UNIVERSIDAD AUTÓNOMA DE BUCARAMANGA
LANGUAGE INSTITUTE
ADJECTIVES FOR
DESCRIBING
APPEARANCE
(APARIENCIA)
adorable (adorable)
attractive (atractivo)
alluring (seductor / atrayente) amused (entretenido)
beautiful (hermoso)
bewildered (desconcertado, perplejo) bright (brillante)
confident (seguro)
cheerful (alegre)
cultured (culto)
clumsy (torpe, tosco)
drab (gris, monótono)
dull (apagado, sin brillo, feo)
dynamic (dinámico)
disillusioned (desilusionado)
elegant (elegante)
fair (justo)
filthy (sucio)
gentle (amable)
glamorous (glamoroso)
handsome (simpático)
homely (casero, familiar)
hurt (herido)
ill-mannered (mal educado)
jolly (muy alegre)
kind-hearted (de buen corazón) knowledgeable (culto, informado, entendido)
lovely (adorable)
magnificent (magnificente)
nervous (nervioso)
pleasant (agradable)
perfect (perfecto)
plucky (valiente, corajudo)
smiling (sonriente)
splendid (esplendido)
self-assured(seguro de sí mismo) sincere (sincero)
snobbish (snob)
thoughtful (pensante)
tense (tenso)
timid (timido)
upset (disgustado,ofendido)
ENGLISH CLASS
ADJECTIVES FOR DESCRIBING
ESCRIBING ADJECTIVES FOR
PERSONALITY DESCRIBING FEELINGS
(PERSONALIDAD) (SENTIMIENTOS)
aggressive (agresivo) afraid (asustado)
ambitious (ambicioso) angry (enfadado/bravo)
anxious (ansioso)
brave (valiente) bad (malo)
bored/boring (aburrido/aburridor)
cruel (cruel) calm (calmado/tranquilo)
combative (combativo) confused (confundido)
cooperative (cooperativo, de cooperar) comfortable (comodo)
coward (cobarde) creepy (espeluznante)
dangerous (peligroso) depressed (deprimido)
diligent (diligente, eficiente) disturbed (trastornado)
determined (determinado) dominating (dominante)
disagreeable (desagradable) deceitful (engañoso)
evil (malvado) envious (envidioso)
frank (franco, sincero) faithful (fiel)
fearless (sin miedo, temerario) fine (estar bien)
generous (generoso) good (bueno)
gifted (talentoso, dotado) grieving (afligido/sufriendo)
helpful (colaborador) horrible (horrible)
harmonious (armonioso) happy (feliz)
hesitant (dubitativo) hungry (hambriento)
instinctive (institivo) ill (enfermo)
jealous (celoso) jovial (alegre, jovial)
kind (amable)
loner (solitario) lively (animado / alegre)
mysterious (misterioso) mature (maduro)
naughty (malo, travieso, pícaro) nice (“chévere”)
pleasing (complaciente) proud (orgulloso)
placid (placido) peaceful (pacífico)
punctual (puntual) protective (protector)
successful (exitoso) sorrowful (apesadumbrado)
sedate (reposado, tranquilo, sobrio : serio) silly (torpe/bobo)
somber (sombrío/triste)
selfish (egoísta) sore (adolorido)
talented (talentoso) tired (cansado)
thrifty (económico, ahorrativo) troubled (emproblemado)
truculent (malhumorado y agresivo) testy (hosco, irritable)
unbiased (objetivo: neutral) unwell (indispuesto/enfermo)
