adjective

IPA/ˈædʒɪktɪv/
KK[ˈædʒɪktɪv]IPA/ˈædʒɪktɪv/

adjective — noun

  • adjectivesingular
  • adjectivesplural

1. in grammar, a word that tells you something about a noun — what it looks like, f

1.nounA2
Definition

in grammar, a word that tells you something about a noun — what it looks like, feels like, or what kind of thing it is. Words such as red, small, round, and friendly are all adjectives.

Example

Mrs. Lin wrote three adjectives on the board: tall, kind, and curious.

adjectives listed alongside concrete examples

In the phrase "a heavy box," the word "heavy" is an adjective.

naming the adjective inside a phrase

Common collocations
  • use an adjective
  • find the adjective
  • underline the adjectives
  • comparative adjective
  • superlative adjective
Synonyms
  • modifier

    broader grammar term covering adjectives, adverbs, and other describing words

  • describing word

    informal classroom term used with young learners

  • qualifier

    technical linguistics term, less common in everyday teaching

Grammar Patterns

[adjective] + noun

be + [adjective]

Usage Note

Often paired with the verbs 'use', 'add', or 'describe with' (e.g. 'use an adjective', 'describe the room with adjectives'). In English most adjectives sit before the noun ('a tall man'), though after linking verbs they sit after the subject ('the man is tall').

Common Mistakes

The flower is a beautiful adjective.
Beautiful" is an adjective that describes the flower.
an adjective is a word, not the thing being described.
She used adjective to write the poem.
She used adjectives to write the poem.
'adjective' is a countable noun, so use the plural or add 'an'.

adjective — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four terms refer to words that add information about another word, but they sit at different levels of formality and scope. 'Adjective' is the everyday grammar term for a word that describes a noun or pronoun, such as 'red' or 'kind'. 'Modifier' is the broadest of the group: in linguistics it covers adjectives, adverbs, prepositional phrases, and even whole clauses, so an adverb like 'quickly' is also a modifier but never an adjective. 'Qualifier' has a more technical feel and often refers to small words like 'very' or 'rather' that strengthen or weaken another word. 'Describing word' is a child-friendly classroom label, common in primary-school workbooks. Compare: in 'a very old map', 'old' is an adjective, 'very' is a qualifier, and the whole phrase 'very old' is a modifier of 'map'.

adjective ↗modifier ↗qualifierdescribing word

Common collocations

Nouns

  • adjective phrase
  • adjective clause
  • adjective form
  • adjective ending
  • adjective list

Phrases

  • use an adjective
  • comparative adjective
  • superlative adjective
  • find the adjective

Prepositions

  • adjective for (a noun)
  • adjective of (quality)

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Comes from the Latin phrase 'nomen adjectivum', meaning a name (noun) that is 'thrown beside' another word — from 'ad-' (to) and 'iacere' (to throw). The idea is that an adjective is added next to a noun to give extra information about it. The term passed through Old French as 'adjectif' before settling into English in the late 1300s, first as a grammar term and then, much later, as an adjective itself meaning 'used like an adjective'.