Most adjectives in English are easy to spot because they end with familiar suffixes—like -al, -ous, -y/-hy, -ful, -ish/-sy/-ky, -able/-ible, -ive, -ant/-ent, -en, -ic, -some, -ing/-ed, -ory/-ary, and even -ly (as in friendly or sickly). This page gathers common patterns with examples to help you recognize and build adjectives quickly. Remember, though, not every adjective has a tell-tale ending (modern, golden), so also rely on how the word behaves in a sentence—usually before a noun (a golden ring) or after a linking verb (the ring is golden).
| Suffix | Examples | General meaning of the suffix |
|---|---|---|
| -al | accidental, musical, personal | relating to; of the nature of |
| -ous | cautious, dangerous, famous | full of; characterized by |
| -y | brainy, stormy, wavy | having; characterized by; inclined to |
| -ry | angry, hungry, wintry | characterized by; relating to a state/season |
| -ful | forgetful, hopeful, joyful | full of; tending to |
| -ish | boyish, childish, yellowish | like; somewhat; having the quality of |
| -sy | messy, noisy, nosy | tending to; characterized by (informal) |
| -ar | circular, polar, vulgar | relating to; resembling |
| -ive | active, talkative, successive | having a tendency to; inclined to |
| -able | agreeable, comfortable, lovable | capable of; fit to be |
| -ly (adj.) | cowardly, fatherly, sickly | having the qualities of; like |
| -ant | distant, pleasant, vigilant | tending to; being in a state |
| -en | wooden, golden, woolen | made of; consisting of |
| -ic | academic, organic, realistic | relating to; of/pertaining to |
| -ent | potent, silent, violent | having the quality of; inclined to |
| -some | handsome, lonesome, quarrelsome | tending to; causing; full of |
| -ible | responsible, reversible, sensible | capable of; fit to be |
| -ky | lucky, risky, tricky | somewhat; inclined to; prone to (informal) |
| -less | endless, powerless, shameless | without; lacking |
| -ing (adj.) | amazing, satisfying, worrying | causing; performing (present-participle sense) |
| -ed (adj.) | amused, annoyed, one-sided | having; affected by; completed (past-participle sense) |
| -ory | compulsory, mandatory, statutory | relating to; serving for |
| -ary | imaginary, necessary, voluntary | relating to; connected with; of the nature of |
