ESL students, do you know how to make your adjectives sound more interesting? By adding suffixes, you can change the meaning and pronunciation of words. In this blog post, we will provide a list of common adjective suffixes with examples. So put on your learning hat and let’s get started!!
List of Adjectives Suffixes and Examples
1) -ful: meaningful, helpful
- He is doing a meaningful job.
- She was only trying to be helpful!
2) -less: meaningless, helpless
- The job is meaningless.
- She is always helpless.
3) -y: happy, spooky
- He was very happy with the results.
- It’s a spooky place.
4) -al: directional, critical
- Directional changes are critical to success.
5) -ous: dangerous, curious
- It’s a dangerous thing to do.
- She is very curious about everything.
6) -able: changeable, lovable
- His moods are changeable.
- She is very lovable.
7) -ic: electric, poetic
- The electric lightbulb was invented by Edison.
- He has a poetic soul.
8) -an: German, African
- He is German.
- She is African.
9) -ish: English, Spanish
- She has a bit of an English accent.
- He sounds a bit more Spanish than usual today.
10) -en: broken, shaken
- The cup is broken.
- His nerves were shaken by the experience.
11) -ty: guilty, pretty
- He is guilty of a serious crime.
- She is pretty in a simple way.
12) -ic: cubic, romantic
- He has a cubic shape.
- Their love is very romantic.
13) -al: criminal, territorial
- He committed a criminal act.
- She was territorial about her property.
14) -ic: fantastic, volcanic
- The party was fantastic.
- She has a volcanic temper.
15) -ive: constructive, defensive
- He is a very constructive person.
- She became very defensive at the accusation.
16) -ment: excellent
- He did an excellent job.
17) -ty: honesty, fertility
- Her honesty can never be doubted.
- The fertility of this soil is amazing.
18) -ful: careful, grateful
- He was very careful with the equipment.
- She was grateful for his help.
19) -less: careless
- He was careless with the equipment.
20) -al: postal
- The postal service is very reliable.
21) -ic: fantastic, photographic
- She has a fantastic memory.
- He has a photographic memory.
22) -ar: cellular, lunar
- She has a cellular structure.
- Is this the lunar calendar?
23) -ic: cubic, electric
- His head was growing cubic in shape.
- The electric company is very reliable.
24) -ine: marine, canine
- He is very marine, having served in the navy.
- She is a canine, being a dog.
25) -ive: additive, divisive
- The additive process is used to make new colors.
- Their relationship was very divisive.
