List of Adjectives
The list of adjectives is something of wonder. Behold the modest adjective. It can leap tall buildings in a single bound. It makes the average citizen smarter and kinder. It keeps you in the cleanest car on the block. Such potent words should be used wisely. Read on and learn how to use your adjective powers for good.
An adjective?s job is to modify a noun or pronoun. They are always near the noun or pronoun they are describing. Be careful how you use adjectives such as interesting, beautiful, great, wonderful, or exciting. Many adjectives like these are overused and add little definition to a sentence. Instead, show your reader or listener what you are talking about by using verbs and nouns creatively. Sprinkle fewer well-chosen adjectives for interest.
Adjectives are often used to describe the degree of modification.
The adjective forms are positive, comparative, and superlative.
This tree is tall. (positive)
That tree is taller. (comparative)
The last tree in the row is the tallest. (superlative)
A handful of adjectives have irregular forms of positive, comparative, and superlative usage.
These include good/better/best, bad/worse/worst, little/less/least, much-many-some/more/most, far/further/furthest.
My lunch was good, hers was better, and yours was the best.
Proper adjectives are derived from proper nouns. They commonly describe something in terms of nationality, religious affiliation, or culture. Like proper nouns, proper adjectives have their first letter capitalized. Some examples of proper adjectives include:
American
French
Japanese
Latino
Asian
Australian
Catholic
Lutheran
Jewish
The following lists are just a sampling of adjectives in the English language. They are categorized by the type of attribute they describe. Use your dictionary or thesaurus to add to each list or use the complete list below this one.
| Appearance Adjectives adorable beautiful clean drab elegant fancy glamorous handsome long magnificent old-fashioned plain quaint sparkling ugliest unsightly wide-eyed | Color Adjectives red orange yellow green blue purple gray black white | Condition Adjectives alive better careful clever dead easy famous gifted helpful important inexpensive mushy odd powerful rich shy tender uninterested vast wrong. | Feelings (Bad) Adjectives angry bewildered clumsy defeated embarrassed fierce grumpy helpless itchy jealous lazy mysterious nervous obnoxious panicky repulsive scary thoughtless uptight worried |
| Feelings (Good) Adjectives agreeable brave calm delightful eager faithful gentle happy jolly kind lively nice obedient proud relieved silly thankful victorious witty zealous | Shape Adjectives broad chubby crooked curved deep flat high hollow low narrow round shallow skinny square steep straight wide. | Size Adjectives big colossal fat gigantic great huge immense large little mammoth massive miniature petite puny scrawny short small tall teeny teeny-tiny tiny | Sound Adjectives cooing deafening faint hissing loud melodic noisy purring quiet raspy screeching thundering voiceless whispering |
| Time Adjectives ancient brief early fast late long modern old old-fashioned quick rapid short slow swift young | Taste/Touch Adjectives bitter delicious fresh greasy juicy hot icy loose melted nutritious prickly rainy rotten salty sticky strong sweet tart tasteless uneven weak wet wooden yummy | Touch Adjectives boiling breeze broken bumpy chilly cold cool creepy crooked cuddly curly damaged damp dirty dry dusty filthy flaky fluffy freezing hot warm wet | Quantity Adjectives abundant empty few full heavy light many numerous sparse substantial |
Why do you need a list of adjectives? Adjectives can turn the ordinary in to the extraordinary. When used properly, they can add vivid interest to your conversation or written communication. However, there can be too much of a good thing. Please keep your adjectives effective by choosing them wisely.
