Compound Adjectives: Definition, Meaning, Types, Examples & Exercises
Last Updated : 09 Apr, 2025
When you describe someone or something, for example, a flower, you use words like gorgeous, colorful, fresh, blossoming, and so on. You may also describe a car as brand-new, second-hand, nice-looking, old-fashioned, and so on. These words which we use to describe a car are known as compound adjectives. An adjective refers to a word that can be employed to define or add detail to a noun or pronoun. There are a lot of distinct sorts of adjectives, the majority of these adjectives are simply one word long. Yet, a few adjectives are formed by combining several terms. They are known as compound adjectives.
What is a Compound Adjective?
A compound adjective is a word combination that can function as an adjective in a phrase. A noun, present participle, or past participle is added to an adjective to create a compound adjective. Either of these may come before the adjective in certain situations, or it may come after them in others. The majority of compound adjectives use hyphens.
Definition of a Compound Adjective
The Oxford Learner's Dictionary defines a compound adjective as one that is "formed of two or more parts." "In grammar, a compound noun, adjective, or verb is made up of two or more words, for example, fire engine, bottle-green, and force-feed," according to the Collins Dictionary.
"Compound words are two or more words linked together to produce a word with a new meaning," according to the Cambridge Dictionary. Therefore, a compound adjective is any additional component of speech that is joined with an adjective to describe the subject or object of a phrase and mean something else.
Types of Compound Adjectives with Examples
Compound Adjectives can be formed in different ways:
1. Adverb + Past Participle
| Adverb | Past Participle | Compound Adjective |
| Well | Behaved | Well-behaved |
| Brightly | Colored | Brightly colored |
| Highly | Respected | Highly respected |
| Well | Known | Well-known |
| Deeply | Rooted | Deeply rooted |
| Well | Paid | Well-paid |
| Widely | Recognized | Widely-recognized |
| Densely | Populated | Densely populated |
2. Noun + Past Participle
| Noun | Past Participle | Compound Adjective |
| Middle | Aged | Middle-aged |
| Sun | Baked | Sun-baked |
| Home | Grown | Home-grown |
| Sun | Dried | Sun-dried |
| Water | Cooled | Water-cooled |
| Oil | Soaked | Oil-soaked |
| Child | Wanted | Child-wanted |
| Dog | Used | Dog-used |
3. Noun + Present Participle
| Noun | Present Participle | Compound Adjective |
| Eye | Catching | Eye-catching |
| Money | Saving | Money-saving |
| Mouth | Watering | Mouth-watering |
| English | Speaking | English-speaking |
| Time | Saving | Time-saving |
| Record | Breaking | Record-breaking |
| Thought | Provoking | Thought-provoking |
| Spanish | Speaking | Spanish-speaking |
4. Noun + Adjective
| Noun | Adjective | Compound Adjective |
| World | Famous | World-famous |
| Sugar | Free | Sugar-free |
| Plastic | Free | Plastic-free |
| Family | Friendly | Family-friendly |
| Ice | Cold | Ice-cold |
| Book | Smart | Book-smart |
| Smoke | Free | Smoke-free |
| India | Famous | India-famous |
5. Adjective + Noun
| Adjective | Noun | Compound Adjective |
| Last | Minute | Last-minute |
| Long | Distance | Long-distance |
| Short | Term | Short-term |
| Full | Length | Full-length |
| High | Quality | High-quality |
| Short | Distance | Short distance |
| Long | Term | Long-term |
| Half | Length | Half-length |
6. Adjective + Past Participle
| Adjective | Past Participle | Compound Adjective |
| Old | Fashioned | Old-fashioned |
| Long | Haired | Long-haired |
| Short | Lived | Short-lived |
| Ready | Made | Ready-made |
| Kind | Hearted | Kind-hearted |
| Narrow | Minded | Narrow-minded |
| Strong | Willed | Strong-willed |
| Quick | Witted | Quick-witted |
7. Adjective + Present Participle
| Adjective | Present Participle | Compound Adjective |
| Good | Looking | Good-looking |
| Slow | Moving | Slow-moving |
| Long | Lasting | Long-lasting |
| Easy | Going | Easy-going |
| Long | Running | Long-running |
| Tight | Fitting | Tight-fitting |
| Quick | Thinking | Quick-thinking |
| Easy | Going | Easy-going |
List of Compound Adjectives Examples
Here is a list of compound adjectives that you can make use to make your writing or speech specific and descriptive.
- Blue-collar
- Short-term
- White-washed
- Short-handed
- Ill-minded
- Ice-cold
- Grass-fed
- Home-bred
- East-facing
- Mouth-watering
- Overcooked
- Undercooked
- Deep-fried
- Seasick
- Well-known
- Tightly-wound
- Fifty-storey
- 100-page
- Last-minute
- Full-length
- Heavy-laden
- Short-lived
- Long-distance
- High-quality
- Quick-thinking
- Nail-biting
- Three-hour
- Record-breaking
- Time-saving
- Ready-made
- World-famous
- English-speaking
- Middle-aged
- Densely-populated
- Highly-qualified
- Long-forgotten
- Highly-respected
- Old-fashioned
- Smoke-free
- Waterproof
- Shatterproof
- Break-free
- Four-week
- Good-looking
10 Examples of Compound Adjectives
Compound adjectives are adjectives that consist of two or more words usually connected by hyphens. They function as a single idea to modify a noun. Here are 10 examples:
- Well-known: "She is a well-known author in the mystery genre."
