List of Adjectives in English
Contents
Adjectives are words that describe or modify what we know about a person or thing in the sentence. They come in many forms, from simple one-word adjectives to complex multi-word adjectives. Let's remember the different kinds of adjectives and see a list of adjectives in English.
Kinds of Adjectives
Adjectives come in many forms, and there are different kinds of adjectives that you can use to describe people, places, and things. Here's a brief overview of the different kinds of adjectives:
Proper Adjectives
Proper adjectives are derived from proper nouns and used to describe specific people, places, or things. They are always capitalized. For instance, "She loves Italian cuisine," where “Italian” is a proper adjective referring to the country Italy.
Compound Adjectives
Compound adjectives are two or more words used together to modify a noun as one adjective. Examples of compound adjectives include words like well-known, high-level, and long-term.
We use compound adjectives to provide more detailed information. For example, in the sentence "She is a well-known dancer," the compound adjective "well-known" is used to give more information about the “dancer.”
Comparative Adjectives
Comparative adjectives are used to compare two people, places, or things by highlighting differences in degree or quality. Examples include taller, stronger, and brighter. For instance, in the sentence, "She is taller than her brother," the adjective “taller” compares two individuals.
Superlative Adjectives
Superlative adjectives help us compare three or more people, places, or things. These adjectives are used to describe the highest degree of something. Examples of superlative adjectives include words like tallest, strongest, and cleverest.
We use superlative adjectives to describe the best of something. For example, in the sentence "He is the brightest student," the superlative adjective "brightest" is used to describe how he is the best among all students.
Demonstrative Adjectives
Demonstrative adjectives are used to point out a specific noun or pronoun in a sentence. Examples of demonstrative adjectives include words like this, that, these, and those.
We use demonstrative adjectives to indicate which person, place, or thing we are talking about. For example, in the sentence "This house is for sale," the demonstrative adjective "this" is used to point out the specific house being referred to.
Possessive Adjectives
Possessive adjectives show ownership of something in a sentence. Examples of possessive adjectives include words like my, your, his, and her.
We use possessive adjectives to indicate who owns something. For example, in the sentence "My car is red," the possessive adjective "my" is used to show that the speaker owns the car.
Predicate Adjectives
Predicate adjectives are adjectives that follow a linking verb in a sentence. Examples of predicate adjectives include words like happy, sad, and excited.
We use predicate adjectives to describe the subject of the sentence. For example, in the sentence "The student is excited," the predicate adjective "excited" is used to describe the student.
Participial Adjectives
Participial adjectives are formed from participles and come from verbs but describe nouns. They typically end in “-ing” or “-ed.” For example, in the sentence, "The running water is cold," “running” is a participial adjective.
Limiting Adjectives
Limiting adjectives define the quantity, possession, or definiteness of a noun. Examples include few, every, my, this. In the sentence, "I have three books," “three” is a limiting adjective indicating the number of books.
Descriptive Adjectives
Descriptive adjectives describe the quality, state, or characteristic of a noun. For example, "She wore a red dress," where “red” is a descriptive adjective describing the dress. The majority of adjectives are descriptive.
Interrogative Adjectives
Interrogative adjectives are used in questions to modify a noun or a group of nouns. They include words like which, what, and whose. For example, in the sentence, “Which book is yours?” “which” is an interrogative adjective.
Attributive Adjectives
Attributive adjectives are adjectives that are placed before the noun they modify, describing the noun directly. For instance, in "I have a really fast car," “fast” is an attributive adjective.
Distributive Adjectives
Distributive adjectives refer to members of a group individually rather than collectively. Examples include each, every, either, neither. For example, in the sentence "Each student received a book," “each” is a distributive adjective.
Lists of Adjectives in English
Now, let's take a look at this useful list of adjectives in English for your reference.
Proper Adjectives List
Here is a list of proper adjectives that you can use to refer to unique proper nouns:
- American
- Japanese
- Chinese
- French
- Mexican
- European
- African
- Victorian
- Shakespearean
- Elizabethan
- Napoleonic
- Kafkaesque
- Christian
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Compound Adjectives List
Below is a list of compound adjectives that you can use to describe people, places, and things:
- Above-average
- Aforementioned
- After-mentioned
- Age-old
- All-inclusive
- All-important
- All-purpose
- All-round
- Already-known
- Always-ready
- Any-time
- Anywhere-available
- At-issue
- Back-to-back
- Bad-tempered
- Best-known
- Better-off
- Bottom-line
- Brain-dead
- Breath-taking
- Business-related
- Carefree-spirited
- Carefully-chosen
- City-based
- Cost-effective
- Deep-rooted
- Easily-accessible
- Easily-available
- Easy-to-use
- Everyday-living
- Far-reaching
- Far-sighted