Comprehensive List of Adjectives
| A aback abaft abandoned abashed aberrant abhorrent abiding abject ablaze able abnormal aboard aboriginal abortive abounding abrasive abrupt absent absorbed absorbing abstracted absurd abundant abusive acceptable accessible accidental accurate acid acidic acoustic acrid actually ad hoc adamant adaptable addicted adhesive adjoining adorable adventurous afraid aggressive agonizing agreeable ahead ajar alcoholic alert alike alive alleged alluring aloof amazing ambiguous ambitious amuck amused amusing ancient angry animated annoyed annoying anxious apathetic aquatic aromatic arrogant ashamed aspiring assorted astonishing attractive auspicious automatic available average awake aware awesome awful axiomatic | B bad barbarous bashful bawdy beautiful befitting belligerent beneficial bent berserk best better bewildered big billowy bite-sized bitter bizarre black black-and-white bloody blue blue-eyed blushing boiling boorish bored boring bouncy boundless brainy brash brave brawny breakable breezy brief bright bright broad broken brown bumpy burly bustling busy | C cagey calculating callous calm capable capricious careful careless caring cautious ceaseless certain changeable charming cheap cheerful chemical chief childlike chilly chivalrous chubby chunky clammy classy clean clear clever cloistered cloudy closed clumsy cluttered coherent cold colorful colossal combative comfortable common complete complex concerned condemned confused conscious cooing cool cooperative coordinated courageous cowardly crabby craven crazy creepy crooked crowded cruel cuddly cultured cumbersome curious curly curved curvy cut cute cute cynical | D daffy daily damaged damaging damp dangerous dapper dark dashing dazzling dead deadpan deafening dear debonair decisive decorous deep deeply defeated defective defiant delicate delicious delightful demonic delirious dependent depressed deranged descriptive deserted detailed determined devilish didactic different difficult diligent direful dirty disagreeable disastrous discreet disgusted disgusting disillusioned dispensable distinct disturbed divergent dizzy domineering doubtful drab draconian dramatic dreary drunk dry dull dusty dusty dynamic dysfunctional | E eager early earsplitting earthy easy eatable economic educated efficacious efficient eight elastic elated elderly electric elegant elfin elite embarrassed eminent empty enchanted enchanting encouraging endurable energetic enormous entertaining enthusiastic envious equable equal erect erratic ethereal evanescent evasive even excellent excited exciting exclusive exotic expensive extra-large extra-small exuberant exultant |
| F fabulous faded faint fair faithful fallacious false familiar famous fanatical fancy fantastic far far-flung fascinated fast fat faulty fearful fearless feeble feigned female fertile festive few fierce filthy fine finicky first five fixed flagrant flaky flashy flat flawless flimsy flippant flowery fluffy fluttering foamy foolish foregoing forgetful fortunate four frail fragile frantic free freezing frequent fresh fretful friendly frightened frightening full fumbling functional funny furry furtive future futuristic fuzzy | G gabby gainful gamy gaping garrulous gaudy general gentle giant giddy gifted gigantic glamorous gleaming glib glistening glorious glossy godly good goofy gorgeous graceful grandiose grateful gratis gray greasy great greedy green grey grieving groovy grotesque grouchy grubby gruesome grumpy guarded guiltless gullible gusty guttural | H habitual half hallowed halting handsome handsomely handy hanging hapless happy hard hard-to-find harmonious harsh hateful heady healthy heartbreaking heavenly heavy hellish helpful helpless hesitant hideous high highfalutin high-pitched hilarious hissing historical holistic hollow homeless homely honorable horrible hospitable hot huge hulking humdrum humorous hungry hurried hurt hushed husky hypnotic hysterical | I icky icy idiotic ignorant ill illegal ill-fated ill-informed illustrious imaginary immense imminent impartial imperfect impolite important imported impossible incandescent incompetent inconclusive industrious incredible inexpensive infamous innate innocent inquisitive insidious instinctive intelligent interesting internal invincible irate irritating itchy | J jaded jagged jazzy jealous jittery jobless jolly joyous judicious juicy jumbled jumpy juvenile |
