What are Compound Adjectives?

Compound Adjectives Definition

What Are compound Adjectives? Learn exactly how to develop compound adjectives. Compound adjectives are adjectives that are composed of two or even more words normally with hyphens (-) between them.

If you recognize your grammar, you’re most likely already well aware of adjectives. To place it merely, adjectives are words that define nouns as well as pronouns. While there are many different types of adjectives, most of them are just single words such as upset, slow, smart, awesome, or goofy.

However, some adjectives are made from many words collaborating such as world-famous, short-term, or under-the-table. These adjectives are called compound adjectives, and although they might look a little bit strange, they are perfectly capable of doing all of the tasks that adjectives do.

Does a compound adjective always need a hyphen?

Sometimes, might not make use of hyphens when using a compound adjective. Instead, they might make use of quotation marks or italics to indicate they are utilizing more words together as a compound adjective.

For Example; Dog house, Fire truck, dub reggae, pro bono

Closed compound adjectives

Closed compound adjectives are adjectives that have no hyphen and no space between words. Here are a few closed compound adjectives in sentences:

• The meat was undercooked, but the onion was perfect.
• He bought an overstuffed ottoman for his living room. 

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Types of compound adjectives in English

There are nine types of compound adjectives in English grammar. We are going to explain these nine types of compound adjectives in English.

Part of speech	Part of speech	Examples
Adjective	Noun	First-time, long-distance, short-term
Adjective	Present Participle	Spanish-speaking, Fast-talking, backward-facing
Noun	Past Participle	sun-dried, Whitewashed, homegrown
Number	Noun	Four-wheel, Second-place, nineteenth-century
Noun	Adjective	Sky-blue, Ice-cold, cruelty-free
Noun	Present Participle	Mouth-watering, French-speaking, self-effacing
Adverb	Past Participle	Undercooked, Tightly wound, overpopulated
Adjective	Past Participle	Deep-fried, Double-baked, warm-blooded
Noun	Noun	Bulletproof, seasick, meat-eater

200+ Compound Adjectives List

Since compound adjectives are adjectives that are made from more than two words. There are hundreds or even thousands of compound adjectives. A few common examples of compound adjectives are listed below.

500-word	old-fashioned
6-page	one-of-a-kind
absent-minded	open-minded
all-too-common	Over-confident
amazingly good	Overly affectionate
apple-pie	overpopulated
backward-facing	overstuffed
Bad-tempered	part-time
beaten-up	pro bono
beautifully painted	quick-witted
better-suited	record-breaking
Big-headed	red-hot
Billy Elliot	running on empty
blue-collar	Seasick
blue-sky	Second-place
brand-new	second-rate
brightly-lit	Self-absorbed
Broad-minded	Self-acting
broken-down	Self-addressed
built-in	Self-adhesive
built-up	Self-appointed
bulletproof	Self-assembly
cashed-up	Self-assertive
child-wanted	Self-assured
cold-blooded	Self-aware
Cold-hearted	Self-centered
cruelty-free	Self-colour
deep-dish	Self-confessed
deep-fried	Self-confident
deep-water	self-conscious
densely-populated	Self-contained
dimly lit	Self-contradictory
Dog house	Self-correcting
Doghouse	Self-critical
Double-baked	Self-defeating
dub reggae	Self-denying
Easy-going	Self-drive
English-speaking	Self-educated
extra cheesy	self-effacing
eye-opening	Self-employed
far-reaching	Self-evident
Fast-paced	Self-explanatory
Fast-talking	Self-important
fat-free	Self-imposed
fifteen-year-old	short-haired
Firetruck	short-handed
five-star	Short-tempered
forward-thinking	show-stopping
four-foot	sky-blue
four-wheel	slow-moving
French-speaking	smoke-free
full-length	Spanish-speaking
good-looking	Strong-minded
Good-natured	strong-willed
grass-fed	sun-baked
green-eyed	sun-dried
gut-wrenching	terribly hot
Hard-working	Thick-skinned
high octane	third-party
highest-taxed	thought-provoking
highly-respected	three-floor
high-spirited	three-page
homegrown	three-storey
Ice-cold	Tightly wound
kind-hearted	time-saving
Laid-back	twentieth-century
last-minute	two-year-old
lesser-known	undercooked
Level headed	up-to-date
level-headed	Waking the Dead
lightly sauced	warm-blooded
long-lasting	Warmly received
long-life	Weak-willed
low-stress	well-behaved
meat-eater	well-educated
middle-aged	well-fatted
most densely populated	Well-known
most ethnically diverse	well-off
mouth-watering	Whitewashed
narrow-minded	widely-recognized
Neatly pressed	world-famous
never-ending	Yellow-striped
nineteenth-century

Compound adjective example sentences

Here are some examples of sentences using compound adjectives.

