adjective
- 01 A2 Elementary
n.a word that describes a person, place, or thing.
n.a word that modifies a noun or noun phrase to provide additional information about its referent.
Simple“In the phrase 'the blue sky', the word 'blue' is an adjective.”
In context“The student struggled to identify the compound adjective in the sentence, mistakenly labeling the first element as an adverb.”
UsageIn English, adjectives usually come before the noun they describe or after a linking verb like 'be'.
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
adj.relating to or acting like an adjective.
adj.pertaining to or functioning as an adjective within a syntactic structure.
Simple“The word has an adjective form that is used in formal writing.”
In context“The linguist analyzed the adjective use of the noun, noting how it shifted the semantic focus of the entire phrase.”
Synonymsadjectival - 03 C2 Proficiency
adj.describing the rules for how a law is carried out, rather than the law itself.
adj.relating to the methods of enforcement and rules of procedure in a legal system, as opposed to substantive law.
Simple“The lawyer studied the adjective law to understand the court's rules.”
In context“The judge dismissed the case based on a violation of adjective law, ruling that the filing procedure had not been strictly followed.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 04 C2 Proficiency
adj.describing a dye that needs a special chemical to stay on the fabric.
adj.referring to a dye that requires a mordant to become fixed to the material being dyed.
Simple“This specific adjective dye will wash out unless you use a fixative.”
In context“The chemist explained that adjective colors are less stable than substantive ones without the application of a metallic salt.”
Antonyms - 05 C2 Proficiency
v.to change a word into an adjective or use an adjective to describe something.
v.to convert a word into an adjective or to characterize something by using an adjective.
Simple“It is common to adjective a noun in modern English, like 'coffee cup'.”
In context“The author tended to adjective his subjects with such density that the narrative pace slowed significantly.”
Synonymsadjectivize
From Middle English adjectif, adjective, from Old French adjectif, from Latin adiectivus, from adiciō + -īvus, from ad- (“to, towards, at”) + iaciō (“throw”). The Latin word adiectivus in turn was a calque of Ancient Greek ἐπιθετικόν (epithetikón, “added”), a derivative of the compound verb ἐπιτίθημι (epitíthēmi), from which also comes epithet.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.