Descriptive Adjectives

Apart from Descriptive Adjectives, the other types of adjectives include: Demonstrative,
Interrogative, Numeric, Possessive, Quantitative, And Qualitative.

The eight parts of speech: Noun, Verb, Adjective, Adverb, Pronoun, Conjunction,
Preposition, and Interjection, form the backbone of English grammar and composition.
Adjectives are used extensively in regular conversation and writing, specifically when we are
describing something. Adjectives are one of the eight parts of speech that express an
attribute of a place, thing, an event or a person. In simpler words, adjectives describe,
qualify, or modify nouns. Adjectives precede the noun in a sentence. There can be more than
two adjectives qualifying a single noun. Here, we will learn about descriptive adjectives and
limiting adjectives.

Descriptive Adjectives
The group of Descriptive Adjectives is the largest among all the types of adjectives. They
describe the noun in detail by assigning an attribute to it. The list of descriptive adjectives is
considered nearly unending, as there are numerous words to describe nearly all nouns.

The following are lists of adjectives, categorized according to those describing quality,
personality trait, color, size, shape, sound, and feeling. They can also be used to describe the
quality of something, or even to describe a person's character.

Adjectives Describing Appearance

Example: Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her
charm as the Tarleton twins were. But it was an arresting face, pointed of chin, square of
jaw. Her eyes were pale green without a touch of hazel, starred with bristly black lashes and
slightly tilted at the ends.

Appearance of a person can be described in numerous ways. Now, take a look at the
aforementioned example. Here, the highlighted words are adjectives describing appearance of
the character. The word Beautiful is commonly used to describe a woman. Similarly, the other
words, arresting, pointed, square, pale green, etc., describe different facial features. Here are
examples of adjectives describing appearance or facial features:
Adorable Attractive Alluring
Beautiful Bewildered Boorish
Bright Confident Cheerful
Cultured Clumsy Drab
Dull Dynamic Disillusioned
Elegant Energetic Fair
Fancy Filthy Gentle
Glamorous Handsome Homely
Hurt Ill-mannered Jolly
 Lovely Magnificent Neat
Nervous Pleasant Perfect
Plucky Prim Smiling
Splendid Self-assured Snobbish
Thoughtful Tense Timid
Upset Vivacious Wonderful
Worried Wild Zaftig

Adjectives Describing Personality

Example: The unique, the complex, the extraordinary and irreplaceable Diana whose
beauty, both internal and external, will never be extinguished from our minds.

The words:, unique, complex, extraordinary and irreplaceable are used to describe the
personality of the Princess. While the words, internal and external are other types of
adjectives.
Aggressive Ambitious Amused
Brave Barbarous Cruel
Combative Co-operative Cowardly
Dangerous Diligent Determined
Disagreeable Evil Erratic
Frank Fearless Friendly
Generous Gifted Helpful
Harmonious Hesitant Instinctive
Jealous Knowing Kind-hearted
Loner Mysterious Naughty
Pleasing Placid Punctual
Quiet Rigid Successful
Sedate Sincere Selfish
Talented Thrifty Truculent
Unbiased Voracious Witty
Wise Warm Zany

Adjectives Describing Feelings

Example: She wasn't bitter. She was sad, though. But it was a hopeful kind of sad. The kind
of sad that just takes time.

Here the words bitter, sad are negative words that describe one's feelings. On the other hand,
hopeful is a feeling that describes optimism. These type of adjectives are used to describe
people's emotions and feelings.
 Afraid Angry Anxious
Bad Bored Berserk
Calm Confused Comfortable
Creepy Depressed Disturbed
Dominating Deceitful Envious
Elated Faithful Fine
Frustrated Good Gloomy
Grieving Horrible Happy
Hungry Ill Jovial
Kind Lively Mature
Nice Proud Peaceful
Protective Sorrowful Silly
Somber Sore Tired
Troubled Testy Unwell
Unhappy Vengeful Wicked
Weary Wrong Zestful

Adjectives Describing Shape

Example: The two Bludgers are round, jet black balls, made of iron

These adjectives are usually used to describe a thing. Round is a descriptive adjective that
tells us more about the shape of the ball; while jet black, another adjective, describes its color.
Broad Crooked Circular
Distorted Flat Hollow
Narrow Round Square
Skinny Steep Wide

Adjectives Describing Size

Example: They would not allow me to be a dwarf, because my littleness was beyond all
degrees of comparison; for the queen's favorite dwarf, the smallest ever known in that
kingdom, was near thirty feet high.

