Compound Adjectives: Definition, Meaning, Types, Examples & Exercises

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:

1. Well-known: “She is a well-known author in the mystery genre.”
2. High-quality: “They sell high-quality leather goods.”
3. Ice-cold: “He handed me an ice-cold drink on a hot day.”
4. Long-term: “They are making long-term investments for their children’s future.”
5. Short-lived: “The snowstorm was intense but short-lived.”
6. Full-time: “She has a full-time job at the hospital.”
7. Part-time: “He works part-time while attending university.”
8. English-speaking: “Canada is an English-speaking country.”
9. Heart-warming: “The movie was heart-warming and brought tears to my eyes.”
10. 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:

1. Hard-working: “She is a hard-working student who always submits her assignments on time.”
2. Quick-thinking: “His quick-thinking saved the day during the power outage.”
3. Well-dressed: “The well-dressed gentleman caught everyone’s attention at the gala.”
4. Open-minded: “Being open-minded allows her to learn and grow from different experiences.”
5. Good-natured: “His good-natured humor makes him a joy to be around.”
6. Strong-willed: “The strong-willed leader did not give up despite the challenges.”
7. Thin-skinned: “He is quite thin-skinned and takes criticism personally.”
8. Light-hearted: “Her light-hearted approach to life is truly infectious.”
9. Broad-shouldered: “The broad-shouldered athlete excels in his sport.”
10. 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.

1. Girl who looks good- ___________________
2. Machine that saves time- _______________
3. Car that moves slow-_________________
4. Food that makes your mouth water- ________________
5. Girl with short hair- ______________
6. Product with high quality- ______________
7. Chocolate that is free from sugar- ______________
8. Man, who has an open mind- ____________________
9. Person who speaks English- ______________
10. Vegetables that are grown at home- _________________
11. People who are well educated- _______________
12. Woman, who is highly respected in society- _________________
13. Boy who thinks quickly- ______________
14. Place that is on a long distance- _______________
15. Story that is famous in the world- _________________
16. Toys that are wanted by child- __________________
17. Fashion that is old- ___________________
18. Cookies that are baked by sun- __________________
19. Race that breaks the record- ____________________
20. 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.

1. 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.”
2. 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.”
3. 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:

1. Girl who looks good- good-looking girl
2. Machine that saves time- time-saving machine
3. Car that moves slow- slow-moving car
4. Food that makes your mouth water- mouth-watering food
5. Girl with short hair- short-haired girl
6. Product with high quality- high-quality product
7. Chocolate that is free from sugar- sugar-free chocolate
8. Man, who has an open mind- open-minded man
9. Person who speaks English- English-speaking person
10. Vegetables that are grown at home- home-grown vegetables
11. People who are well educated- well-educated people
12. Woman, who is highly respected in society- highly-respected woman
13. Boy who thinks quickly- quick-thinking boy
14. Place that is on a long distance- long-distanced place
15. Story that is famous in the world- world-famous story
16. Toys that are wanted by child- child-wanted toy
17. Fashion that is old- old-fashioned
18. Cookies that are baked by sun- sunbaked cookies
19. Race that breaks the record- record-breaking race
20. Products that last for a long time- long-lasting products

Compound Adjectives in English-FAQs

What are Compound Adjectives?

A compound adjective means a term that comprises more than one word. A compound adjective is generated whenever two or maybe more adjectives are combined to enhance mostly the same noun. To minimize misunderstanding or conflicts, these nouns should always be paired. 

What is the definition of Compound Adjectives?

A compound adjective is one that comprises more than one word. A hyphen separates the two words which form up the compound adjective, and it’s utilized just before descriptions of individuals, places, or things.

Give some examples of Compound Adjectives.

1. Harry Potter is a world-famous novel.
2. Priyanka Chopra is good-looking actress.
3. Tata nano is very slow-moving car.
4. Zara cloths are very tight- fitting.
5. I like to have sugar-free coffee.
6. Mahatma buddha was very kind-hearted person.
7. My daughter’s performance was eye-catching.
8. Arohi is a well-behaved student in her class.
9. Jaunpur is a very densely populated city.
10. I have to leave the house on a very short-term notice.
11. Technology is very timesaving.
12. I want to see India smoke-free nation in the coming decade.
13. This rose powder is sun-dried powder.
14. This is the fashion is ready-made woolens.
15. I complete my project on the last-minute of submission.

Why to use Compound Adjectives?

Accurately complementing compound adjectives not only will highlight your literary but it will additionally assist your audience digest your thoughts better effortlessly. Whenever a compound adjective is not classified to demonstrate that it is one syntactic component, your audiences scan may pause for a time because they combine the terms into a singular body.

How to find Compound Adjectives in a sentence?

Since compound adjectives are also adjectives, they may be identified in a phrase in the same way that adjectives are.

1. Look for either a term that comes just before noun and characterizes the noun.
2. Look for terms that come after a noun and characterise the noun.
3. Look for adjectives that follow verbs.
4. Look for adjectives that directly compare inside phrases.

There are several methods for locating an adjective. The same methods could be employed to discover compound adjectives.