300+ Most Common English Adjectives (Grouped With Example Sentences + Audio)

Adjectives in English are the words that let a sentence wear something other than sweatpants. Without them, everything is just “a thing,” “a person,” or “a situation,” which is a tragic way to live.

This Yak Yacker mega-list focuses on high-frequency, everyday English adjectives—the kind that show up constantly in speech, writing, movies, meetings, menus, and awkward small talk. Many overlap with common-learning and frequency lists, but the real advantage here is organization: groups + example sentences, so each word arrives with context instead of floating in space like a lonely balloon.

Adjective Rules That Actually Matter

Comparatives & Superlatives: -er/-est vs. more/most

• Short adjectives often take -er/-est: small → smaller → smallest, cold → colder → coldest.
• Longer adjectives usually use more/most: careful → more careful → most careful.
• -y → -ier/-iest: happy → happier → happiest.
• Double the final consonant (CVC pattern): big → bigger → biggest.
• Irregulars (the rebels): good → better → best, bad → worse → worst, far → farther/further → farthest/furthest.

Order Of Multiple Adjectives (The “Royal Order”)

When several adjectives stack before a noun, English usually prefers a predictable order (opinion → size → physical quality → shape → age → color → origin → material → type/purpose → noun).

Gradable vs. Non-Gradable

• Gradable: can take very and comparisons (e.g., very tired, happier).
• Non-gradable: often sounds odd with very (e.g., unique, perfect, dead). In real life, people still bend rules for emphasis, but “totally” and “absolutely” are often more natural than “very” here.

-ed vs. -ing Adjectives

• -ed describes a feeling: bored, excited, tired.
• -ing describes what causes it: boring, exciting, tiring.

320 Common English Adjectives, Grouped

Each table includes a quick “🔊” button (optional) and a sentence that shows the adjective doing real work.

Core Quality And Evaluation

20 adjectives

Adjective	Sound	Example Sentence
good	🔊	The plan was good.
bad	🔊	That was a bad idea.
great	🔊	The movie felt great from start to finish.
terrible	🔊	Everyone agreed the meal was terrible.
excellent	🔊	The result was excellent.
awful	🔊	That was an awful lesson.
amazing	🔊	The story felt amazing from start to finish.
boring	🔊	Everyone agreed the design was boring.
interesting	🔊	The conversation was interesting.
important	🔊	That was an important plan.
nice	🔊	The idea was nice.
real	🔊	That was a real movie.
true	🔊	The meal felt true from start to finish.
false	🔊	Everyone agreed the result was false.
right	🔊	The lesson was right.
wrong	🔊	That was a wrong story.
useful	🔊	The decision felt useful from start to finish.
necessary	🔊	Everyone agreed the conversation was necessary.
common	🔊	The plan was common.
different	🔊	That was a different idea.

Personality And Character

20 adjectives

Adjective	Sound	Example Sentence
kind	🔊	She stayed kind even under pressure.
cruel	🔊	His tone was cruel in every conversation.
honest	🔊	That manner seemed honest at first.
dishonest	🔊	The yak remained dishonest during the long hike.
brave	🔊	She stayed brave even under pressure.
cowardly	🔊	His response was cowardly in every conversation.
polite	🔊	That behavior seemed polite at first.
rude	🔊	The yak remained rude during the long hike.
friendly	🔊	She stayed friendly even under pressure.
unfriendly	🔊	His friend was unfriendly in every conversation.
generous	🔊	That neighbor seemed generous at first.
selfish	🔊	The yak remained selfish during the long hike.
patient	🔊	She stayed patient even under pressure.
impatient	🔊	His coworker was impatient in every conversation.
calm	🔊	That stranger seemed calm at first.
anxious	🔊	The yak remained anxious during the long hike.
confident	🔊	She stayed confident even under pressure.
shy	🔊	His attitude was shy in every conversation.
curious	🔊	That tone seemed curious at first.
stubborn	🔊	The yak remained stubborn during the long hike.

Feelings And Mood

20 adjectives

Adjective	Sound	Example Sentence
happy	🔊	After the meeting, she felt happy.
sad	🔊	The crowd grew sad when the music started.
angry	🔊	He looked angry all morning.
excited	🔊	By sunset, the yak was excited but satisfied.
tired	🔊	After the message, she felt tired.
energetic	🔊	The crowd grew energetic when the music started.
relaxed	🔊	He looked relaxed all morning.
stressed	🔊	By sunset, the yak was stressed but satisfied.
nervous	🔊	After the game, she felt nervous.
scared	🔊	The crowd grew scared when the music started.
surprised	🔊	He looked surprised all morning.
disappointed	🔊	By sunset, the yak was disappointed but satisfied.
proud	🔊	After the storm, she felt proud.
ashamed	🔊	The crowd grew ashamed when the music started.
grateful	🔊	He looked grateful all morning.
jealous	🔊	By sunset, the yak was jealous but satisfied.
lonely	🔊	After the week, she felt lonely.
hopeful	🔊	The crowd grew hopeful when the music started.
content	🔊	He looked content all morning.
miserable	🔊	By sunset, the yak was miserable but satisfied.

Intelligence And Skill

20 adjectives

Adjective	Sound	Example Sentence
smart	🔊	Her solution was smart and simple.
clever	🔊	He proved clever during the interview.
wise	🔊	That approach feels wise for this project.
foolish	🔊	The team stayed foolish throughout the test.
skilled	🔊	Her solution was skilled and simple.
talented	🔊	He proved talented during the workshop.
capable	🔊	That approach feels capable for this project.
incapable	🔊	The team stayed incapable throughout the challenge.
creative	🔊	Her solution was creative and simple.
imaginative	🔊	He proved imaginative during the experiment.
practical	🔊	That approach feels practical for this project.
logical	🔊	The team stayed logical throughout the debate.
careful	🔊	Her solution was careful and simple.
careless	🔊	He proved careless during the demo.
efficient	🔊	That approach feels efficient for this project.
inefficient	🔊	The team stayed inefficient throughout the interview.
experienced	🔊	Her solution was experienced and simple.
inexperienced	🔊	He proved inexperienced during the test.
clumsy	🔊	That approach feels clumsy for this project.
quick-thinking	🔊	The team stayed quick thinking throughout the workshop.

Appearance And Physical Traits

20 adjectives

Adjective	Sound	Example Sentence
beautiful	🔊	The room looked beautiful in the mirror.
handsome	🔊	He arrived handsome and ready to work.
pretty	🔊	She kept the kitchen pretty.
ugly	🔊	The yak appeared ugly after the run.
attractive	🔊	The garden looked attractive in the mirror.
plain	🔊	He arrived plain and ready to work.
tall	🔊	She kept the painting tall.
short	🔊	The yak appeared short after the run.
thin	🔊	The jacket looked thin in the mirror.
fat	🔊	He arrived fat and ready to work.
strong	🔊	She kept the bike strong.
weak	🔊	The yak appeared weak after the run.
fit	🔊	The desk looked fit in the mirror.
unfit	🔊	He arrived unfit and ready to work.
clean	🔊	She kept the camera clean.
dirty	🔊	The yak appeared dirty after the run.
neat	🔊	The street looked neat in the mirror.
messy	🔊	He arrived messy and ready to work.
healthy	🔊	She kept the window healthy.
sick	🔊	The yak appeared sick after the run.

Size And Amount

20 adjectives

Adjective	Sound	Example Sentence
big	🔊	The room was big.
small	🔊	A small box sat on the table.
tiny	🔊	The price felt tiny after the trip.
huge	🔊	The jar was huge by noon.
large	🔊	The pile was large.
little	🔊	A little street sat on the table.
wide	🔊	The bag felt wide after the trip.
narrow	🔊	The jar was narrow by noon.
deep	🔊	The shelf was deep.
shallow	🔊	A shallow list sat on the table.
heavy	🔊	The room felt heavy after the trip.
light	🔊	The jar was light by noon.
full	🔊	The price was full.
empty	🔊	An empty number sat on the table.
high	🔊	The price was high last month.
low	🔊	The battery was low by noon.
many	🔊	Many people showed up early.
few	🔊	Few tickets remained at the door.
several	🔊	Several answers were correct.
enough	🔊	There was enough time to finish.

Shape And Form

20 adjectives

Adjective	Sound	Example Sentence
round	🔊	The table was round.
square	🔊	A square brick blocked the path.
rectangular	🔊	The edges stayed rectangular after sanding.
triangular	🔊	The statue looked triangular from a distance.
flat	🔊	The screen was flat.
curved	🔊	A curved key blocked the path.
straight	🔊	The edges stayed straight after sanding.
crooked	🔊	The statue looked crooked from a distance.
smooth	🔊	The handle was smooth.
rough	🔊	A rough road blocked the path.
sharp	🔊	The edges stayed sharp after sanding.
dull	🔊	The statue looked dull from a distance.
thick	🔊	The table was thick.
slender	🔊	A slender brick blocked the path.
long	🔊	The edges stayed long after sanding.
stubby	🔊	The statue looked stubby from a distance.
hollow	🔊	The screen was hollow.
solid	🔊	A solid key blocked the path.
compact	🔊	The edges stayed compact after sanding.
bulky	🔊	The statue looked bulky from a distance.

Time And Age

20 adjectives

Adjective	Sound	Example Sentence
new	🔊	The policy is new.
old	🔊	It was an old change.
young	🔊	The plan remained young for months.
ancient	🔊	The update felt ancient to the team.
modern	🔊	The device is modern.
early	🔊	It was an early change.
late	🔊	The plan remained late for months.
recent	🔊	The update felt recent to the team.
future	🔊	The habit is future.
past	🔊	It was a past change.
daily	🔊	The schedule remained daily for months.
weekly	🔊	The update felt weekly to the team.
monthly	🔊	The rule is monthly.
annual	🔊	It was an annual change.
temporary	🔊	The plan remained temporary for months.
permanent	🔊	The update felt permanent to the team.
brief	🔊	The contract is brief.
long-term	🔊	It was a long term change.
sudden	🔊	The plan remained sudden for months.
gradual	🔊	The update felt gradual to the team.

Speed And Movement

20 adjectives

Adjective	Sound	Example Sentence
fast	🔊	The train moved fast today.
slow	🔊	He kept a slow pace.
quick	🔊	The line grew quick as lunch ended.
rapid	🔊	The yak stayed rapid on the steep trail.
steady	🔊	The internet moved steady today.
unstable	🔊	He kept an unstable pace.
still	🔊	The queue grew still as lunch ended.
moving	🔊	The yak stayed moving on the steep trail.
active	🔊	The river moved active today.
inactive	🔊	He kept an inactive pace.
busy	🔊	The conversation grew busy as lunch ended.
idle	🔊	The yak stayed idle on the steep trail.
agile	🔊	The train moved agile today.
awkward	🔊	He kept an awkward pace.
flexible	🔊	The line grew flexible as lunch ended.
rigid	🔊	The yak stayed rigid on the steep trail.
lively	🔊	The internet moved lively today.
lazy	🔊	He kept a lazy pace.
restless	🔊	The queue grew restless as lunch ended.
sleepy	🔊	The yak stayed sleepy on the steep trail.

Temperature And Weather

20 adjectives

Adjective	Sound	Example Sentence
hot	🔊	The day was hot.
cold	🔊	A cold breeze came through the window.
warm	🔊	The air felt warm after the rain.
cool	🔊	The forecast looked cool all week.
freezing	🔊	The day was freezing.
boiling	🔊	A boiling breeze came through the window.
sunny	🔊	The air felt sunny after the rain.
cloudy	🔊	The forecast looked cloudy all week.
rainy	🔊	The day was rainy.
stormy	🔊	A stormy breeze came through the window.
windy	🔊	The air felt windy after the rain.
humid	🔊	The forecast looked humid all week.
dry	🔊	The air stayed dry for days.
foggy	🔊	A foggy breeze came through the window.
icy	🔊	The air felt icy after the rain.
mild	🔊	The forecast looked mild all week.
chilly	🔊	The day was chilly.
snowy	🔊	The road looked snowy on the mountain.
breezy	🔊	The air felt breezy after the rain.
pleasant	🔊	The forecast looked pleasant all week.

Taste And Smell

20 adjectives

Adjective	Sound	Example Sentence
delicious	🔊	The soup tasted delicious.
tasty	🔊	A tasty smell filled the room.
sweet	🔊	The bread went sweet overnight.
sour	🔊	The yak approved the sour snack.
bitter	🔊	The soup tasted bitter.
salty	🔊	A salty smell filled the room.
spicy	🔊	The bread went spicy overnight.
bland	🔊	The yak approved the bland snack.
fresh	🔊	The soup tasted fresh.
stale	🔊	A stale smell filled the room.
fragrant	🔊	The bread went fragrant overnight.
smelly	🔊	The yak approved the smelly snack.
odorless	🔊	The soup tasted odorless.
rich	🔊	A rich smell filled the room.
creamy	🔊	The bread went creamy overnight.
crispy	🔊	The yak approved the crispy snack.
juicy	🔊	The soup tasted juicy.
greasy	🔊	A greasy smell filled the room.
burnt	🔊	The bread went burnt overnight.
savory	🔊	The yak approved the savory snack.

Texture And Touch

20 adjectives

Adjective	Sound	Example Sentence
soft	🔊	The fabric felt soft.
hard	🔊	The floor became hard after the spill.
sticky	🔊	His grip stayed sticky.
slippery	🔊	The blanket was slippery in the cold room.
wet	🔊	The fabric felt wet.
dusty	🔊	The floor became dusty after the spill.
fuzzy	🔊	His grip stayed fuzzy.
hairy	🔊	The blanket was hairy in the cold room.
silky	🔊	The fabric felt silky.
gritty	🔊	The floor became gritty after the spill.
cold-to-the-touch	🔊	His grip stayed cold to the touch.
elastic	🔊	The blanket was elastic in the cold room.
brittle	🔊	The fabric felt brittle.
firm	🔊	The floor became firm after the spill.
loose	🔊	His grip stayed loose.
tight	🔊	The blanket was tight in the cold room.
smooth-to-the-touch	🔊	The fabric felt smooth to the touch.
itchy	🔊	The floor became itchy after the spill.
comfortable	🔊	His grip stayed comfortable.
cozy	🔊	The blanket was cozy in the cold room.

Sound And Light

20 adjectives

Adjective	Sound	Example Sentence
loud	🔊	The room was loud.
quiet	🔊	Her voice sounded quiet.
noisy	🔊	The screen looked noisy in the dark.
silent	🔊	The sign stayed silent all night.
clear	🔊	The room was clear.
muffled	🔊	Her voice sounded muffled.
sharp-sounding	🔊	The screen looked sharp sounding in the dark.
soft-spoken	🔊	The sign stayed soft spoken all night.
bright	🔊	The room was bright.
dark	🔊	Her voice sounded dark.
glowing	🔊	The screen looked glowing in the dark.
dull-looking	🔊	The sign stayed dull looking all night.
shiny	🔊	The room was shiny.
sparkling	🔊	Her voice sounded sparkling.
dim	🔊	The screen looked dim in the dark.
blinding	🔊	The sign stayed blinding all night.
colorful	🔊	The room was colorful.
pale	🔊	Her voice sounded pale.
vibrant	🔊	The screen looked vibrant in the dark.
gloomy	🔊	The sign stayed gloomy all night.

Work And Business

20 adjectives

Adjective	Sound	Example Sentence
professional	🔊	The offer seemed professional.
casual	🔊	It was a casual decision.
formal	🔊	The project became formal fast.
informal	🔊	The deadline is informal.
cheap	🔊	The offer seemed cheap.
expensive	🔊	It was an expensive decision.
affordable	🔊	The project became affordable fast.
valuable	🔊	The deadline is valuable.
worthless	🔊	The offer seemed worthless.
profitable	🔊	It was a profitable decision.
risky	🔊	The project became risky fast.
safe	🔊	The deadline is safe.
legal	🔊	The offer seemed legal.
illegal	🔊	It was an illegal decision.
ethical	🔊	The project became ethical fast.
unethical	🔊	The deadline is unethical.
urgent	🔊	The offer seemed urgent.
overdue	🔊	It was an overdue decision.
available	🔊	The project became available fast.
unavailable	🔊	The deadline is unavailable.

Relationships And Communication

20 adjectives

Adjective	Sound	Example Sentence
helpful	🔊	Her message was helpful.
unhelpful	🔊	The explanation felt unhelpful today.
supportive	🔊	He stayed supportive during the debate.
critical	🔊	The group became critical after the update.
talkative	🔊	Her message was talkative.
quiet-spoken	🔊	The explanation felt quiet spoken today.
understandable	🔊	He stayed understandable during the debate.
confusing	🔊	The group became confusing after the update.
direct	🔊	Her message was direct.
indirect	🔊	The explanation felt indirect today.
respectful	🔊	He stayed respectful during the debate.
disrespectful	🔊	The group became disrespectful after the update.
open	🔊	Her message was open.
secretive	🔊	The explanation felt secretive today.
reliable	🔊	He stayed reliable during the debate.
unreliable	🔊	The group became unreliable after the update.
loyal	🔊	Her message was loyal.
disloyal	🔊	The explanation felt disloyal today.
popular	🔊	He stayed popular during the debate.
unknown	🔊	The group became unknown after the update.

Certainty And Frequency

20 adjectives

Adjective	Sound	Example Sentence
certain	🔊	The answer is certain.
uncertain	🔊	Her explanation was uncertain.
likely	🔊	The evidence felt likely.
unlikely	🔊	The timeline stayed unlikely.
possible	🔊	The answer is possible.
impossible	🔊	Her explanation was impossible.
probable	🔊	A probable cause was listed in the report.
doubtful	🔊	A quick fix felt doubtful.
obvious	🔊	The answer is obvious.
hidden	🔊	Her explanation was hidden.
definite	🔊	A definite answer arrived later.
vague	🔊	His reply was vague and brief.
consistent	🔊	The answer is consistent.
inconsistent	🔊	Her explanation was inconsistent.
frequent	🔊	Power cuts were frequent that week.
infrequent	🔊	Their meetings were infrequent.
regular	🔊	The answer is regular.
irregular	🔊	Her explanation was irregular.
occasional	🔊	The occasional delay is normal.
constant	🔊	The noise was constant all night.

Money And Value

20 adjectives

Adjective	Sound	Example Sentence
rich	🔊	That sauce tastes rich.
poor	🔊	The service was poor today.
wealthy	🔊	They grew wealthy over time.
broke	🔊	I’m broke until payday.
costly	🔊	That mistake was costly.
pricey	🔊	The hotel is pricey in summer.
inexpensive	🔊	This option is inexpensive.
free	🔊	The first lesson is free.
valuable	🔊	Your time is valuable.
worthless	🔊	That coupon is worthless now.
cheap	🔊	The ticket was cheap.
expensive	🔊	That camera is expensive.
affordable	🔊	The plan is affordable.
reasonable	🔊	The price seems reasonable.
unreasonable	🔊	That demand is unreasonable.
financial	🔊	It’s a financial decision.
economic	🔊	The economic outlook improved.
profitable	🔊	This product is profitable.
unprofitable	🔊	The store is unprofitable.
cost-effective	🔊	The upgrade is cost-effective.

Health And The Body

20 adjectives

Adjective	Sound	Example Sentence
healthy	🔊	He looks healthy lately.
unhealthy	🔊	That habit is unhealthy.
sick	🔊	I feel sick today.
ill	🔊	She got ill after the trip.
injured	🔊	His ankle is injured.
painful	🔊	That stretch is painful.
painless	🔊	The procedure was painless.
tired	🔊	I’m tired after work.
sleepy	🔊	The class made me sleepy.
awake	🔊	I’m awake now.
hungry	🔊	I’m hungry already.
full	🔊	I’m full, thanks.
thirsty	🔊	I’m thirsty after that walk.
strong	🔊	She’s strong for her size.
weak	🔊	My legs feel weak.
fit	🔊	He’s getting fit again.
unfit	🔊	I felt unfit after the holidays.
stressful	🔊	That week was stressful.
relaxing	🔊	The beach is relaxing.
recovered	🔊	I’m recovered now.

Social Behavior And Manners

20 adjectives

Adjective	Sound	Example Sentence
polite	🔊	He was polite to everyone.
rude	🔊	That comment was rude.
funny	🔊	She’s funny without trying.
serious	🔊	This is a serious problem.
shy	🔊	He’s shy in new groups.
outgoing	🔊	She’s outgoing at parties.
talkative	🔊	Our guide was talkative.
quiet	🔊	The kid stayed quiet.
friendly	🔊	The staff was friendly.
unfriendly	🔊	The reply felt unfriendly.
kind	🔊	That was kind of you.
mean	🔊	That joke was mean.
generous	🔊	He’s generous with his time.
selfish	🔊	That move was selfish.
patient	🔊	Be patient with yourself.
impatient	🔊	He got impatient in traffic.
respectful	🔊	She was respectful in the meeting.
disrespectful	🔊	That tone was disrespectful.
humble	🔊	He stayed humble after winning.
proud	🔊	She felt proud of her progress.

Effort And Difficulty

20 adjectives

Adjective	Sound	Example Sentence
easy	🔊	The first quiz was easy.
hard	🔊	Pronunciation can be hard at first.
difficult	🔊	This chapter is difficult.
simple	🔊	The rule is simple.
complex	🔊	It’s a complex topic.
basic	🔊	These are basic words.
advanced	🔊	This is an advanced lesson.
challenging	🔊	That test was challenging.
tough	🔊	It was a tough day.
smooth	🔊	The process was smooth.
rough	🔊	The start was rough.
ready	🔊	I’m ready to begin.
unprepared	🔊	He felt unprepared.
careful	🔊	Be careful with that glass.
careless	🔊	That was careless.
successful	🔊	The launch was successful.
unsuccessful	🔊	The attempt was unsuccessful.
productive	🔊	It was a productive meeting.
unproductive	🔊	The discussion was unproductive.
effective	🔊	This method is effective.

Technology And The Internet

20 adjectives

Adjective	Sound	Example Sentence
online	🔊	The class is online.
offline	🔊	The server is offline.
digital	🔊	It’s a digital product.
virtual	🔊	We had a virtual meeting.
secure	🔊	This connection is secure.
insecure	🔊	That Wi-Fi is insecure.
public	🔊	This file is public.
private	🔊	Keep that account private.
fast	🔊	The download was fast.
slow	🔊	The app is slow today.
broken	🔊	The link is broken.
working	🔊	Everything is working now.
updated	🔊	The page is updated.
outdated	🔊	This guide is outdated.
compatible	🔊	The file is compatible.
incompatible	🔊	The plugin is incompatible.
popular	🔊	This app is popular.
new	🔊	It’s a new feature.
old	🔊	That device is old.
useful	🔊	This tool is useful.

Everyday “High-Frequency” Grab Bag

20 adjectives

Adjective	Sound	Example Sentence
same	🔊	We have the same problem.
different	🔊	Try a different approach.
special	🔊	Today is special.
normal	🔊	This is normal.
strange	🔊	That’s a strange message.
weird	🔊	It felt weird at first.
fun	🔊	The game was fun.
boring	🔊	The lecture was boring.
easy	🔊	This level is easy.
hard	🔊	That question is hard.
ready	🔊	Are you ready?
busy	🔊	I’m busy right now.
free	🔊	I’m free tonight.
open	🔊	The store is open.
closed	🔊	The museum is closed.
early	🔊	I arrived early.
late	🔊	Sorry—I’m late.
local	🔊	Try the local food.
global	🔊	It’s a global issue.
personal	🔊	That’s personal information.