| K kaput keen kind kindhearted kindly knotty knowing knowledgeable known | L labored lackadaisical lacking lame lamentable languid large last late laughable lavish lazy lean learned left legal lethal level lewd light like likeable limping literate little lively lively living lonely long longing long-term loose lopsided loud loutish lovely loving low lowly lucky ludicrous lumpy lush luxuriant lying lyrical | M macabre macho maddening madly magenta magical magnificent majestic makeshift male malicious mammoth maniacal many marked massive married marvelous material materialistic mature mean measly meaty medical meek mellow melodic melted merciful mere messy mighty military milky mindless miniature minor miscreant misty mixed moaning modern moldy momentous motionless mountainous muddled mundane murky mushy mute mysterious | N naive nappy narrow nasty natural naughty nauseating near neat nebulous necessary needless needy neighborly nervous new next nice nifty nimble nine nippy noiseless noisy nonchalant nondescript nonstop normal nostalgic nosy noxious null numberless numerous nutritious nutty | O oafish obedient obeisant obese obnoxious obscene obsequious observant obsolete obtainable oceanic odd offbeat old old-fashioned omniscient one onerous open opposite optimal orange ordinary organic ossified outgoing outrageous outstanding oval overconfident overjoyed overrated overt overwrought |
| P painful painstaking pale paltry panicky panoramic parallel parched parsimonious past pastoral pathetic peaceful penitent perfect periodic permissible perpetual petite petite phobic physical picayune pink piquant placid plain plant plastic plausible pleasant plucky pointless poised polite political poor possessive possible powerful precious premium present pretty previous pricey prickly private probable productive profuse protective proud psychedelic psychotic public puffy pumped puny purple purring pushy puzzled puzzling | Q quack quaint quarrelsome questionable quick quickest quiet quirky quixotic quizzical | R rabid racial ragged rainy rambunctious rampant rapid rare raspy ratty ready real rebel receptive recondite red redundant reflective regular relieved remarkable reminiscent repulsive resolute resonant responsible rhetorical rich right righteous rightful rigid ripe ritzy roasted robust romantic roomy rotten rough round royal ruddy rude rural rustic ruthless | S sable sad safe salty same sassy satisfying savory scandalous scarce scared scary scattered scientific scintillating scrawny screeching second second-hand secret secretive sedate seemly selective selfish separate serious shaggy shaky shallow sharp shiny shivering shocking short shrill shut shy sick silent silent silky silly simple simplistic sincere six skillful skinny sleepy slim slimy slippery sloppy slow small smart smelly smiling smoggy smooth sneaky snobbish snotty soft soggy solid somber sophisticated sordid sore sore sour sparkling special spectacular spicy spiffy spiky spiritual spiteful splendid spooky spotless spotted spotty spurious squalid square squealing squeamish staking stale standing statuesque steadfast steady steep stereotyped sticky stiff stimulating stingy stormy straight strange striped strong stupendous stupid sturdy subdued subsequent substantial successful succinct sudden sulky super superb superficial supreme swanky sweet sweltering swift symptomatic synonymous | T taboo tacit tacky talented tall tame tan tangible tangy tart tasteful tasteless tasty tawdry tearful tedious teeny teeny-tiny telling temporary ten tender tense tense tenuous terrible terrific tested testy thankful therapeutic thick thin thinkable third thirsty thirsty thoughtful thoughtless threatening three thundering tidy tight tightfisted tiny tired tiresome toothsome torpid tough towering tranquil trashy tremendous tricky trite troubled truculent true truthful two typical |
| U ubiquitous ugliest ugly ultra unable unaccountable unadvised unarmed unbecoming unbiased uncovered understood undesirable unequal unequaled uneven unhealthy uninterested unique unkempt unknown unnatural unruly unsightly unsuitable untidy unused unusual unwieldy unwritten upbeat uppity upset uptight used useful useless utopian utter uttermost | V vacuous vagabond vague valuable various vast vengeful venomous verdant versed victorious vigorous violent violet vivacious voiceless volatile voracious vulgar | W wacky waggish waiting wakeful wandering wanting warlike warm wary wasteful watery weak wealthy weary well-groomed well-made well-off well-to-do wet whimsical whispering white whole wholesale wicked wide wide-eyed wiggly wild willing windy wiry wise wistful witty woebegone womanly wonderful wooden woozy workable worried worthless wrathful wretched wrong wry |
