List of Adjectives: Learn List of 200 Popular Adjectives in English

In this article, we’ll be exploring a comprehensive list of adjectives in English, ranging from the most common to the more obscure. We’ll be covering different categories of adjectives, such as descriptive, comparative, and superlative adjectives, and providing examples of how they can be used in a sentence. Whether you’re a native speaker or learning English as a second language, this list is sure to come in handy.

List of Adjectives

List of Adjectives

Adjective Definition

An adjective is a part of speech that describes, identifies, or quantifies a noun or a pronoun. An adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun so that it will become more specific and interesting.

Adjectives examples:

  • She was a very beautiful woman.
  • The dolphin is an intelligent animal.
  • This dish is delicious with cream.
  • I was too nervous to eat.
  • The baby put his tiny hand in mine.

Adjectives List

This list of adjectives in English is a good place to start expanding your English vocabulary.

  • Abrupt
  • Acidic
  • Adorable
  • Amiable
  • Amused
  • Appalling
  • Appetizing
  • Average
  • Batty
  • Beautiful
  • Blushing
  • Bored
  • Brave
  • Bright
  • Broad
  • Bulky
  • Burly
  • Charming
  • Cheeky
  • Cheerful
  • Chubby
  • Clean
  • Clear
  • Cloudy
  • Clueless
  • Clumsy
  • Cool
  • Creepy
  • Crooked
  • Cruel
  • Cumbersome
  • Curved
  • Cynical
  • Dangerous
  • Dashing
  • Decayed
  • Deceitful
  • Deep
  • Defeated
  • Defiant
  • Delicious
  • Disturbed
  • Dizzy
  • Drab
  • Drained
  • Dull
  • Eager
  • Ecstatic
  • Elated
  • Elegant
  • Emaciated
  • Embarrassed
  • Enchanting
  • Energetic
  • Enormous
  • Extensive
  • Exuberant
  • Fancy
  • Fantastic
  • Fast
  • Fierce
  • Filthy
  • Flat
  • Floppy
  • Fluttering
  • Foolish
  • Frantic
  • Fresh
  • Friendly
  • Frightened
  • Frothy
  • Funny
  • Fuzzy
  • Gaudy
  • Gentle
  • Ghastly
  • Giddy
  • Gigantic
  • Glamorous
  • Gleaming
  • Glorious
  • Gorgeous
  • Graceful
  • Greasy
  • Grieving
  • Gritty
  • Grotesque
  • Grubby
  • Grumpy
  • Handsome
  • Happy
  • Healthy
  • Helpful
  • Helpless
  • High
  • Hollow
  • Homely
  • Hot
  • Horrific
  • Huge
  • Hungry
  • Hurt
  • Icy
  • Ideal
  • Intelligent
  • Irritable
  • Itchy
  • Intrigued
  • Irate
  • Jealous
  • Jittery
  • Jolly
  • Joyous
  • Juicy
  • Jumpy
  • Kind
  • Lethal
  • Little
  • Lively
  • Livid
  • Lonely
  • Lovely
  • Lucky
  • Ludicrous
  • Macho
  • Mute
  • Narrow
  • Nasty
  • Naughty
  • Nervous
  • Nutty
  • Perfect
  • Perplexed
  • Petite
  • Petty
  • Plain
  • Pleasant
  • Poised
  • Pompous
  • Precious
  • Prickly
  • Proud
  • Pungent
  • Puny
  • Quaint
  • Reassured
  • Relieved
  • Repulsive
  • Responsive
  • Ripe
  • Robust
  • Rotten
  • Rotund
  • Rough
  • Round
  • Salty
  • Sarcastic
  • Scant
  • Scary
  • Scattered
  • Scrawny
  • Selfish
  • Shaggy
  • Shaky
  • Shallow
  • Sharp
  • Shiny
  • Short
  • Silky
  • Silly
  • Skinny
  • Slimy
  • Slippery
  • Small
  • Straight
  • Sweet
  • Tart
  • Tasty
  • Teeny
  • Tender
  • Tense
  • Terrible
  • Testy
  • Thankful
  • Thick
  • Tight
  • Timely
  • Tricky
  • Trite
  • Uneven
  • Tiny
  • Uptight
  • Vast
  • Vexed
  • Vivid
  • Wacky
  • Weary
  • Zany
  • Zealous
  • Zippy

