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adjective Definition

ad·jec·tive (aj′ik tiv)

noun

any of a class of words used to modify a noun or other substantive, as by describing qualities of the entity denoted, stating its limits or quantity, or distinguishing it from others (Ex.: good, every, Aegean)

Etymology: ME & OFr adjectif < L adjectivus, that is added < adjectus, pp. of adjicere, to add to < ad-, to + jacere, to throw: see jet

adjective

  1. of an adjective
  2. having the nature or function of an adjective
  3. dependent or subordinate
  4. Law of or relating to practice and procedure; procedural

adjective Related Forms
ad′·jec·tively adverb
adjective Synonyms

adjective

n.

modifier, article, determiner, attribute, attributive, qualifier, adjectival, descriptive word, descriptive term, limiting word, limiter, dependent, adjectival construction, identifier, qualifying word, qualifying term, attributive name, adjunct, adnoun.

adjective Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • derive: They can be categorized under the adjectives derived, duped and deliberate.
  • qualify: The qualifying adjective here is not clear in meaning.
  • modify: Is it an adverb, modifying the verbal adjective?
  • pick: To pick an adjective from the title, it's a curious book.
  • add: Copy these sentences, adding an adjective into each one to make the sentence complete.
  • choose: Adjectives: Please choose three adjectives to describe your church.

Converse of subject

  • modify: To use this sort of language implies that ' bishop ' is masculine unless it is modified by a feminine adjective.

Adjective modifier

  • possessive: To embrace his solicitor's address within the possessive adjective ' his ' involves a very brave step.
  • demonstrative: The others are on things like comparatives and demonstrative adjectives ( this, that, those ).
  • superlative: Comparative adjectives receive the tag JJR; Superlative adjectives receive JJT.
  • predicate: This apple is really big ). Adjectives used like this after the verb to be are known as predicate adjectives.
  • descriptive: They're not much different than his names and titles, but they're more descriptive adjectives or nouns that define him to us.
  • comparative: Comparative adjectives compare the degree of quality between two objects.

Modifies a noun

  • ending: We will discuss adjective endings in a later section.
  • phrase: Some adjective noun phrases are intersective - thus a " Red apple " is both red and an apple.
  • comparison: Figure 1. Percent of periphrastic and inflectional forms of adjective comparison in Late Middle, Early Modern and Modern English.
  • form: The MorphoFinder function helps you find words using English past participles, gerunds, and plural and adjective forms.
  • noun: The corresponding pattern in English might be ' noun noun ' or ' adjective noun ' .

Noun used with modifier

  • noun: Did not know what grammar was, or the difference between a noun adjective and a noun substantive.

Preposition: before

  • noun: But we do not normally use more than three adjectives before a noun.