vivacious (viváz,lleno de vida) voracious (voráz) vengeful (vengativo)
wonderful (maravilloso) witty (ingenioso, con chispa, agudo) wicked (malvado)
worried (preocupado) wise (sabio) weary (cansado)
wild (salvaje) warm (cálido) wrong (equivocado)
zaftig (rellenita y curvilínea) zany (chiflado, alocado, estrafalario) zestful (entusiasta)
eg- She was in
eg- What an adorable baby! eg- He was a brave knight (Él fue un caballero a jovial mood (Ella estaba
(¡Qué bebe tan adorable!). valiente). de un ánimo jovial).
ADJECTIVES FOR ADJECTIVES FOR ADJECTIVES FOR ADJECTIVES FOR
DESCRIBING SHAPE DESCRIBING SIZE DESCRIBING TIME DESCRIBING QUANTITY
(FORMA) (TAMAÑO) (TIEMPO) (CANTIDAD)
broad (amplio) big (grande) ancient (antiguo) abundant (abundante)
crooked (torcido, encorvado) colossal (colosal) annual (anual) bountiful ( abundante)
circular (circular) great (grandioso) brief (breve, corto) cumbersome (pesado)
distorted (distorsionado) gigantic (gigante) early (temprano) empty (vacio)
flat (plano) huge (enorme) fast (rápido) extra (extra)
hollow (hueco) large (grande) late (tarde) few (poco)
narrow (estrecho) miniature (miniatura) modern (moderno) heavy (pesado)
round (redondo) mammoth (colosal) old (viejo) myriad (millares, millones)
square (cuadrado) petite (pequeño) rapid (veloz) many (muchos)
skinny (flaco, huesudo) tall (alto) swift (rápido, veloz) multiple (multiples)
steep (empinado, en picada) thin (delgado) slow (lento) numerous (numerosos)
substantial (considerable,
wide (ancho) tiny (diminuto) young (joven) importante)
eg-
eg- A skinny boy eg- A miniature train An ancient manuscript eg- Myriad stars
ADJECTIVES FOR ADJECTIVES FOR ADJECTIVES FOR ADJECTIVES FOR
DESCRIBING SOUND DESCRIBING TASTE DESCRIBING TOUCH DESCRIBING COLOR
(SONIDOS) (GUSTO – SABOR) (TÁCTO) (COLOR)
blaring (retumbante,abrumador) bitter (amargo) hard (duro) azure (azul celeste)
cooing (susurrante, arruyador) delicious (delicioso) loose (suelto, flojo) aqua (aguamarina)
deafening (ensordecedor) fresh (fresco) rough (áspero) blue (azul)
loud (fuerte, alto) hot (caliente) smooth (liso) black (negro)
melancholic (melancolico) icy (helado, muy frio) slippery (resbaloso) crimson (rojo carmesí)
noisy (ruidoso) juicy (jugoso) sticky (pegajoso) cyan (verde azulado)
soft (suave) spicy (picante) sharp (afilado) gold (oro, dorado)
shrill (agudo, chillón) sweet (dulce) scattered (disperso) green (verde)
squeaking (crujiente, chillon) sour (agrio, ácido) soft (suave) magenta (+ - = fuxia)
silent (silencioso) salty (salado) tender (tierno, fresco) orange (naranja)
tasty
thundering (estruendoso) (sabroso,apetitoso) uneven (desigual) pink (rosado)
whispering (susurrado) tasteless (sin sabor) wet (mojado) turquoise (azul turquesa)
eg- blaring loud speaker eg- delicious pastry eg- rough surface eg- green diamond
 Describing people