Adjectives Examples

  • How could he explain his abrupt disappearance from the party?
  • If you’re brave enough to say GOODBYE, life will reward you with a new HELLO.
  • I’m amazed that she keeps so cheerful.
  • We argued him out of going on such a dangerous journey.
  • He looked relaxed and elegant and had the patina of success.
  • The children here are quite friendly with one another.
  • The advertisements depict smoking as glamorous and attractive.
  • He takes a ghoulish delight in reading about horrific murders.
  • After giving up smoking, he became fat and irritable.
  • She told me all the juicy details.
  • His cruelty belied his kind words.
  • It was ludicrous to suggest that the visit could be kept secret.
  • He’s too macho to ever admit he was wrong.
  • He looked like a nutty professor.
  • He became involved in petty crime as a teenager.
  • There were many small lanes in the quaint village.
  • Gleeson was so repulsive that surely no one would be interested in him.
  • It was a really scary moment.
  • It had been a long day, and Sarah was getting a little testy.
  • Relax! You’re getting too uptight about it.
  • The dictionary is a vast treasure trove of information.
  • I don’t want to make the novel sound wacky, let alone conspiratorial.
  • She was most zealous in performing her duties.
Related  Feeling Words: 100+ Useful Words for Talking about Feeling Good or Bad

List of Adjectives Across Various Categories

Color

  • Red
  • Blue
  • Green
  • Yellow
  • White
  • Black
  • Purple
  • Orange
  • Pink
  • Gray

Size

  • Big
  • Small
  • Large
  • Tiny
  • Huge
  • Tall
  • Short
  • Long
  • Wide
  • Narrow

Shape

  • Round
  • Square
  • Triangular
  • Oval
  • Rectangular
  • Flat
  • Curved
  • Bulky
  • Skinny
  • Plump

Quality

  • Good
  • Bad
  • Excellent
  • Poor
  • Fantastic
  • Terrible
  • Wonderful
  • Mediocre
  • Superior
  • Inferior

Age

  • Young
  • Old
  • Ancient
  • New
  • Modern
  • Antique
  • Youthful
  • Elderly
  • Mature
  • Ageless

Texture/Material

  • Soft
  • Hard
  • Rough
  • Smooth
  • Woolen
  • Metallic
  • Silky
  • Wooden
  • Plastic
  • Glass

Taste/Smell

  • Sweet
  • Sour
  • Bitter
  • Salty
  • Spicy
  • Fragrant
  • Stinky
  • Aromatic
  • Tasteless
  • Pungent

Sound

  • Loud
  • Quiet
  • Noisy
  • Silent
  • Melodic
  • Ear-piercing
  • Harmonious
  • Muffled
  • Deafening
  • Soft

Emotion/Feeling

  • Happy
  • Sad
  • Angry
  • Joyful
  • Depressed
  • Anxious
  • Excited
  • Nervous
  • Content
  • Jealous

Condition

  • Wet
  • Dry
  • Clean
  • Dirty
  • Intact
  • Broken
  • Whole
  • Shattered
  • Flawless
  • Damaged

Quantity

  • Many
  • Few
  • Several
  • Abundant
  • Sparse
  • Ample
  • Numerous
  • Limited
  • Countless
  • Scarce

Time

  • Early
  • Late
  • Timely
  • Rapid
  • Slow
  • Quick
  • Brief
  • Eternal
  • Momentary
  • Speedy

Distance

  • Far
  • Near
  • Distant
  • Close
  • Remote
  • Adjacent
  • Nearby
  • Faraway
  • Extended
  • Proximate

Ability/Possibility

  • Able
  • Unable
  • Possible
  • Impossible
  • Likely
  • Unlikely
  • Capable
  • Incompetent
  • Skilled
  • Unskilled

Opinion

  • Beautiful
  • Ugly
  • Smart
  • Dumb
  • Interesting
  • Boring
  • Exciting
  • Tedious
  • Attractive
  • Repulsive

