Common English Adjectives
Adjectives describe nouns: a big house, a happy child. Learn the everyday ones in pairs of opposites (big/small, hot/cold, happy/sad) so each word teaches two. In English the adjective goes before the noun, and its form never changes for plural: tall man, tall men.
Level: A1. Adjectives let you describe the world: what things look like, how big they are, how you feel. This page gives you the common English adjectives, grouped by meaning and by opposite pairs so they are easy to remember, each with a plain definition and an example.
By the end of this page you can…
…use the most common English adjectives to describe people, places and things, put an adjective in the right place before a noun, and know that English adjectives never change for plural.
How this list was chosen
The adjectives here are drawn from the English frequency list (hermitdave/FrequencyWords), which ranks words by how often they appear in a large body of everyday language. We kept the common, concrete adjectives a beginner needs and grouped them by meaning — size, feelings, senses, colours — with opposites side by side. The Rank column is each word’s real position in the list; a lower number means more common.
Good and bad (opinion)
| Rank | Adjective | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 71 | good | of high quality | This is a good book. |
| 171 | great | very good; large | We had a great time. |
| 204 | nice | pleasant | She is a nice person. |
| 229 | bad | not good | The weather is bad today. |
| 438 | important | mattering a lot | This is an important meeting. |
| 578 | perfect | with no faults | The room is perfect. |
| 581 | special | not ordinary | Today is a special day. |
| 686 | wonderful | extremely good | What a wonderful idea! |
| 799 | terrible | very bad | The traffic was terrible. |
| 1353 | famous | known by many people | He is a famous singer. |
Size and amount
| Rank | Adjective | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 121 | little | small | A little dog ran past. |
| 182 | long | great in length or time | It was a long day. |
| 200 | big | large in size | They live in a big house. |
| 499 | high | far up; great in level | The wall is very high. |
| 526 | full | holding all it can | The glass is full. |
| 577 | small | little in size | I have a small car. |
| 862 | short | small in length or height | She has short hair. |
| 900 | deep | going far down | The lake is deep. |
| 1299 | empty | with nothing inside | The box is empty. |
| 1332 | heavy | weighing a lot | This bag is heavy. |
| 1360 | large | big | A large pizza, please. |
| 2428 | wide | measuring a lot side to side | The road is wide here. |
Age, time and order
| Rank | Adjective | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 141 | first | before all others | This is my first visit. |
| 173 | last | after all others; final | It is the last bus. |
| 178 | new | recently made | I bought a new phone. |
| 197 | old | not new; aged | My grandfather is old. |
| 246 | next | coming after this one | See you next week. |
| 375 | young | not old | She is a young child. |
| 382 | late | after the usual time | Sorry I am late. |
| 694 | early | before the usual time | I woke up early. |
| 1284 | fresh | new and not old or stale | I bought fresh bread. |
Feelings and people
| Rank | Adjective | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 137 | sure | certain | Are you sure about this? |
| 211 | kind | caring and helpful | Thank you, that is very kind. |
| 289 | ready | prepared | Dinner is ready. |
| 296 | happy | feeling good or glad | The children are happy. |
| 389 | crazy | wild or mad | That is a crazy plan. |
| 424 | afraid | feeling fear | I am afraid of spiders. |
| 548 | funny | making you laugh | That joke was funny. |
| 588 | serious | not joking; important | This is a serious problem. |
| 592 | scared | frightened | The noise scared the dog. |
| 594 | poor | having little money | They were very poor. |
| 742 | tired | needing rest | I am tired after work. |
| 748 | busy | having a lot to do | She is busy this week. |
| 932 | angry | very annoyed | He was angry about the delay. |
| 937 | rich | having a lot of money | He is a rich man. |
| 956 | sad | feeling unhappy | She looks sad today. |
Qualities and states
| Rank | Adjective | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 49 | right | correct | You gave the right answer. |
| 227 | wrong | not correct | That is the wrong key. |
| 240 | same | not different | We have the same bag. |
| 256 | dead | no longer living | The plant is dead. |
| 272 | real | true, not fake | Is this a real diamond? |
| 324 | hard | difficult; firm | This question is hard. |
| 357 | true | agreeing with the facts | The story is true. |
| 408 | easy | not difficult | The test was easy. |
| 414 | different | not the same | They live in different cities. |
| 478 | able | having the power to do | She is able to swim. |
| 505 | free | without cost; not held | Entry is free today. |
| 551 | alive | living | The fish is still alive. |
| 570 | safe | free from danger | The children are safe. |
| 598 | possible | that can happen | Is it possible to change seats? |
| 660 | quiet | with little noise | Please be quiet. |
| 716 | strong | having power | He is very strong. |
| 847 | simple | easy to understand | It is a simple rule. |
| 921 | public | for everyone | It is a public park. |
| 1514 | loud | making much noise | The music is too loud. |
Senses: feel, taste and look
| Rank | Adjective | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 302 | pretty | nice to look at | What a pretty garden. |
| 370 | beautiful | very pretty | The view is beautiful. |
| 504 | cool | slightly cold | A cool drink is nice. |
| 547 | hot | having a high temperature | The soup is hot. |
| 624 | fast | moving quickly | That is a fast car. |
| 625 | cold | having a low temperature | The water is cold. |
| 648 | sweet | tasting of sugar | The cake is very sweet. |
| 696 | clean | not dirty | Keep the kitchen clean. |
| 762 | dark | with little light | The room was dark. |
| 1054 | slow | not fast | The internet is slow. |
| 1105 | dirty | not clean | My shoes are dirty. |
| 1328 | warm | pleasantly hot | It is warm in here. |
| 1616 | dry | not wet | The towel is dry. |
| 1778 | soft | not hard to touch | The pillow is soft. |
| 1813 | wet | covered in water | My clothes are wet. |
| 2087 | tall | high from top to bottom | He is very tall. |
Colours
| Rank | Adjective | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 549 | black | the colour of night | She wore a black dress. |
| 574 | white | the colour of snow | A white shirt is smart. |
| 595 | red | the colour of blood | I like red apples. |
| 803 | blue | the colour of the sky | The sea is blue. |
| 1023 | green | the colour of grass | The light is green now. |
Example sentences
Play each line and repeat it. These show the adjectives in natural, everyday use.
