Describing People & Things
Adjectives for appearance, personality, and characteristics
Overview
25 A2 adjectives for describing people and things with more nuance and precision.
Words
ancient /ˈeɪnʃənt/
adjective — A2
Meaning: belonging to a time long ago
Examples:
- The ancient ruins are amazing.
- Ancient Greek culture started over 2,500 years ago.
Collocations: ancient history, ancient civilization, ancient times
attractive /əˈtræktɪv/
adjective — A2
Meaning: pleasant to look at; interesting
Examples:
- She’s a very attractive woman.
- The offer is quite attractive.
Collocations: attractive offer, attractive woman/man, physically attractive
Word Family: attractive (adj.) → attract (v.) → attraction (n.) → unattractive (adj.)
awful /ˈɔːfl/
adjective — A2
Meaning: very bad or unpleasant
Examples:
- The weather was awful.
- I feel awful about what happened.
Collocations: awful weather, feel awful, look awful
Word Family: awful (adj.) → awfully (adv.)
brilliant /ˈbrɪliənt/
adjective — A2
Meaning: extremely clever or impressive; very bright
Examples:
- She’s a brilliant scientist.
- That was a brilliant performance.
Collocations: brilliant idea, brilliant student, brilliant colours
capable /ˈkeɪpəbl/
adjective — A2
Meaning: having the ability to do something
Examples:
- She’s very capable — she can handle it.
- He’s capable of running a marathon.
Collocations: capable of, highly capable, capable person
Word Family: capable (adj.) → capability (n.) → incapable (adj.)
confident /ˈkɒnfɪdənt/
adjective — A2
Meaning: feeling sure about your abilities
Examples:
- She’s very confident about the exam.
- He became more confident over time.
Collocations: self-confident, confident about, feel confident
Word Family: confident (adj.) → confidence (n.) → confidently (adv.)
curious /ˈkjʊəriəs/
adjective — A2
Meaning: wanting to know or learn about things
Examples:
- Children are naturally curious.
- I’m curious about what happened.
Collocations: curious about, curious to know, naturally curious
Word Family: curious (adj.) → curiosity (n.) → curiously (adv.)
delicious /dɪˈlɪʃəs/
adjective — A2
Meaning: tasting extremely good
Examples:
- The food was delicious.
- This cake is absolutely delicious!
Collocations: delicious food, delicious meal, absolutely delicious
effective /ɪˈfektɪv/
adjective — A2
Meaning: producing the result that is wanted
Examples:
- This is a very effective method.
- The medicine is highly effective.
Collocations: effective way, highly effective, cost-effective
Word Family: effective (adj.) → effectively (adv.) → effect (n.) → ineffective (adj.)
elderly /ˈeldəli/
adjective — A2
Meaning: used as a polite word for “old” (about people)
Examples:
- She cares for elderly relatives.
- The elderly man sat on the bench.
Collocations: elderly people, elderly woman/man, the elderly
excellent /ˈeksələnt/
adjective — A2
Meaning: extremely good; outstanding
Examples:
- The service was excellent.
- She’s an excellent teacher.
Collocations: excellent quality, excellent work, excellent condition
familiar /fəˈmɪliər/
adjective — A2
Meaning: well known to you; easy to recognize
Examples:
- His face looks familiar.
- I’m not familiar with this area.
Collocations: look familiar, familiar with, a familiar face
Word Family: familiar (adj.) → familiarity (n.) → unfamiliar (adj.)
gentle /ˈdʒentl/
adjective — A2
Meaning: kind and careful; not rough
Examples:
- He’s very gentle with animals.
- There was a gentle breeze.
Collocations: gentle voice, gentle breeze, gentle touch
Word Family: gentle (adj.) → gently (adv.) → gentleman (n.)
honest /ˈɒnɪst/
adjective — A2
Meaning: telling the truth; not cheating
Examples:
- She’s always honest with me.
- To be honest, I don’t like it.