List of Common Adjectives

Adjectives Meanings with Examples
Happy Feeling or showing pleasure or contentment
“She felt happy after receiving good news.”
Sad Feeling or showing sorrow; unhappy
“He was sad about the departure of his friend.”
Big Of considerable size, extent, or intensity
“They live in a big house.”
Small Of a size that is less than normal or usual
“The small kitten could fit in the palm of her hand.”
Easy Achieved without great effort; presenting few difficulties
“The test was surprisingly easy.”
Difficult Needing much effort or skill to accomplish, deal with, or understand
“The puzzle was too difficult for the young child.”
Young Having lived or existed for only a short time
“The young artist showed a lot of promise.”
Old Having lived for a long time; no longer young
“The old tree had stood in the park for centuries.”
Fast Moving or capable of moving at high speed
“The fast runner won the race.”
Slow Moving or operating, or designed to do so, only at a low speed
“The slow internet connection was frustrating.”
Good To be desired or approved of
“She had a good time at the party.”
Bad Of poor quality or a low standard
“The food tasted bad.”
Beautiful Pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically
“The sunset was beautiful.”
Ugly Unpleasant or repulsive, especially in appearance
“The ugly duckling turned into a beautiful swan.”
Smart Having or showing quick-witted intelligence
“The smart student solved the math problem quickly.”
Stupid Lacking intelligence or common sense
“It was a stupid mistake to make.”
Rich Having a great deal of money or assets; wealthy
“The rich businessman donated to many charities.”
Poor Lacking sufficient money to live at a standard considered comfortable or normal in society
“The poor family struggled to make ends meet.”
Strong Having the power to move heavy weights or perform other physically demanding tasks
“She is strong enough to lift the heavy box.”
Weak Lacking the power to perform physically demanding tasks; having little physical strength or energy
“After the illness, he felt very weak.”
Tall Of great or more than average height, especially (with reference to an object) relative to width
“The tall building dominated the skyline.”
Short Of a small amount or duration; having little length or height
“The short man stood next to the basketball player.”
Funny Causing laughter or amusement; humorous
“The clown was very funny.”
Serious Solemn or thoughtful in character or manner
“The situation called for a serious response.”
Hot Having a high degree of heat or a high temperature
“It was a hot summer day.”
Cold Of or at a low or relatively low temperature, especially when compared with the human body
“She shivered in the cold weather.”

List of Uncommon Adjectives

Adjectives Meanings with Examples
Arcane Understood by few; mysterious or secret
“The book is full of arcane references that only scholars understand.”
Bucolic Relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life
“The bucolic landscape inspired the artist.”
Cacophonous Involving or producing a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds
“The city’s streets were filled with cacophonous noise.”
Dilapidated In a state of disrepair or ruin as a result of age or neglect
“The dilapidated mansion had a haunted reputation.”
Effervescent Vivacious and enthusiastic
“Her effervescent personality made her popular at social events.”
Furtive Attempting to avoid notice or attention, typically because of guilt
“His furtive glances made her suspicious.”
Gregarious Fond of company; sociable
“The gregarious host enjoyed throwing large parties.”
Hapless Unfortunate; having no luck
“The hapless travelers got lost in the wilderness.”
Idiosyncratic Peculiar or individual
“She had some idiosyncratic habits that amused her friends.”
Jubilant Feeling or expressing great happiness and triumph
“The crowd was jubilant when the team won the championship.”
Kaleidoscopic Having complex patterns of colors; multifaceted
“The kaleidoscopic display mesmerized the onlookers.”
Luminous Full of or shedding light; bright or shining
“The luminous stars lit up the night sky.”
Mellifluous Sweet or musical; pleasant to hear
“Her mellifluous voice captivated the audience.”
Nebulous In the form of a cloud or haze; hazy
“The boundaries of the concept were nebulous and undefined.”
Obtuse Annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand
“He was too obtuse to notice that she was upset.”
Pernicious Having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way
“The pernicious influence of the propaganda worried the leaders.”
Quixotic Exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical
“His quixotic plans for the city’s future never came to fruition.”
Reticent Not revealing one’s thoughts or feelings readily
“She was reticent about her experiences during the war.”
Serendipitous Occurring or discovered by chance in a happy or beneficial way
“Finding the rare book at the flea market was serendipitous.”
Tumultuous Making a loud, confused noise; uproarious
“The crowd’s tumultuous applause lasted several minutes.”
Ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere
“Mobile phones are ubiquitous these days.”
Verdant Green with grass or other rich vegetation
“The verdant meadows were a welcome sight.”
Winsome Attractive or appealing in appearance or character
“The child’s winsome smile won over everyone’s hearts.”
Xenophobic Having or showing a dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries
“The xenophobic policies were criticized internationally.”
Yielding Giving way under pressure; not hard or rigid
“The yielding pillows were very comfortable.”
Zephyr A gentle, mild breeze
“The zephyr made the day perfect for a picnic.”

Comprehensive List of Adjectives in English

Strong adjectives Adjectives that start with K
Adjectives to describe people Adjectives that start with L
Adjectives of attitude Adjectives that start with M
Adjectives of quantity Adjectives that start with N
Personality traits Adjectives that start with O
Adjectives to describe a person Adjectives that start with P
Adjectives that start with A Adjectives that start with Q
Adjectives that start with B Adjectives that start with R
Adjectives that start with C Adjectives that start with S
Adjectives that start with D Adjectives that start with T
Adjectives that start with E Adjectives that start with U
Adjectives that start with F Adjectives that start with V
Adjectives that start with G Adjectives that start with W
Adjectives that start with H Adjectives that start with X
Adjectives that start with I Adjectives that start with Y
Adjectives that start with J Adjectives that start with Z
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Last Updated on December 5, 2023

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