- This is a good restaurant.Opinion adjective before the noun.
- They live in a big, modern house.Two adjectives before one noun.
- The coffee is too hot to drink.'too' + adjective means more than you want.
- I am tired and a little hungry.Adjectives after 'be' describe the subject.
- She has long, dark hair.Size/length and colour together.
- Be careful, the floor is wet.Adjective after 'be' as a warning.
- It was a cold and rainy day.Two adjectives joined by 'and'.
- My new shoes are very comfortable.'very' makes the adjective stronger.
- The test was easy, not hard.Opposite pair in one sentence.
- He is a kind and friendly man.Describing personality.
- These apples are fresh and sweet.Taste adjectives.
- The room was dark and quiet.Describing a place.
- That is a beautiful old church.Opinion + age order.
- The water is clean and cool.Two sense adjectives.
- I need a bigger bag; this one is too small.Comparative 'bigger' next to 'small'.
- Her dress is red and white.Two colours joined by 'and'.
Recap cheat-sheet
The key points before the quiz.
Quick recap before the quiz.
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| adjective before the noun | a red car, an old house |
| no plural form | two tall boys (not talls) |
| after be/seem/look | she is happy; it looks new |
| order: opinion-size-age-colour | a lovely big old red bag |
Practice
Common adjectives practice
Try each one, then press Check. No sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.
1 Match each adjective to its opposite.
- hot
- big
- happy
- clean
Show answer
- hot → cold
- big → small
- happy → sad
- clean → dirty
Learning opposites in pairs doubles your vocabulary.
Hint: adjectives do not add -s
Show answer
red — The adjective stays 'red'; only the noun is plural: two red cars.
Hint: adjective goes before the noun
Show answer
new car — In English the adjective comes before the noun: a new car.
6 Put the words in order.
Show answer
a beautiful old house — Opinion before age: a beautiful old house.
Quiz
Common adjectives quiz
10 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.
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Show answer
before the noun — English puts the adjective before the noun: a big dog.
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hot — hot is the opposite of cold.
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two big houses — The adjective takes no plural: two big houses.
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hard — hard (difficult) is the opposite of easy.
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tired — The adjective 'tired' describes how she feels.
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Show answer
a small white cup — Size before colour: a small white cup.
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empty — empty is the opposite of full.
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The floor is wet. — Adjective after 'is', no plural: the floor is wet.
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Show answer
pretty — pretty means pleasant to look at.
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Show answer
small — The plain adjective 'small' follows 'too'.
Next
- Previous set: 100 Essential English Verbs
- Grammar for adjectives: Adjectives: the basics, Adjective order, Comparative adjectives
- New here? Start with Start Learning English Here
All English vocabulary topics
Vocabulary, pronunciation, phrases, practice and exam help, ordered by level. Pick a topic and go straight to it. New lessons go live every day, so topics marked Coming soon fill in over the next weeks.
Vocabulary
A1 13 topics · 13 ready
- 01 100 Most Common English Words
- 02 English Words 101-250 (Frequency)
- 03 100 Essential English Verbs
- 04 Common English Adjectives You are here
- 05 English Question Words & Phrases
- 06 English Time Expressions
- 07 English Food & Cooking Vocabulary
- 08 English Animals Vocabulary
- 09 English Clothing Vocabulary
- 10 English Weather Vocabulary
- 11 English Family & Relationships Vocabulary
- 12 English Colours Vocabulary
- 13 English Numbers, Dates & Money
A2 14 topics · 14 ready
- 14 English Words 251-500 (Frequency)
- 15 English Words 501-1000 (Frequency)
- 16 Everyday English Adverbs
- 17 English Body & Health Vocabulary
- 18 English House & Furniture Vocabulary
- 19 English Kitchen & Tableware Vocabulary
- 20 English Transport & Travel Vocabulary
- 21 English Places in Town Vocabulary
- 22 English Jobs & Professions Vocabulary
- 23 English Money & Shopping Vocabulary
- 24 English Emotions & Feelings Vocabulary
- 25 English Sports & Exercise Vocabulary
- 26 English Verbs of Motion
- 27 English Irregular Verbs Reference
B1 11 topics · 11 ready
- 28 English Words 1001-1500 (Frequency)
- 29 English Words 1501-2000 (Frequency)
- 30 English Connectors & Linking Words
- 31 English Nature & Geography Vocabulary
- 32 English Technology & Internet Vocabulary
- 33 English Education & School Vocabulary
- 34 English Medical & Pharmacy Vocabulary
- 35 English Arts, Music & Film Vocabulary
- 36 100 Essential English Phrasal Verbs
- 37 Commonly Confused English Words
- 38 British vs American English