Descriptions & Feelings
Adjectives for describing people, things, and emotions
Overview
25 essential adjectives for describing the world around you and your feelings. After this lesson, you’ll be able to describe people, objects, and emotions with confidence.
Words
good /ɡʊd/
adjective — A1
Meaning: of a high quality or standard; pleasant
Examples:
- This is really good coffee.
- She’s a very good teacher.
Collocations: good morning, good idea, good at, good enough, feel good, good for you
Word Family: good (adj.) → goodness (n.) → well (adv.)
bad /bæd/
adjective — A1
Meaning: of a low quality or standard; unpleasant
Examples:
- The weather today is really bad.
- I feel bad about forgetting her birthday.
Collocations: bad news, bad luck, too bad, not bad, go bad, feel bad
Word Family: bad (adj.) → badly (adv.)
big /bɪɡ/
adjective — A1
Meaning: large in size, amount, or importance
Examples:
- They live in a big house.
- This is a big decision — take your time.
Collocations: big deal, big city, big problem, big day, big family
small /smɔːl/
adjective — A1
Meaning: not large in size, amount, or number
Examples:
- We live in a small town.
- Can I have a small coffee, please?
Collocations: small talk, small business, small change, small number of
new /njuː/
adjective — A1
Meaning: recently made, invented, or discovered; not existing before
Examples:
- I got a new phone yesterday.
- Are there any new students in the class?
Collocations: brand new, new year, new job, something new, what’s new
old /əʊld/
adjective — A1
Meaning: having lived for a long time; not new
Examples:
- My grandmother is 85 years old.
- This is an old building from the 18th century.
Collocations: years old, old friend, old fashioned, how old, the old days
long /lɒŋ/
adjective/adverb — A1
Meaning: measuring a lot from one end to the other; lasting a lot of time
Examples:
- She has long dark hair.
- It’s a long flight — about twelve hours.
Collocations: how long, a long time, long ago, as long as, all day long, long way
short /ʃɔːt/
adjective — A1
Meaning: not long in length or time; not tall
Examples:
- It’s only a short walk to the station.
- He’s quite short for his age.
Collocations: in short, short of, short term, a short time, short story
Word Family: short (adj.) → shortly (adv.) → shorten (v.) → shortage (n.)
high /haɪ/
adjective/adverb — A1
Meaning: a long way above the ground; at a great level
Examples:
- The wall is very high — I can’t climb over it.
- Prices are very high in this area.
Collocations: high school, high quality, high price, high speed, high level
Word Family: high (adj.) → highly (adv.) → height (n.) → heighten (v.)
low /ləʊ/
adjective/adverb — A1
Meaning: close to the ground; at a small level
Examples:
- Keep your voice low — the baby is sleeping.
- The temperature is very low today.
Collocations: low price, low level, low cost, low key, low energy
beautiful /ˈbjuːtɪfl/
adjective — A1
Meaning: very attractive or pleasing to look at
Examples:
- What a beautiful day!
- She has a beautiful voice.
Collocations: beautiful day, beautiful view, beautiful place, absolutely beautiful
Word Family: beautiful (adj.) → beautifully (adv.) → beauty (n.)
nice /naɪs/
adjective — A1
Meaning: pleasant; kind and friendly
Examples:
- That’s a really nice jacket.
- She’s a very nice person.
Collocations: nice to meet you, nice day, have a nice time, how nice, nice and warm
Word Family: nice (adj.) → nicely (adv.)
happy /ˈhæpi/
adjective — A1
Meaning: feeling or showing pleasure
Examples:
- I’m so happy to see you!
- They look like a happy couple.
Collocations: happy birthday, happy ending, happy with, make someone happy
Word Family: happy (adj.) → happily (adv.) → happiness (n.) → unhappy (adj.)
sad /sæd/
adjective — A1
Meaning: feeling unhappy
Examples:
- She looked sad when she heard the news.
- It’s a sad story about a lost dog.