These adjectives are also commonly used to describe things. Here, smallest is a superlative
degree (degree of comparison) used to describe the size of the dwarf.
Big Colossal Great
Gigantic Huge Large
Miniature Mammoth Petite
Tall Thin Tiny
Adjectives Describing Time
Example: Let others praise ancient times; I am glad I was born in these.

You may not be aware, but, there are many adjectives that are used to describe time, other
than early and late. Here ancient describes time. The aforementioned and the following
examples can be used.
Ancient Annual Brief
Early Fast Late
Modern Old Rapid
Swift Slow Young

Adjectives Describing Quantity

Example: The world is full of abundance and opportunity, but far too many people come to the
fountain of life with a sieve instead of a tank car... a teaspoon instead of a steam shovel. They
expect little and as a result they get little.

Many is another common adjective used to describe the quantity or number of something.
Similarly, little is the adjective here that describes the amount of expectations of people.
Abundant Bountiful Considerable
Empty Extra Few
Heavy Myriad Many
Multiple Numerous Substantial

Adjectives Describing Sound

Example: I detest heavy perfume and shrill voices.

In this example, the adjective shrill expresses the type of voice. Heavy is another adjective
used in the sentence that describes the nature of the perfume.
Blaring Cooing Deafening
Loud Melancholic Noisy
Soft Shrill Squeaking
Silent Thundering Whispering

Adjectives Describing Taste

Example: But all that being said about modulation, if you're serving people delicious food,
they won't complain.

The following adjectives are used to describe different types of food. The adjective, delicious,
used here is one of the most commonly-used attribute for food.
Bitter Delicious Fresh
Hot Icy Juicy
 Spicy Sweet Sour
Salty Tasty Tasteless

Adjectives Describing Touch

Example: Ignorance is like a delicate fruit; touch it, and the bloom is gone.

These adjectives are used to describe things. In the above example, delicate describes the
nature of the fruit. If you take a look at the following examples, you will find that these
adjectives can be used to detail many types of nouns.
Hard Loose Rough
Smooth Slippery Sticky
Sharp Scattered Soft
Tender Uneven Wet

Adjectives Describing Color

Example: Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year. The morning of the first September
was crisp and golden as an apple..."

Using colors as adjectives is one of the most common forms of describing nouns (appearance
of things, people, etc.) Here the word golden describes an apple, an indirectly, it describes the
autumn. Crisp is the other adjective used here to describe the apple.
Azure Aqua Blue
Black Crimson Cyanv
Gold Green Magenta
Orange Pink Turquoise

Usage of Descriptive Adjectives

If you wish to use more than one Descriptive Adjective, you need to follow certain rules of
usage. The descriptive adjective follows the opinion adjective. To understand this, consider the
following example.
• A beautiful, green emerald.

In the above example, both 'beautiful' and 'green' are descriptive adjectives. But, the adjective
'beautiful' is an opinion or a general adjective that may differ from person to person. On the
other hand, 'green' is a specific adjective that defines an emerald. Therefore, when more
descriptive adjectives have to be used, they should follow the manner illustrated below.
• A black, wooden door.
• A magnificent, huge bungalow.
Descriptive Adjectives are primarily differentiated into simple adjectives and compound
adjectives.

Simple Adjectives
Simple Adjectives are single words that are commonly used to describe a noun. These are
commonly used in verbal communication when describing a thing or a person.
good, happy, bad, thin, lovely, picturesque

Compound Adjectives
Two or more adjectives, used consecutively to describe the same noun, are known as
Compound Adjectives. They are hyphenated in order to avoid confusion. The most common
compound adjectives are the ones formed when adjectives precede nouns like 'blue-sky', or
when adjectives are preceded by verbs as in 'feel-good'. When two or more colors are used as
adjectives, there is always a hyphen between them.
• middle-aged, short-sighted, bluish-green
If there is no hyphen between two adjectives, there can be an ambiguity in the meaning of the
sentence. The following example will be helpful to illustrate this:
• A man-eating tiger.

As the adjectives are hyphenated, it is clear that they describe the noun, 'tiger'. Now, consider
the following example:
• A man eating tiger.
Here, as there is no hyphen between the two words, it is difficult to interpret the two words,
'man and eating', as a compound adjective (man-eating). The sentence clearly means that a
man is eating a tiger.
To understand the usage of adjectives clearly, they are also further classified into the following
sub-types.

