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The 10 Most Commonly Used Adjectives (and Their More-Interesting Alternatives)
When it comes to writing, there are certain words we use more than others. Articles like "the" and "a" appear so often that our minds can even fill them in for us while we read if one happens to be missing from a document or article.
But what about adjectives? Adjectives are important because they allow us to describe things in specific terms, but not all adjectives offer the same degree of specificity. Sometimes, it can be good to replace generic adjectives—like the ones listed below—with synonyms that mean the same thing but are either more specific or less linguistically stale. Other times, a common adjective (like "large") comes up so frequently in a piece of writing that replacing some instances of it with alternatives is just a good stylistic choice
Below are the 10 most commonly used adjectives in the English language according to EnglishClub.com. After each, you'll find alternatives (synonyms) that mean nearly the same thing (but may be more specific or interesting). So, next time you find yourself including one of these 10 ubiquitous adjectives multiple times in an article, consider diversifying your verbiage with some of the alternatives listed below.
- Good: Acceptable, excellent, congenial, first-class, favorable, exceptional, prime, pleasing, satisfactory, admirable, reputable, valuable, commendable
- New: Novel, modern, original, state-of-the-art, contemporary, unique, recent, current, unsullied, latest
- First: Premier, initial, antecedent, cardinal, fundamental, primary, primeval, primordial, elementary, introductory, key, inaugural
- Last: Final, closing, concluding, terminal, latest, ultimate, hindmost, least, crowning, determinate, remotest, conclusive
- Long: Deep, tall, wide, great, lengthy, elongated, enduring, lasting, protracted, extensive, far-reaching, expanded, continued, enlarged, stretched
- Great: Superb, superlative, superior, tremendous, extravagant, wonderful, glorious, titanic, abundant, considerable, ample, significant
- Little: Meager, slight, scant, tiny, miniature, diminutive, minute, fleeting, sparse, truncated, short, brief, immature, shrimpy
- Own: Inherent, intrinsic, personal, private
- Other: Alternative, auxiliary, alternate, supplementary, spare, additional
- Old: Aged, venerable, experienced, senior, fossilized, mature, seasoned, geriatric, grizzled
Note: Don't overdo it—simple writing is good writing, and while evocative descriptions and specificity are key,
purple prose (writing that is overly flowery, ornate, or academic) can come off as pretentious and undermine the impact of your work.
Image Credit: Eric Prouzet via Unsplash; Canva
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