Collocations: feel sad, look sad, how sad, a sad story
Word Family: sad (adj.) → sadly (adv.) → sadness (n.)
angry /ˈæŋɡri/
adjective — A1
Meaning: feeling strong displeasure or annoyance
Examples:
- She was angry because he was late again.
- Don’t be angry with me — it wasn’t my fault.
Collocations: angry with/at, get angry, angry about, look angry
Word Family: angry (adj.) → angrily (adv.) → anger (n.)
afraid /əˈfreɪd/
adjective — A1
Meaning: feeling fear; worried about something
Examples:
- She’s afraid of spiders.
- I’m afraid I can’t help you right now.
Collocations: afraid of, I’m afraid (so/not), don’t be afraid
easy /ˈiːzi/
adjective — A1
Meaning: not difficult; requiring little effort
Examples:
- The test was easy — I finished in 20 minutes.
- It’s not easy to learn a new language.
Collocations: easy to, take it easy, easier said than done, easy going
Word Family: easy (adj.) → easily (adv.) → ease (n./v.)
difficult /ˈdɪfɪkəlt/
adjective — A1
Meaning: not easy; needing a lot of effort or skill
Examples:
- This maths problem is very difficult.
- It was a difficult decision to make.
Collocations: difficult to, difficult situation, find it difficult, most difficult
Word Family: difficult (adj.) → difficulty (n.)
fast /fɑːst/
adjective/adverb — A1
Meaning: moving or able to move at high speed
Examples:
- He’s a very fast runner.
- Don’t drive so fast — it’s dangerous!
Collocations: fast food, fast asleep, fast forward, how fast
slow /sləʊ/
adjective/adverb — A1
Meaning: not fast; taking a long time
Examples:
- The bus was very slow today.
- Can you speak more slowly, please?
Collocations: slow down, slow and steady, slow motion, too slow
Word Family: slow (adj.) → slowly (adv.) → slowness (n.)
sure /ʃʊər/
adjective — A1
Meaning: confident that something is true; certain
Examples:
- Are you sure you locked the door?
- I’m not sure what to do.
Collocations: make sure, for sure, not sure, I’m sure, sure enough
right /raɪt/
adjective — A1
Meaning: correct; true
Examples:
- Is this the right answer?
- You’re right — that is the best option.
Collocations: the right thing, all right, that’s right, right now, right away
wrong /rɒŋ/
adjective/adverb — A1
Meaning: not correct; not suitable
Examples:
- I got the wrong bus and ended up in the wrong part of town.
- What’s wrong? You look upset.
Collocations: go wrong, something wrong, the wrong way, what’s wrong
different /ˈdɪfrənt/
adjective — A1
Meaning: not the same as someone or something else
Examples:
- These two colours look very different to me.
- I’d like to try something different today.
Collocations: different from, a different way, make a difference, completely different
Word Family: different (adj.) → differently (adv.) → difference (n.)
same /seɪm/
adjective — A1
Meaning: exactly like another; not different
Examples:
- We go to the same school.
- She made the same mistake again.
Collocations: the same as, at the same time, all the same, the same thing
Quick Review
| Word | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| good | adj. | high quality, pleasant |
| bad | adj. | low quality, unpleasant |
| big | adj. | large |
| small | adj. | not large |
| new | adj. | recently made |
| old | adj. | not new |
| long | adj. | great length or time |
| short | adj. | not long |
| high | adj. | above ground level |
| low | adj. | close to ground |
| beautiful | adj. | very attractive |
| nice | adj. | pleasant, kind |
| happy | adj. | feeling pleasure |
| sad | adj. | feeling unhappy |
| angry | adj. | feeling displeasure |
| afraid | adj. | feeling fear |
| easy | adj. | not difficult |
| difficult | adj. | not easy |
| fast | adj./adv. | high speed |
| slow | adj./adv. | not fast |
| sure | adj. | confident, certain |
| right | adj. | correct |
| wrong | adj. | not correct |
| different | adj. | not the same |
| same | adj. | exactly alike |