Predicate Adjectives
Predicate Adjectives affirm an attribute of the subject. In simpler words, these adjectives
modify the subject in the sentence. There is always a linking verb that connects the subject to
the predicate adjective.
The cake is tasty.
Here the predicate adjective 'tasty' describes the subject 'the cake'.

Adjective Degrees
When an adjective describes a single noun, it is the positive degree of adjective; whereas
when the adjective denotes comparison between two nouns, it is the comparative degree of
adjective. The superlative degree of adjective is used when the comparison is between many
nouns.
• A is a tall building (positive degree)
• B is taller than A (comparative degree)
• C is the tallest building (superlative degree)
Participial Adjectives
When Participles express a quality of the nouns, i.e. when they function as adjectives, they
are known as participial adjectives. There are two types of participial adjectives; the ones
ending with 'ing' and the ones ending with 'ed'.
• The program was boring
• We were bored at the program.

Limiting Adjectives
Limiting Adjectives are used to specify only certain nouns. They are limited to the noun that
they describe, and hence, are known as limiting adjectives. The types of limiting adjectives are
possessive adjectives, demonstrative adjectives, numerical adjectives, interrogative adjectives,
and proper adjectives.
• His book (possessive adjective)
• Shakespearean drama (proper adjective)
• Those people are my colleagues (pronominal adjective)
The aforementioned descriptive adjectives list will help in expressing a person, thing, action,
etc., in a better way in oral as well as written communication. In order to improve your
language and vocabulary, you can also look for synonyms of these adjectives and use them in
speech or writing. Good luck!
Adjectives Describing People and Personal Qualities — Word List
A
able caustic delightful fastidious
abnormal cautious demonic ferocious
above average charming demure fervent
absent-minded cheerful dependent fiery
adventurous chic depressed flabby
affectionate childish devoted flaky
agile childlike dextrous flashy
agreeable churlish diligent frank
alert circumspect direct friendly
amazing civil dirty funny
ambitious clean disagreeable fussy
amiable clever discerning
amusing clumsy discreet G
analytical coherent disruptive generous
angelic cold distant gentle
apathetic competent distraught gloomy
apprehensive composed distrustful glutinous
ardent conceited dowdy good
artificial condescending dramatic grave
artistic confident dreary great
assertive confused drowsy groggy
attentive conscientious drugged grouchy
average considerate drunk guarded
awesome content dull
awful cool dutiful H
cool-headed hateful
B cooperative E hearty
balanced cordial eager helpful
beautiful courageous earnest hesitant
below average cowardly easy-going hot-headed
beneficent crabby efficient hypercritical
blue crafty egotistical hysterical
blunt cranky elfin
boisterous crass emotional I
brave critical energetic idiotic
bright cruel enterprising idle
brilliant curious enthusiastic illogical
buff cynical evasive imaginative
even-tempered immature
C D exacting immodest
callous dainty excellent impatient
candid decisive excitable imperturbable
cantankerous deep experienced impetuous
capable deferential impractical
careful deft F impressionable
careless delicate fabulous impressive
impulsive M persnickety saucy
inactive maternal petulant sedate
incisive mature picky self-assured
incompetent mean plain selfish
inconsiderate meddlesome plain-speaking sensible
inconsistent mercurial playful sensitive
indefatigable methodical pleasant sentimental
independent meticulous plucky serene
indiscreet mild polite serious
indolent miserable popular sharp
industrious modest positive short-tempered
inexperienced moronic powerful shrewd
insensitive morose practical shy
inspiring motivated prejudiced silly
intelligent musical pretty sincere
interesting proficient sleepy
intolerant N proud slight
inventive naive provocative sloppy
irascible nasty prudent slothful
irritable natural punctual slovenly
irritating naughty slow
negative Q smart
J nervous quarrelsome snazzy
jocular noisy querulous sneering
jovial normal quick snobby
joyous nosy quick-tempered sober
judgmental numb quiet somber
sophisticated
K O R soulful
keen obliging realistic soulless
kind obnoxious reassuring sour
old-fashioned reclusive spirited
L one-sided reliable spiteful
lame orderly reluctant stable
lazy ostentatious resentful staid
lean outgoing reserved steady
leery outspoken resigned stern
lethargic resourceful stoic
level-headed P respected striking
listless passionate respectful strong
lithe passive responsible stupid
lively paternal restless sturdy
local paternalistic revered subtle
logical patient ridiculous sulky
long-winded peaceful sullen
lovable peevish S supercilious
love-lorn pensive sad superficial
lovely persevering sassy surly
suspicious U unsophisticated wary
sweet ugly unstable watchful
unaffected unsure weak
T unbalanced unthinking well-behaved
tactful uncertain unwilling well-developed
tactless uncooperative well-intentioned
talented undependable V well-respected
testy unemotional venal well-rounded
thinking unfriendly versatile willing
thoughtful unguarded vigilant wonderful
thoughtless unhelpful volcanic
timid unimaginative vulnerable Z
tired unmotivated Zealous
tolerant unpleasant W
touchy unpopular warm
tranquil unreliable warmhearted

