amount. Examples: One, two, ten, hundred.
2. For indefinite quantities: Used to indicate an unspecified amount. Examples: Some, few, many, all.

Here you have a list with 25 more examples of quantitative adjectives:

1. All
2. Any
3. Both
4. Each
5. Enough
6. Every
7. Few
8. Fewer
9. Half
10. Less
11. Little
12. Many
13. More
14. Most
15. Much
16. None
17. One
18. Several
19. Some
20. Ten
21. Hundred
22. Thousand
23. Million
24. Whole
25. Zero

And here are a few examples of quantitative adjectives in sentences:

• I have two dogs.
• There are many people in the park.
• She drank some water.
• All students passed the exam.

Possessive Adjectives

Possessive adjectives in English help us indicate possession or ownership. They are used to show that something belongs to someone and always come before the noun. For example:

• My cat is very playful.
• Your house is beautiful.
• His car is red.

The following is a list of the possessive adjectives that exist:

1. My
2. Your
3. His
4. Her
5. Its
6. Our
7. Their

Interrogative Adjectives

Interrogative adjectives in English are used to ask questions about a noun. They always come before the noun and help us request specific information about something. For example:

• Which dress do you prefer?
• What book are you reading?
• Whose phone is this?

Here is a full list of these interrogative adjectives:

1. Which
2. What
3. Whose

Tips for using them correctly: Before you build your statement using these adjectives, ask yourself: 

• If you're asking a question that asks about limited options, then use which. 
• If it's an open-ended question, without numbers, use what. 
• If you're asking about possession, use whose.

Distributive Adjectives

Distributive adjectives in English are used to refer to each individual member of a group, rather than the group as a whole. They are used with singular nouns and help us talk about specific elements within a group. For example:

• Each student received a book.
• Every morning, she goes for a walk.
• You can take either pencil.
• Neither answer is correct.

Below, you will see a list of the distributive adjectives:

1. Each
2. Every
3. Either
4. Neither

Tips for using them correctly: 

• Use each when talking about people or things individually.
• Use every when talking about the group in general.
• Use either when whichever one of the two options are valid.
• Use neither when none of the given options is valid.

Proper Adjectives

Proper adjectives in English are derived from proper nouns and always begin with a capital letter. They are used to describe something related to a place, nationality, culture, famous person, or historical period. For example:

• I love Italian food.
• She is reading a Shakespearean play.
• He is an Australian singer.

Here is a list of 20 examples of proper adjectives:

1. African
2. American
3. Asian
4. Brazilian
5. British
6. Canadian
7. Chinese
8. Dutch
9. Egyptian
10. European
11. French
12. Freudian
13. German
14. Gothic
15. Greek
16. Indian
17. Mexican
18. Platonic
19. Renaissance
20. Victorian

Compound Adjectives

Compound adjectives in English are formed by two or more words that function together as a single adjective to describe a noun. They are usually written with a hyphen (-) to avoid confusion.

Types of Compound Adjectives:

1. Number + singular noun.  For example: A five-year-old child.
2. Noun + adjective.  For example: A world-famous artist.
3. Adjective + noun + -ed  For example: A short-sleeved shirt.
4. Adverb + participle.  For example: A highly-respected doctor.
5. Noun + participle.  For example: A hand-made bag.

This is a list of 10 examples of compound adjectives:

1. Part-time
2. High-tech
3. Deep-sea
4. Fast-growing
5. Blue-eyed
6. Red-haired
7. Time-saving
8. Well-known
9. Open-minded
10. Self-taught

Comparative Adjectives

Comparative adjectives in English are used to compare two (or more) people, things, or situations based on a characteristic or quality. They often end in -er or include the word "more" before the adjective.

How to Form Comparative Adjectives

1. Short adjectives (one or two syllables): Add -er at the end. If the adjective ends in -y, change y to i before adding -er.
   • For example: This car is fancier than that one.
2. Long adjectives (three or more syllables): Use "more" before the adjective.
   • For example: The book is more interesting than the movie.
3. Irregular adjectives: Some adjectives have entirely different comparative forms that need to be memorized.
   • For example: The second lesson was better than the first.

You can see a list of 10 more examples of comparative adjectives here:

1. Smaller
2. Bigger
3. Happier
4. Strong
5. More beautiful
6. More interesting
7. More intelligent
8. More comfortable
9. Better
10. Worse

Superlative Adjectives

Superlative adjectives in English are used to express the highest or most extreme degree of a characteristic within a group. They compare three or more elements and typically end in -est or include "the most" before the adjective.

How to Form Superlative Adjectives

1. Short adjectives (one syllable or two ending in -y): Add -est at the end. If the adjective ends in -y, change y to i before adding -est.
   • For example: This hotel is the cheapest in the city.
2. Long adjectives (three or more syllables): Use "the most" before the adjective.
   • For example: She is the most talented singer in the competition.
3. Irregular adjectives: As with comparatives, there are some adjectives that have completely different superlatives that need to be memorized.
   • For example: He is the best player on the team.

See a list of 10 more examples of superlative adjectives here:

1. The easiest
2. The tallest
3. The fastest
4. The biggest
5. The youngest
6. The most comfortable
7. The most difficult
8. The most expensive
9. The best
10. The worst

Participial Adjectives

Participial adjectives in English are formed from verbs in the present participle (-ing) or past participle (-ed). They are used to describe emotions and characteristics of people, objects, or situations.

Types of Participial Adjectives:

1. Present participle (-ing): These adjectives describe things or situations that cause an emotion.
   • For example: The movie is boring.
2. Past participle (-ed): These adjectives describe how someone feels because of a situation.
   • For example: I am bored.

Below is a list of 10 examples of participle adjectives:

1. Amazing
2. Amazed
3. Exciting
4. Excited
5. Interesting
6. Interested
7. Surprising
8. Surprised
9. Tiring
10. Tired

Numerical Adjectives

Numerical adjectives in English indicate exact quantities and help us specify the number of people, objects, or elements in a sentence. They are used before the noun and can be classified into cardinal adjectives and ordinal adjectives.

Cardinal Adjectives

Cardinal adjectives express numbers in their basic form and answer the question “How many?” (¿Cuántos?). They are used to count objects or people directly. For example: There are five apples on the table.

These are just a few examples of cardinal adjectives:

1. One (1)
2. Ten (10) 
3. One hundred (100)
4. One thousand (1,000)
5. One million (1’000,000)

Ordinal adjectives

Ordinal adjectives indicate position or order within a sequence. They answer the question “Which position?” and are used to classify things in a list. For example: “She finished in second place”.

Here are some examples of ordinal adjectives:

1. First
2. Second
3. Third
4. Fourth
5. Fifth
6. Sixth
7. Seventh
8. Eighth
9. Ninth
10. Tenth
11. One hundredth

List of Adjective Suffixes in English

Adjective suffixes in English are word endings added to a base word to form an adjective. These indicate quality, origin, possibility, among other meanings.

Below is a table with some common suffixes along with basic examples:

At first, this table may seem overwhelming, but don’t worry! With practice, you’ll naturally recognize which suffix is appropriate for each adjective.

Conclusion

Adjectives are essential for describing people, objects, and situations in English with greater accuracy. We hope this guide has been helpful in understanding the different types of adjectives and that you can use it as a reference as you continue practicing.

To improve even further, the Promova app offers daily English lessons, where you can practice adjectives through interactive exercises and real-life situations. This will help you use them naturally and fluently in your conversations.

Download the app and improve your English day by day!