• The people in this company are so narrow-minded.
• Sofia gave a high-spirited musical performance.
• They had lunch in an old-fashioned restaurant.
• Olivia was dancing with a short-haired boy.
• Her absent-minded comment hurt her brother’s feelings.
• These fat-free recipes are delicious!
• They have 50 part-time members of staff.
• It was a last-minute decision.
• Matthew was tall and good-looking.
• Charlotte produced her first full-length movie in 2019.
• This is a smoke-free kitchen.
• They were stuck in a line of slow-moving traffic.
• Natalia noticed two middle-aged passengers on the bus.
• All of the cookies made in this oven are gluten-free.
• The woman who is performing today is a well-known lady.
• Crows are long-lived birds.
• His articles are world-famous.
• Isabella is the most easy-going child in school.
• Addison’s a widely-recognized professional in technology.
• Bella wanted to buy her daughter the most child-wanted bike.
• This is a four-foot chair.
• Amelia is a part-time worker.
• It is an all-too-common error.
• Beware of the yellow-eyed monster.
• William is a cold-blooded boy.
• Mia loves this brightly-lit office!
• This is a well-behaved cat.
• You have to be open-minded about Emma.
• Oliver proved himself a quick-witted negotiator.
• Everyone says Benjamin is a kind-hearted officer.
• Scarlett comes from a well-educated family.
• Lahore is a densely-populated city in Pakistan.

Compound adjectives with meanings

Our team formulated an extensive list of compound adjectives with meaning.

• Highly-respected: A person who deserves respect
• Meat-eater: carnivore, an animal that eats only meat
• Kind-hearted: generous, kind
• Brightly-lit: bright, full of light
• Old-fashioned: old style, not modern
• Deeply-rooted: difficult to change
• Good-looking: attractive, awesome
• Labor-saving: making work easier
• Left-handed: using the left hand for routine work
• Short-sighted: unable to see far things
• Well-known: famous, popular
• Easy-going: relaxed, easy to accept things without worrying
• Brand-new: fresh, completely new
• Part-time: some hours work, temporary job
• Badly-written: faultily, imperfectly, written in a bad or wrong way
• Well-paid: good payment
• Second-hand: not new; used by someone before
• Well-informed: knows a lot
• Open-minded: flexible
• Red-handed: did a crime or something wrong
• Tight-fisted: mean; not generous with money
• Well-earned: deserved, justifiable
• Self-reliant: independent, egocentric
• Self-centered: egocentric, selfish
• Ever-lasting: eternal, immortal, permanent
• Heart-broken: crushed, suffering, depressed
• Narrow-minded: conservative, inflexible
• Absent-minded: forgetful, likely to forget things
• Middle-aged: around 35-55 years old
• Quick-witted: intelligent, clever, smart, fast at thinking and discovering things
• Strong-willed: strong desires
• High-spirited: full of energy
• Well-educated: Full of knowledge
• Fat-free: food with zero fat

Compound adjectives InfoGraphics

Here are some printable infographics about compound adjectives. Printable infographics are a fantastic way to share a significant amount of details in a short time in a stunning way. The compound adjectives infographic can help teachers and students to share their thoughts easily.

My Considerations

Since the Adjective is the main part of English reading, the importance of developing vocabulary cannot be undervalued without compound adjectives.

You can read the above simple list of compound adjectives to improve your understanding of English grammar.

Encourage your children to learn these basic but commonly used compound adjectives, by following the simple example sentences given above. Then, save this list of compound adjectives, handy for future interview use.

If you enjoyed a printable infographic about compound adjectives, I’d be very thankful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to your friends or sharing it on Pinterest, Reddit, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. Thank you!

Recap of what we just learned

• What are Compound Adjectives?
• Compound Adjectives Definition
• Does a compound adjective always need a hyphen?
• Closed compound adjectives
• Types of compound adjectives in English
• 200+ Compound Adjectives List
• Compound adjective example sentences
• Compound adjectives with meanings
• Compound adjective InfoGraphics

If you’re having any doubts about the qualities of compound adjectives, you can leave a comment below, and we’ll attempt to give you feedback as early as possible. Thank you!

Related Topics

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