- High-quality: "They sell high-quality leather goods."
- Ice-cold: "He handed me an ice-cold drink on a hot day."
- Long-term: "They are making long-term investments for their children's future."
- Short-lived: "The snowstorm was intense but short-lived."
- Full-time: "She has a full-time job at the hospital."
- Part-time: "He works part-time while attending university."
- English-speaking: "Canada is an English-speaking country."
- Heart-warming: "The movie was heart-warming and brought tears to my eyes."
- Bitter-sweet: "Graduating from college was a bitter-sweet moment."
Compound Adjectives Vs Compound Nouns
| Compound Adjectives | Compound Nouns |
| Compound adjectives however are adjective-acting compound words. | A compound noun refers to a noun that is formed from two or maybe more existing words. |
| Whenever two or perhaps more words could be merged to define the very same noun, the result is a compound adjective. | Each compound noun is formed from two or maybe more terms that are combined to make a noun. |
| Eco-friendly, Good-looking, First-place, Bullet-proof, Fat-free, etc. are examples of compound adjectives. | Play-ground, Movie-time, Seafood, Under-world, Bus-stop, etc. are examples of compound noun. |
Compound Adjectives to Describe a Person
Compound adjectives can be particularly useful when describing a person's characteristics, appearance, or roles in a detailed and specific manner. Compound adjectives can be particularly useful when describing a person's characteristics, appearance, or roles in a detailed and specific manner. Here are examples of compound adjectives used to describe people:
- Hard-working: "She is a hard-working student who always submits her assignments on time."
- Quick-thinking: "His quick-thinking saved the day during the power outage."
- Well-dressed: "The well-dressed gentleman caught everyone's attention at the gala."
- Open-minded: "Being open-minded allows her to learn and grow from different experiences."
- Good-natured: "His good-natured humor makes him a joy to be around."
- Strong-willed: "The strong-willed leader did not give up despite the challenges."
- Thin-skinned: "He is quite thin-skinned and takes criticism personally."
- Light-hearted: "Her light-hearted approach to life is truly infectious."
- Broad-shouldered: "The broad-shouldered athlete excels in his sport."
- Short-tempered: "The short-tempered chef is known for his outbursts in the kitchen."
Compound Adjectives Exercises
Que.1 Describe the following nouns using compound adjectives.
- Girl who looks good- ___________________
- Machine that saves time- _______________
- Car that moves slow-_________________
- Food that makes your mouth water- ________________
- Girl with short hair- ______________
- Product with high quality- ______________
- Chocolate that is free from sugar- ______________
- Man, who has an open mind- ____________________
- Person who speaks English- ______________
- Vegetables that are grown at home- _________________
- People who are well educated- _______________
- Woman, who is highly respected in society- _________________
- Boy who thinks quickly- ______________
- Place that is on a long distance- _______________
- Story that is famous in the world- _________________
- Toys that are wanted by child- __________________
- Fashion that is old- ___________________
- Cookies that are baked by sun- __________________
- Race that breaks the record- ____________________
- Products that last for a long time- __________________
Compound Adjectives Worksheet
This worksheet is designed to help learners understand and practice compound adjectives. Each exercise below encourages the identification, formation, and use of compound adjectives in sentences.
- Identification
Read the sentences below and highlight the compound adjectives.- "She offered me some homemade cookies."
- "The documentary presented a thought-provoking perspective on wildlife conservation."
- Formation
Combine the words in brackets to form a compound adjective and complete the sentence.- "He works as a (full, time) chef in a renowned restaurant."
- "Their wedding was a (lavish, scale) event attended by celebrities."
- Usage
Use the compound adjectives provided to complete the sentences.- "The (state-of-the-art) technology has revolutionized the industry."
- "After the storm, we found a (water-logged) diary in the attic."
Answers:
- Girl who looks good- good-looking girl
- Machine that saves time- time-saving machine
- Car that moves slow- slow-moving car
- Food that makes your mouth water- mouth-watering food
- Girl with short hair- short-haired girl
- Product with high quality- high-quality product
- Chocolate that is free from sugar- sugar-free chocolate
- Man, who has an open mind- open-minded man
- Person who speaks English- English-speaking person
- Vegetables that are grown at home- home-grown vegetables
- People who are well educated- well-educated people
- Woman, who is highly respected in society- highly-respected woman
- Boy who thinks quickly- quick-thinking boy
- Place that is on a long distance- long-distanced place
- Story that is famous in the world- world-famous story
- Toys that are wanted by child- child-wanted toy
- Fashion that is old- old-fashioned
- Cookies that are baked by sun- sunbaked cookies
- Race that breaks the record- record-breaking race
- Products that last for a long time- long-lasting products
Also Read: What is a Compound Noun? Definition, Types & Examples
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