Nouns name things; adjectives color them in. An adjective is a word that describes, limits, or otherwise modifies a noun or pronoun, answering questions such as which one, what kind, or how many.

Adjectives can appear before the noun (attributive) or after a linking verb (predicative). Many languages mark adjectives for agreement in gender, number, or case with the noun they modify. English largely abandoned such agreement, which is why “red” stays the same whether the car is singular or plural.

Comparative and superlative forms let speakers grade qualities. Some adjectives resist comparison because they already express an absolute state. In dictionaries and teaching materials, adjectives form one of the major lexical classes that learners must master to build precise descriptions.

• Word that modifies a noun or pronoun
• Can be attributive or predicative
• May agree with the noun in some languages
• Often forms comparative and superlative degrees