- Few-and-far-between
- Fifty-fifty
- First-class
- First-ever
- First-hand
- Five-star
- Forthcoming
- Fully-equipped
- Fully-grown
- Fully-fledged
- Fully-functional
- Fully-grown
- Fully-trained
- Fun-filled
- Good-for-nothing
- Good-hearted
- Good-natured
- Government-run
- Hard-working
- Highly-educated
- Highly-skilled
- Highly-trained
- In-depth
- In-house
- In-time
- Less-than-perfect
- Light-hearted
- Long-distance
- Long-term
- Lower-class
- Near-perfect
- Nearby-located
- Never-ending
- New-born
- Newly-developed
- Open-ended
- Out-of-date
- Outside-the-box
- Over-the-top
- Pet-friendly
- Right-minded
- Second-class
- Self-employed
- Self-explanatory
- Self-taught
- Short-term
- Small-scale
- State-of-the-art
- Straight-forward
- Third-party
- Time-consuming
- Time-honored
- Time-saving
- Well-balanced
- Well-behaved
- Well-defined
- Well-organized
- Well-rounded
- Well-thought-out
- Wide-ranging
- World-famous
Comparative Adjectives Word List
Here is a list of comparative adjectives that you can use to describe how one thing is compared to the other:
- Smarter
- Faster
- Happier
- Colder
- Hotter
- Longer
- Better
- Worse
- Less
- More
- More beautiful
Superlative Adjectives Word List
Here is a list of superlative adjectives that you can use to compare three or more people, places, or things:
- Biggest
- Best
- Bravest
- Brightest
- Busiest
- Cheapest
- Cleanest
- Cleverest
- Cutest
- Deepest
- Farthest
- Finest
- Firmest
- First
- Fittest
- Greatest
- Hardest
- Highest
- Latest
- Longest
- Lowest
- Largest
- Most
- Nearest
- Oldest
- Poorest
- Quietest
- Rarest
- Richest
- Shallowest
- Shortest
- Simplest
- Smallest
- Softest
- Strongest
- Tallest
- Tastiest
- Thinnest
- Wettest
- Widest
- Worst
Demonstrative Adjectives List
Here is a list of demonstrative adjectives in English that you can use to point out a specific noun or pronoun in sentences:
- This
- That
- These
- Those
Possessive Adjectives List
Here is a list of possessive adjectives in English that you can use to show ownership or possession of something:
- My
- Your
- His
- Her
- Its
- Our
- Their
Participial Adjectives List
Below is a list of participial adjectives in English that you can use to describe nouns based on a verb’s participle form:
- Tiring
- Bored
- Exciting
- Shocked
- Frightening
- Amused
- Surprised
- Annoyed
- Confusing
- Amazing
Limiting Adjectives List
Here is a list of limiting adjectives in English that you can use to define the quantity, possession, or definiteness of something:
- Few
- Many
- Several
- This
- That
- Each
- Every
- My
- Their
- Some
Descriptive Adjectives List
There is a list of descriptive adjectives in English that you can use to describe the quality, state, or characteristic of a noun:
- Beautiful
- Happy
- Tall
- Green
- Soft
- Cold
- Bright
- Rough
- Delicious
- Quiet
Interrogative Adjectives List
Here is a list of interrogative adjectives in English that you can use to ask questions about nouns:
- Which
- What
- Whose
Attributive Adjectives List
Below is a list of attributive adjectives in English that you can use to describe a noun directly before it in a sentence:
- Big
- Old
- Fast
- Blue
- Happy
- Young
- Bright
- Funny
- Strong
Distributive Adjectives List
Here is a list of distributive adjectives in English that you can use to refer to members of a group individually:
- Each
- Every
- Either
- Neither
- Any
- Both
Adjective Suffixes List
Here is a list of common adjective suffixes in English that you can use to create new adjectives from existing words:
- -able
- -al
- -ful
- -ic
- -ive
- -less
- -ous
Examples of words with adjective suffixes:
- Comfortable
- Natural
- Beautiful
- Exotic
- Creative
- Useless
- Gorgeous
Adjective Phrase Examples
Adjective phrases are groups of words that modify a noun or pronoun in a sentence. Here are some examples of 10 adjective phrases:
- The old, red car
- A pretty little girl
- A huge, fluffy dog
- A bright yellow flower
- An incredibly delicious meal
- A brand new laptop
- A loud, obnoxious noise
- A soft, comfy pillow
- An extremely expensive necklace
- A small, fast car
Sentences With Adjectives Examples List
Here are some examples of sentences with adjectives:
- He was wearing a bright yellow shirt.
- She has the most beautiful eyes.
- I have a long-term goal of becoming a doctor.
- These shoes are too big for me.
- They bought the cheapest car in the lot.
- I found the nicest cafe in town.
- That was the most amazing cake I've ever eaten.
- This dress is the most elegant one in the store.
- She is the smartest student in the class.
- He is the strongest man I know.
- I'm looking for the most comfortable shoes.
50 Useful Adjectives for Practice
- Amazing
- Beautiful
- Colorful
- Delightful
- Elegant
- Fabulous
- Gorgeous
- Handsome
- Incredible
- Joyful
- Kind
- Lovely
- Magnificent
- Nice
- Outstanding
- Perfect
- Quality
- Radiant
- Splendid
- Terrific
- Unique
- Vibrant
- Wonderful
- Adorable
- Attractive
- Bright
- Charming
- Cheerful
- Classy
- Comfortable
- Cool
- Cute
- Dazzling
- Exquisite
- Fantastic
- Glamorous
- Glorious
- Graceful
- Grand
- Impressive
- Jolly
- Marvelous
- Modern
- Pleasant
- Powerful
- Refined
- Shiny
- Smooth
- Powerful
- Handy
Summary
Adjectives are used to describe or modify nouns and pronouns in a sentence. There are many kinds of adjectives, from simple one-word to complex multi-word adjectives.
We explored the different kinds of adjectives and provided a list of adjectives in English. We hope this list of adjectives will be helpful to you as a reference! Find more information about Parts of Speech in English or Adjectives.
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