Height
Build Age

tall, tallish, short, shortish, frail, stocky, slim, thin, plump, fat, young, elderly, middle-aged,
medium height skinny, well-built teenager, in 20s, 30s, 40s

Face Eyes Hair Clothes

round, oval, square, with scares, big round blue eyes, casual, scruffy,
bald, straight,
wrinkles, freckles, sun-tanned, large, small, bright, shabby, smart, tidy,
curly, spiky, wavy
pale narrow messy

Describing Character - What's he like? Is she nice?

careful, hard- aggressive, tough, energetic,

dull, boring, generous, loyal,
working, worried, careless, practical, confident,
imaginative, self-controlled,
cheerful, sensible, selfish, shy,
ambitious, crafty, moody, trusting,
broadminded, independent, stubborn,
sensitive, gentle, modest,
active, curious, strong-minded, reliable, clumsy,
naive tolerant, friendly
secretive stupid intelligent

Adjectives can be classified into many categories

In English, adjectives are generally used in this order:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
quantity opinion size age shape color origin material purpose.

Example of the Sequence of Multiple Adjectives in Chart Form:

QUANTITY OPINION SIZE AGE SHAPE COLOR ORIGIN MATERIAL PURPOSE NOUN

five huge young black Canadian bears

battered old shapeless gray cotton work pants

many magnificent antique British reference books

one studious teenaged American boy

few shiny round blue Indian gems

many well-made tiny elongated brown wooden fishing boats

several cheap large purple polyester sleeping bags

• quantity - few, no, one, two, three, four, several, many, all, some, every, each, ...
 • opinion - good, better, best, bad, worse, worst, mediocre, awful, fantastic, pretty, ugly, clean, dirty,
wasteful, difficult, comfortable, valuable, worthless, useful, useless, important, evil, angelic, rare,
scarce, poor, rich, lovely, disgusting, amazing, surprising, loathesome, unusual, usual, pointless, ...
• personality/emotion - happy, sad, excited, scared, frightened, outgoing, funny, sad, zany, grumpy,
cheerful, jolly, carefree, quick-witted, blissful, lonely, elated, ...
• sound - loud, soft, silent, vociferous, screaming, shouting, thunderous, blaring, quiet, noisy, talkative,
rowdy, deafening, faint, muffled, mute, speechless, whispered, hushed, ...
• taste - sweet, sour, acidic, bitter, salty, tasty, delicious, savory, delectable, yummy, bland, tasteless,
palatable, yummy, luscious, appetizing, tasteless, spicy, watery, ...
• touch - hard, soft, silky, velvety, bumpy, smooth, grainy, coarse, pitted, irregular, scaly, polished,
glossy, lumpy, wiry, scratchy, rough, glassy, ...
• size, weight - heavy, light, big, small, tiny, tall, short, fat, thin, slender, willowy, lean, svelte, scrawny,
skeletal, underweight, lanky, wide, enormous, huge, vast, great, gigantic, monstrous, mountainous,
jumbo, wee, dense, weighty, slim, trim, hulking, hefty, giant, plump, tubby, obese, portly, ...
• smell - perfumed, acrid, putrid, burnt, smelly, reeking, noxious, pungent, aromatic, fragrant, scented,
musty, sweet-smelling,...
• speed - quick, fast, slow, speeding, rushing, bustling, rapid, snappy, whirlwind, swift, hasty, prompt,
brief, ...
• temperature - hot, cold, freezing, icy, frigid, sweltering, wintry, frosty, frozen, nippy, chilly, sizzling,
scalding, burning, feverish, fiery, steaming, ...
• age - young, old, baby, babyish, teenage, ancient, antique, old-fashioned, youthful, elderly, mature,
adolescent, infantile, bygone, recent, modern, ...
• distance - short, long, far, distant, nearby, close, faraway, outlying, remote, far-flung, neighboring,
handy, ...
• shape - round, circular, square, triangular, oval, sleek, blobby, flat, rotund, globular, spherical, wavy,
straight, cylindrical, oblong, elliptical, zigzag, squiggly, crooked, winding, serpentine, warped, distorted,
...
• miscellaneous qualities- full, empty, wet, dry, open, closed , ornate, ...
• brightness - light, dark, bright, shadowy, drab, radiant, shining, pale, dull, glowing, shimmering,
luminous, gleaming, ...
• color - pink, red, orange, yellowish, dark-green, blue, purple, black, white, gray, brown, tanned, pastel,
• time - early, late, morning, night, evening, everlasting, initial, first, last, overdue, belated, long-term,
delayed, punctual, ...
• origin/location - lunar, northern, oceanic, polar, equatorial, Floridian, American, Spanish, Canadian,
Mexican, French, Irish, English, Australian, ...
• material - glass, wooden, cloth, concrete, fabric, cotton, plastic, leather, ceramic, china, metal, steel, ...
• purpose - folding, swinging, work, racing, cooking, sleeping, dance, rolling, walking, ...

Noun Adjective
Square square
rectangle rectangular
triangle triangular
ellipse elliptical
semicircle semicircular
circle circular
cube cubic
pyramid pyramidal
cone conical
hemisphere hemispherical
cylinder cylindrical

Adjective Noun
long length
high height
wide width
broad breadth
deep depth

A Paragraph to Describe Objects

A paragraph to describe objects consists of 5 parts as follows:

1. Function/ Use

2. Components/ Parts

3. Characteristics

material

shape/ figure

dimensions

property

colour
Property
Property is a special quality that belongs to the object.
The interior of a ping-pong ball is hollow.
This book is thick.
The glass bottle is fragile.
The edge of a table is straight.
The sides of a car are flat.
The middle of a bottle is curved.

Examples of a Paragraph to Describe Objects

A mixer is used for mixing food. The mixer is made of metal and plastic. It consists of 5 parts: a base, a
stand, a motor housing, beaters, and a bowl. The base is rectangular in shape. It is 12 cm wide and 15 cm
long. The stand which is supported by the base is 30 cm in height. The motor housing which contains a
motor is joined to the stand. The steel beaters are very hard and tough. They are fitted in the gearbox. The
glass bowl is hard and brittle. The edge of the bowl is circular. The glass bowl is detached from the base.

A kettle is a metal container which is used for boiling water. It consists of 4 main parts: a vessel, a lid, a
spout, and a handle. The vessel is 7 inches high. It is hollow and spherical in shape. The base is flat and
circular. It has a diameter of 6 inches. On the top of the vessel, there is a convex lid with a plastic knob in
the middle. The lid is 5 inches in diameter. Above the lid is as curved handle which is covered with plastic at
the middle part. At the side of the vessel is a conical spout for pouring water out of the vessel.