Collocations: to be honest, honest opinion, honest person
Word Family: honest (adj.) → honestly (adv.) → honesty (n.) → dishonest (adj.)
huge /hjuːdʒ/
adjective — A2
Meaning: extremely large
Examples:
- They live in a huge house.
- There was a huge crowd.
Collocations: huge amount, huge number, huge difference
invisible /ɪnˈvɪzəbl/
adjective — A2
Meaning: that cannot be seen
Examples:
- The damage is almost invisible.
- She felt invisible in the crowd.
Collocations: invisible to, almost invisible, invisible hand
Word Family: invisible (adj.) → visibility (n.) → visible (adj.)
narrow /ˈnærəʊ/
adjective — A2
Meaning: small in width; limited
Examples:
- The street is very narrow.
- She had a narrow escape.
Collocations: narrow road, narrow escape, narrow down
ordinary /ˈɔːdnri/
adjective — A2
Meaning: normal; not special or different
Examples:
- It was just an ordinary day.
- She’s no ordinary student.
Collocations: ordinary people, out of the ordinary, ordinary life
polite /pəˈlaɪt/
adjective — A2
Meaning: having good manners; respectful
Examples:
- She’s always polite to everyone.
- It’s polite to say “thank you”.
Collocations: polite to, polite conversation, polite request
Word Family: polite (adj.) → politely (adv.) → politeness (n.) → impolite (adj.)
quiet /ˈkwaɪət/
adjective — A2
Meaning: making little noise; calm
Examples:
- The library is very quiet.
- She’s a quiet person.
Collocations: keep quiet, quiet place, quiet night
Word Family: quiet (adj.) → quietly (adv.)
rough /rʌf/
adjective — A2
Meaning: not smooth; not gentle; approximate
Examples:
- The sea was very rough.
- I’ll give you a rough idea of the cost.
Collocations: rough idea, rough sea, rough estimate
Word Family: rough (adj.) → roughly (adv.)
sharp /ʃɑːp/
adjective — A2
Meaning: having a thin cutting edge; sudden; clever
Examples:
- Be careful — the knife is very sharp.
- There was a sharp increase in prices.
Collocations: sharp knife, sharp rise, sharp turn
Word Family: sharp (adj.) → sharply (adv.) → sharpen (v.)
soft /sɒft/
adjective — A2
Meaning: not hard or firm; gentle
Examples:
- The pillow is very soft.
- She has a soft voice.
Collocations: soft drink, soft skin, soft voice, soft music
Word Family: soft (adj.) → softly (adv.) → soften (v.)
thick /θɪk/
adjective — A2
Meaning: having a large distance between opposite sides
Examples:
- The walls are very thick.
- She wore a thick sweater.
Collocations: thick wall, thick hair, thick fog
Word Family: thick (adj.) → thickness (n.) → thicken (v.)
tiny /ˈtaɪni/
adjective — A2
Meaning: extremely small
Examples:
- They live in a tiny apartment.
- There’s a tiny scratch on the screen.
Collocations: tiny bit, tiny amount, tiny baby
Quick Review
| Word | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ancient | adj. | very old |
| attractive | adj. | good-looking |
| awful | adj. | very bad |
| brilliant | adj. | extremely clever |
| capable | adj. | able |
| confident | adj. | self-assured |
| curious | adj. | wanting to know |
| delicious | adj. | tasty |
| effective | adj. | producing results |
| elderly | adj. | old (polite) |
| excellent | adj. | outstanding |
| familiar | adj. | well-known |
| gentle | adj. | kind; not rough |
| honest | adj. | truthful |
| huge | adj. | very large |
| invisible | adj. | can’t be seen |
| narrow | adj. | small width |
| ordinary | adj. | normal |
| polite | adj. | well-mannered |
| quiet | adj. | little noise |
| rough | adj. | not smooth |
| sharp | adj. | cutting; clever |
| soft | adj. | not hard |
| thick | adj. | wide; dense |
| tiny | adj. | very small |