Words to Describe Places

alive - full of life
attractive - pleasing;
charming
beautiful - having qualities
that are pleasing or
appealing
bustling - full of life,
energy
calm - peaceful; free from
stress
charming - fascinating;
likeable
cosmopolitan - appealing
to people from all across
the globe
enchanting - delightful;
fascinating
fascinating - alluring;
captivating
fresh - something newly
made and full of vigor
homey - cozy; inviting
inspiring - enlivening;
motivating
lively - full of life and spirit
peaceful - calm; friendly
picturesque - scenic;
beautiful
unspoiled - untouched by
man; pure
vibrant - full of life; energy
Words to Express
Dislike for a Place
bleak - gloomy; somber
boring - dull; uninteresting
creepy - causing feelings
of fear or disgust
crowded - filled to capacity
deserted - abandoned;
uninhabited
desolate - empty; bleak
dull - boring; lacking zest
expensive - costly; having
a very high price
horrifying - frightening;
disgusting
nightmarish - resembling a
bad dream
polluted - dirty;
contaminated
rundown - in poor
condition
stormy - turbulent;
tempestuous
touristy - of or for tourists,
suggesting tastelessness
ugly - visually unpleasing
More Words to Describe
a Place
ancient - belonging to an
earlier period of time
contemporary - existing in
the present time
magical - captivating;
enchanting
majestic - grand;
impressive; stately
modern - of or relating to
the current time
mystical - magical;
enigmatic
quiet - not noisy
traditional - in keeping with
conventional customs
Adjective to Describe Objects

Appearance Adjectives rich nervous

adorable obnoxious
beautiful shy
clean tender panicky
drab uninterested repulsive
elegant vast scary
fancy wrong thoughtless
glamorous uptight
handsome Personality Adjectives – worried
long Positive
magnificent agreeable Shape Adjectives
old-fashioned brave broad
plain calm chubby
quaint delightful crooked
sparkling eager curved
ugliest faithful deep
unsightly gentle flat
wide-eyed happy high
jolly hollow
Color Adjectives kind low
red lively narrow
orange nice round
yellow obedient shallow
green proud skinny
blue relieved square
purple silly steep
gray thankful straight
black victorious wide
white witty
zealous Size Adjectives
Condition Adjectives big
alive Personality Adjectives – colossal
better Negative fat
careful angry gigantic
clever bewildered great
dead clumsy huge
easy defeated immense
famous embarrassed large
gifted fierce little
helpful grumpy mammoth
important helpless massive
inexpensive itchy miniature
mushy jealous petite
odd lazy puny
powerful mysterious scrawny
short rapid breeze
small short broken
tall slow bumpy
teeny swift chilly
teeny-tiny young cold
tiny cool
Taste/Touch adjectives creepy
Sound Adjectives bitter crooked
cooing delicious cuddly
deafening fresh curly
faint greasy damaged
hissing juicy damp
loud hot dirty
melodic icy dry
noisy loose dusty
purring melted filthy
quiet nutritious flaky
raspy prickly fluffy
screeching rainy freezing
thundering rotten hot
voiceless salty warm
whispering sticky wet
strong
Time Adjectives sweet Quantity Adjectives
ancient tart abundant
brief tasteless empty
early uneven few
fast weak full
late wet heavy
long wooden light
modern yummy many
old numerous
old-fashioned Touch Adjectives sparse
quick boiling substantial

Adjectives to Describe Events

important unlikely unique critical
great actual, extraordinary isolated
single specific dramatic interesting
historical main memorable key
major future momentous decisive
particular past stressful catastrophic
traumatic happy unusual notable
rare historic external exciting
significant latter initial untoward
annual unexpected greatest unfortunate
next sad adverse day
big tragic remarkable crucial
strange melancholy fatal miraculous
terrible terminal biggest unforeseen
singular outstanding time
random acute sudden