Descriptive adjectives serve an important role: They add details and make your speaking and writing more interesting! Without them, you wouldn’t be able to say that your grandma is funny or that a cake is delicious.
However, descriptive adjectives in English don’t follow the same rules as they do in some other languages. There are also a lot of adjectives to choose from—they can describe everything from size to personality to texture!
Use the guide below for all you need to know about descriptive adjectives!
In this post:
- What are descriptive adjectives?
- Where are descriptive adjectives placed in English sentences?
- Do descriptive adjectives change form?
- The categories of descriptive adjectives
What are descriptive adjectives in English?
Descriptive adjectives are words that bring nouns to life. They provide information about how people, places, things, and ideas look, feel, sound, and more! Words like cold, big, and amazing are all great examples.
Where are descriptive adjectives placed in a sentence?
In English, descriptive adjectives can have two placements:
1) Before the noun:
I put the beautiful flowers in a vase.
That’s a scary movie.
2) After certain verbs (such as be, seem, look, smell, get, etc.):
Lily looks sad today.
Yes, we are happy.
(In addition to the basic word order described above, when multiple adjectives are used to describe a noun, they usually follow a specific order.)
Do descriptive adjectives change form?
Unlike in some languages, descriptive adjectives generally do not change form in English.
This means that adjectives stay the same whether describing a singular or plural noun:
The tree is so tall.
The trees are so tall.
They also do not change based on gender:
That man is really funny.
That woman is really funny.
What are the categories of descriptive adjectives?
There are many categories of descriptive adjectives. Below are some of the most common ones:
Condition
These adjectives describe the state of a noun, and they’re some of the most common adjectives you’ll learn! Keep in mind that two of these adjectives (good and bad) are irregular adjectives.
| ADJECTIVE | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|
| good | That’s a really good book! |
| bad | Those shoes smell bad. |
| great | We had a great day at the zoo! |
| horrible | I have a horrible headache. |
| perfect | My girlfriend and I are perfect for each other! |
Size
This category of descriptive adjectives gives information on one of the most basic qualities: how big something or someone is. While these adjectives are very useful, it’s important to note that in many English-speaking places, it can be considered impolite to talk about people’s sizes. Be especially careful when using adjectives that describe a person’s weight, like fat, thin and skinny.
| ADJECTIVE | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|
| big | They live in a big house. |
| small | There’s a small hole in that shirt. |
| heavy | Junior’s backpack is so heavy. |
| short | Everyone in my family is short. |
| tall | Giraffes are very tall! |
| light | Don’t worry, that box is light. |
| fat | My cats are all a little fat. |
| thin | In the fall, I often wear a thin sweater. |
| wide | The Amazon River is very wide. |
| narrow | Careful, this is a very narrow bridge! |
| enormous | Wow! That birthday cake is enormous. |
| tiny | You can’t see germs because they’re so tiny. |
| miniature | Her dolls live in a miniature house. |
| skinny | I’ve always had skinny legs. |
Appearance
These adjectives are used to describe how people and things look. While most adjectives in English are gender neutral, some appearance adjectives have traditionally been used to describe either boys and men or girls and women. For example, pretty is commonly used for girls and women, while handsome is typically used for boys and men.
It is also important to note that in many English-speaking places, it can be seen as impolite to speak about a person’s appearance. This is especially true for negative adjectives like ugly, but it can also apply to more positive adjectives, such as pretty or beautiful.
| ADJECTIVE | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|
| beautiful | Your necklace is beautiful. |
| ugly | That brown sweater is so ugly. |
| simple | She prefers simple clothing. |
| bald | I need a hat for my bald head. |
| handsome | The actor in that film is so handsome. |
| gorgeous | Your new haircut is gorgeous! |
| plain | She always wears very plain clothes. |
| cute | Your baby is so cute! |
| messy | Our kids’ bedrooms are always messy. |
| fancy | We wore fancy clothes to the wedding. |
| pretty | Those are very pretty earrings. |
Personality
These adjectives are most commonly used to describe a person's character, but many of the adjectives in this category can also be used to describe other kinds of nouns.
| ADJECTIVE | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|
| cheerful | Vikram is a cheerful guy. |
| generous | You always share your snack! You’re so generous. |
| serious | He never smiles because he is very serious. |
| brave | Wow, you are brave! |
| funny | That comedian is so funny. |
| nice | Our neighbors here are really nice. |
| friendly | Zari is smiling because she’s friendly! |
| kind | Please be kind to your brother. |
| mean | The witch in that book is very mean. |
| grumpy | He complains a lot because he’s a grumpy guy. |
Emotion
These adjectives are typically used to describe how a person feels in the moment. Like personality adjectives, these adjectives are sometimes also used to describe other types of nouns.
| ADJECTIVE | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|
| happy | They’re happy it’s almost the weekend. |
| sad | She always feels sad at the end of vacation. |
| angry | He’s yelling because he’s angry. |
| scared | I’m scared of dogs. |
| excited | Lily is excited for the concert tonight. |
| annoyed | They were annoyed by the loud music. |
| upset | We’re upset because our dog died. |
| surprised | I was surprised at the end of the book! |
| mad | She’s often mad at her dad. |
| nervous | I’m nervous about the test! |
Age
These are adjectives used to describe how long a person or thing has existed. Note that there are some adjectives in this category (like old) that can be considered impolite when used to describe people. Words like elderly or senior are good alternatives!
| ADJECTIVE | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|
| old | That car looks very old. |
| young | Junior is still so young! |
| elderly | We often help my elderly neighbor. |
| antique | Be careful with that antique vase. |
| middle-aged | My middle-aged friends are very wise. |
| new | Bea just bought a new computer. |
| senior | He’s a senior member of the staff. |
Texture
The adjectives in this category are used to describe a noun’s consistency or how it feels.
| ADJECTIVE | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|
| soft | This sweater feels so soft. |
| hard | Diamonds are very hard stones. |
| smooth | Babies usually have smooth skin. |
| sticky | Why is this floor sticky? |
| thick | This soup is very thick. |
| crisp | I love crisp apples. |
| dry | Our skin is always dry in the winter. |
| wet | Careful! The paint is still wet. |
| firm | I prefer a firm bed. |
| crunchy | Carrots are crunchy when fresh. |
Descriptive adjectives are great!
Descriptive adjectives can make your speech and writing more interesting, fun, and even a little sparkly! In short, it can make everything you have to say great! And what could be more wonderful than that? 😉
Read more about the order English adjectives go in and the most common types of adjectives, including: