Descriptive Adjectives in English: Definition, Types, & Examples

Key Takeaways

• Descriptive adjectives are adjectives that describe a quality or characteristic of a person, place, or thing, such as big, beautiful, ancient, and wooden.
• They are also known as “describing adjectives” and are the most commonly used type of adjective in everyday English.
• Descriptive adjectives are divided into nine types based on the quality they indicate: quantity, opinion, size, age, shape, color, origin, material, and purpose.
• When more than one descriptive adjective is used before a noun, they must follow the royal order of adjectives.
• Descriptive adjectives can be used attributively (before the noun) or predicatively (after a linking verb).

Definition of Descriptive Adjectives

Here is a definition of descriptive adjectives by GrammarGramps:

Descriptive adjectives are the types of adjectives that refer to a quality or characteristic of a person, place, or thing, e.g., big, small, ugly, short, etc.

In other words, any adjective that tells you about the trait, property, or quality of a noun is called a descriptive adjective.

Descriptive adjectives are also known as “describing adjectives.”

Aren’t All Adjectives “Descriptive”?

If you follow GrammarGramps and you’ve read our detailed guide on adjectives, you’ll know that they are generally known as “words that describe qualities.” So, why do we need to specify a type and call it “descriptive adjectives”?

The reason for that is simple. There are many types of adjectives, such as demonstrative (this, that, etc.), possessive (my, their, etc), and interrogative (where, which, what, etc.), that are grammatically defined as adjectives, but they don’t describe a quality or characteristic.

We use “descriptive adjectives” as a type so that we can differentiate describing words like big, small, ugly, short, etc., from adjectives like this, that, which, my, and their.

Examples of Descriptive Adjectives in Sentences

Here are some examples of descriptive adjectives used in English sentences.

1. The valley was beautiful. (“Beautiful” is a descriptive adjective.)
2. The man was alive. (Here, “alive” is the example.)
3. I was aware of my surroundings. (“Aware” is an adjective that describes the state of knowing.)
4. I felt good after the meal. (“Good” is a very common descriptive adjective used in everyday conversation.)
5. The girl was afraid of the dark. (Note the word “afraid.”)

Types of Descriptive Adjectives

Descriptive adjectives are divided into nine different types depending on the type of quality they indicate.

1. Quantity: These indicate the quantity of a noun, such as “ten cats” or “two houses.”
2. Opinion: These indicate the opinion that the speaker has for a particular noun. For instance, “a remarkable man” or “a likable place.”
3. Size: These indicate the physical dimensions of a noun, such as “a tall building” or “a tiny insect.“
4. Age: These indicate how old or new something is, such as “an ancient ruin” or “a young child.“
5. Shape: These indicate the physical form or outline of a noun, such as “a round table” or “a flat surface.“
6. Color: These indicate the color of a noun, such as “a golden ring” or “a pale sky.“
7. Origin: These indicate where a noun comes from, such as “a French chef” or “an Italian car.“
8. Material: These indicate what a noun is made of, such as “a wooden chair” or “a silk dress.“
9. Purpose: These indicate what a noun is used for, such as “a sleeping bag” or “a running shoe.“

Do these look familiar to you? These are actually the same classifications of adjectives that are used to memorize and apply the order of adjectives.

We’ll tell you about the order of adjectives and its importance when using descriptive adjectives in a section further on in this guide.

How and When to Use Descriptive Adjectives

You should use descriptive adjectives any time you have to answer questions like “How many?” “Of what size?” “Of what origin?” and so on.

Any time there is a need to identify something by referring to a distinct characteristic that it possesses, you have to use descriptive adjectives.

As for how they should be used, there are two ways that you can do so:

1. You can put them before the noun or pronoun that they are modifying. For instance, if you want to use the descriptive adjective “big” for a town, you could say “A big town.” This is known as attributive adjective usage.
2. The other way to use descriptive adjectives is to put them after the noun or pronoun that they are modifying, usually after adding “is” or “are.” For instance, you can say “The town is big.” This is known as predicate adjective usage.

Important Rule to Remember About Using Descriptive Adjectives

When using more than one descriptive adjective before a noun, they must follow the correct order.

This is one of the most important rules to keep in mind when using descriptive adjectives, and it is one that even fluent English speakers sometimes get wrong without realizing it.

The order in which descriptive adjectives appear before a noun is not random. English follows a specific sequence, known as the royal order of adjectives, that dictates which type of adjective comes first, second, third, and so on. That sequence is: Quantity → Opinion → Size → Age → Shape → Color → Origin → Material → Purpose.

When adjectives are placed in the wrong order, the sentence sounds unnatural and clunky, even if every individual word is correct. For example, “a Russian, large, old man” sounds off to any English speaker, while “a large, old, Russian man” sounds perfectly natural. The adjectives are identical; only the order has changed.

You can learn the full royal order, along with a mnemonic to help you memorize it and plenty of examples, in the dedicated guide on the Order of Adjectives here on GrammarGramps.

Comparison of Descriptive Adjectives with Other Types of Adjectives

One of the best and easiest ways to clear any confusion you may have about descriptive adjectives is to understand them in comparison to other adjective types.

GrammarGramps has made a comparison table for you that shows how descriptive adjectives are different from the other types.

The main thing you’ll notice is that while descriptive adjectives define traits and qualities, the other types of adjectives perform grammatical functions like referring and pointing to certain nouns.

Wrapping Up

Descriptive adjectives are used commonly in everyday English. Having a clear understanding of them is important whether you’re an ESL learner or a native looking to brush up on your grammar basics.

In summation, descriptive adjectives are those that are used to describe the qualities and traits of a noun. They are different from other types of adjectives, such as distributive, demonstrative, and interrogative.

Common examples of descriptive adjectives include words like good, beautiful, happy, gorgeous, etc.

Related Resources You Should Check Out

If you liked this guide and you want to learn more about adjectives in English grammar, there are a lot of other resources here on GrammarGramps that you can check out. Give these a look:

1. Positive and Negative Adjectives (Descriptive adjectives can carry positive, negative, or neutral connotations; this guide explains how that classification works)
2. What are Gradable and Non-Gradable Adjectives? (Most descriptive adjectives are gradable, meaning they can exist in degrees. This guide explains the distinction in detail)
3. Comparative Adjectives (Learn how descriptive adjectives form their comparative degree)
4. Superlative Adjectives (Learn how descriptive adjectives form their superlative degree)
5. What is an Absolute Adjective? (Absolute adjectives are a non-gradable type that behaves differently from most descriptive adjectives)
6. What is an Extreme Adjective? (Extreme adjectives sit at the top of the descriptive scale and follow different modifier rules)
7. List of Adjectives (A comprehensive A to Z list of 100+ adjectives, most of which are descriptive adjectives)