Popular Descriptive Words in English (with Examples)

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Descriptive words in English! The following lesson provides the useful list of descriptive words in English with examples and pictures.

Descriptive Words in English

Nice

• enjoyable: Games can make learning more enjoyable.
• pleasurable: We do everything we can to make your trip pleasurable.
• thoughtful: It was really thoughtful of you to remember my birthday.
• courteous: The hotel staff are friendly and courteous.
• lovely: That was a lovely cup of tea.
• likeable: She’s warm, friendly and likeable.
• pleasing: The new building was pleasing to the eye.

Good

• excellent: Second-hand computers can be excellent value.
• amazing: He’s an amazing player to watch.
• marverlous: I can’t stand him, but my wife thinks he’s marvellous.
• fantastic: It’s a fantastic place, really beautiful!

Bad

• awful: The weather was awful.
• rotten:  He’s a rotten driver.
• naughty: You’re a very naughty boy! Look what you’ve done!
• terrible: Their son had been injured in a terrible accident.
• nasty: There’s a nasty streak in her character.

Happy

• cheerful: She’s feeling more cheerful today.
• delighted: Sandy will be delighted to see you.
• pleased:  She seemed pleased by the compliment.
• glad: I’m really glad I don’t have to go back there again.
• joyful: Christmas is a joyful occasion for children.

Big

• huge: These shoes make my feet look huge.
• giant: He’s a giant of a man.
• enormous: The team made an enormous effort.
• large: Los Angeles is the second largest city in the US.

Difficult

• thorny: There are still some thorny questions to be answered.
• acute: The housing shortage is more acute than first thought.
• challenging: Teaching young children is a challenging and rewarding job.
• tricky: I can get you tickets for the show but it’ll be tricky.
• complex: Photosynthesis is a highly complex process.

Interesting

• exciting: I’ve got some very exciting news for you.
• fascinating: That sounds absolutely fascinating.
• thrilling: It’s not a thrilling task but is easy and only takes minutes.

Useful

• beneficial: Cycling is highly beneficial to health and the environment.
• viable: The committee came forward with one viable solution.
• workable: I’m sure we can come to some workable arrangement.
• efficient: We offer a fast, friendly and efficient service.
• profitable: The advertising campaign proved very profitable.

Angry

• touchy: She is very touchy about her past.
• mad: Are you still mad at me?
• cross: She gets cross when he goes out drinking.
• enraged: Many readers were enraged by his article.

Fast

• agile: Dogs are surprisingly agile.
• brisk: They set off at a brisk pace.
• quick: She walked with short, quick steps.
• speedy: We hope you make a speedy recovery.

Kind

• courteous: The staff are always courteous and helpful.
• helpful: She’s a helpful child.
• considerate: It was very considerate of you to let us know you were going to be late.

Easy

• simple: There is no simple answer to this question.
• uncomplicated: Why can’t I have an uncomplicated life?
• obvious: The obvious way of reducing pollution is to use cars less.

Funny

• comical: The note of pure panic in his voice was almost comical.
• gleeful: The park was full of gleeful children playing on sleds.
• humorous: The film has some mildly humorous moments.
• entertaining: Children’s TV nowadays is much more entertaining.

Little

• small: The T-shirt was too small for him.
• tiny: She always felt a tiny bit sad.
• minute: You only need a minute amount.
• slight: The picture was at a slight angle.

Smart

• bright: He was an exceptionally bright child.
• clever: Lucy is quite clever and does well at school.
• brainy: He always was the brainy one.
• brilliant: I think that’s a brilliant idea.

Pretty

• beautiful: She was even more beautiful than I had remembered.
• lovely: She had a lovely face.
• attractive: Women seem to find him attractive.
• cute: The baby’s so cute.

Sad

• gloomy: Anne dismissed these gloomy thoughts from her mind.
• unhappy: Leslie had an unhappy childhood.
• downcast: Penelope sat silently, her eyes downcast.
• mournful: Durant was thin, mournful and silent.

Descriptive Words | Images