A vacuum bottle is a container which is used to keep liquids either hot or cold. It is composed of a metal
container, a glass bottle, a plastic cap, a cork, and a shock absorber. This vacuum bottle is 25 inches in
height. The outer part of the bottle consists of a metal container and a plastic cap. The container is
cylindrical in shape. Its base is flat and circular. It has a diameter of 10 inches. The cap is at the top of the
container. Inside the container, there is a cylindrical glass bottle with a tapering neck and a cork at the top.
The glass bottle is supported by a spiral shock absorber which is fixed to the base of the container. It has 2
walls: the inner and the outer. Between these walls, there is a vacuum to keep the liquid at a constant
temperature.

spiral (adj.) = cycling around a single point

DESCRIBING PEOPLE
attractive atractivo
beautiful hermoso
good-looking guapo
handsome guapo (para hombres)
old viejo
pale pálido
plain poco atractivo
pretty bonito (para mujeres)
tanned bronceado
ugly feo
unattractive poco atractivo
young joven

baby-faced con cara de bebé

fresh-faced con cara fresca, joven
pasty-faced con cara pálida
round-faced con cara redonda
stone-faced con cara de piedra (que no muestra
emociones)
thin-faced con cara delgada

short bajo
medium height de estatura media
tall alto
tiny pequeño

average build de constitución media

fat gordo (despectivo)
muscular musculoso
obese obeso
overweight gordo, excedido de peso
plump regordete
skinny flaco
slender esbelto
slim delgado
stocky corpulento
stout corpulento
thin flaco
well-built fornido

elegant elegante
scruffy desaliñado
smart elegante
untidy-looking desaliñado
well-dressed bien vestido

short/long hair cabello corto/largo

straight hair cabello lacio
curly hair cabello rizado
dark/light hair cabello oscuro/claro
black hair cabello negro
blond/fair hair cabello rubio
brown hair cabello castaño
grey hair cabello con algunas canas
white hair canas
redhead pelirrojo
receding hair entradas (en el cabello)
bald calvo
braid trenza
bun rodete
ponytail cola (en el cabello)

beard barba
birthmark marca de nacimiento
braces aparato de ortodoncia
freckle peca
mole lunar
moustache bigote
scar cicatriz
sideboards (GB), patillas
sideburns (US)
tattoo tatuaje
wart verruga
wrinkle arruga
PERSONALITY - Negative aspect
absent-minded distraído, despistado
aggressive agresivo
annoying molesto
arrogant arrogante, prepotente
bad-tempered malhumorado
boastful fanfarrón
bossy mandón
cheeky atrevido
clumsy torpe
deceitful falso
dishonest deshonesto
disrespectful irrespetuoso
dominant dominante
dull = boring aburrido
eccentric excéntrico
envious envidioso
forgetful olvidadizo
frivolous frívolo
fussy quisquilloso
hypocritical hipócrita
impatient impaciente
impulsive impulsivo
indifferent indiferente
insecure inseguro
insensitive insensible
insolent insolente
introverted introvertido
irascible irascible
irresponsible irresponsable
jealous celoso
lazy haragán
lonely solitario
materialistic materialista
mean = cruel cruel
mean = stingy, tight-fisted mezquino
modest modesto
moody malhumorado
nosey metido
obsessed obsesionado
pessimistic pesimista
proud = arrogant orgulloso
quarrelsome pendenciero
querulous quejumbroso
resentful rencoroso
rude = impolite descortés
selfish egoísta
self-seeking interesado
shy tímido
spiteful rencoroso
strict estricto
stubborn = obstinate obstinado
talkative charlatán
unpredictable impredecible
unreliable = untrustworthy desconfiable
unsympathetic apático
vain = conceited vanidoso
weak débil
PERSONALITY - Positive aspect
ambitious ambicioso
attentive cortés
audacious audaz
calm calmo
charming encantador
cheerful = amusing divertido
considerate considerado
courageous = brave valiente
creative creativo
curious curioso
determined = b-willed decidido
energetic energético
extroverted extrovertido
frank franco
friendly amigable
generous generoso
gentle = kind, polite amable
honest = truthful honesto
humble humilde
ingenious ingenioso
likable / likeable agradable, simpático
loyal = faithful leal
mature maduro
obedient obediente
optimistic optimista
organized organizado
passionate apasionado
patient paciente
polite amable
practical práctico
realistic realista
reliable = trustworthy confiable
respectful respetuoso
responsible responsable
self-confident seguro
sensible sensato
sensitive sensible
sincere sincero
sociable = outgoing sociable
strong fuerte
sympathetic compasivo
thankful = grateful agradecido
tolerant = patient paciente
understanding comprensivo
zealous entusiasta