Spice Up Your Writing With These 414 Adjectives and Delight Your Readers
414 alternatives to the 25 most boringly common written adjectives
Are you looking to fluff up your writing a bit more? One easy way to do that is by fluctuating your word usage.
In the vast ocean of articles being posted online every day, there is an overabundance of similarity.
I believe this stems from the frequency of our spoken language.
“If you learn only 800 of the most frequently-used lemmas in English, you’ll be able to understand 75% of the language as it is spoken in normal life.”
Most people write using the words they say every day — and that’s great for the act of being understood.
But if you want to stand out, you should add some spice to your writing and mash in some flavorful synonyms.
This article takes the most common 25 English adjectives used in written form according to the Oxford English Corpus.
I spent some time gathering interesting alternatives to these overused words and combined them with examples for further understanding.
I hope you enjoy it!
In the meantime, I’m off to go make a very particular sandwich.
The 25 most common adjectives in English
1. good
Use these instead: acceptable, excellent, exceptional, favorable, great, marvelous, positive, satisfactory, satisfying, superb, valuable, able, efficient, proper, reliable, satisfactory, suitable, talented, useful
- Not trying: A peanut butter and tuna sandwich is good.
- Trying too hard: A peanut butter and tuna sandwich is felicitous.
- Just right: A peanut butter and tuna sandwich is marvelous.
Long-form alternative:
A peanut butter and tuna sandwich is God’s gift to mankind.
2. new
Use these instead: fresh, novel, original, contemporary, unfamiliar, modern, strange, advanced, latest, state-of-the-art, recent, unknown, further, different, current, unusual, up-to-date, renewed, untried, unprecedented, innovative, newfangled, another, newborn, extra, exceptional, raw, unique, additional, added, stylish, unconventional
- Not trying: I enjoyed the new combination of peanuts and stanky fish.
- Trying too hard: I enjoyed the contemporary combination of peanuts and stanky fish.
- Just right: I enjoyed the innovative combination of peanuts and stanky fish.
Long-form alternative:
I enjoyed the illustrious ingenuity and wafting pleasure of peanuts and stanky fish.
3. first
Use these instead: primary, prime, foremost, chief, leading, principal, initial, main, premier, greatest, supreme, top, opening, highest, original, predominant, inaugural
- Not trying: It wasn’t the first time I ate that kind of sandwich.
- Trying too hard: It wasn’t the antecedent time I ate that kind of sandwich.
- Just right: It wasn’t the initial occasion I ate that kind of sandwich.
Long-form alternative:
It wasn’t my inaugural unveiling of heavenly glory into my face hole with that kind of sandwich.
4. last
Use these instead: final, newest, concluding, closing, end, latest, terminal, ultimate, uttermost, latter, previous, former, end
- Not trying: It was the first and last time she ate peanut butter without adding tuna.
- Trying too hard: It was the initial and terminal instance she ate peanut butter without adding tuna.
- Just right: It was the first and final time she would ever eat peanut butter without adding tuna.
Long-form alternative:
It was both the opening and conclusion of her misfortunate adventure into tunaless peanut butter sandwiches.
5. long
Use these instead: lengthy, extended, protracted, extensive, stretched, expanded, lingering, considerable, deep, continued, elongated, sustained
- Not trying: It does not take long to make magic in the form of a sandwich.
- Trying too hard: It does not take a protracted period to create magic in the form of a sandwich.
- Just right: It does not take considerable time to create magic in the form of a sandwich.
Long-form alternative:
Time waits for no man. Unless that man is creating a delicious PB&T.
6. great
Use these instead: wonderful, splendid, excellent, good, grand, beautiful, marvelous, superb, fabulous, magnificent, terrific, fantastic, outstanding, exceptional, divine, glorious, awesome, exquisite, first-rate, heavenly, substantial, admirable
- Not trying: It’s useless to argue against the great taste of PB&T.
- Trying too hard: It’s useless to argue against the hellacious taste of PB&T.
- Just right: It’s useless to argue against the exquisite taste of PB&T.
Long-form alternative:
Resistance is futile. Commence creation of exceptional PB&T immediately.
7. little
Use these instead: small, tiny, short, slight, tiny, insignificant, trivial, negligible, trifling, diminutive, minor, baby, miniature, minute, petite, meager, scant
- Not trying: One does not put only a little amount of tuna in a sandwich.
- Trying too hard: One does not put only an infinitesimal amount of tuna in a sandwich.
- Just right: One does not put a trifling amount of tuna in a sandwich.
Long-form alternative:
How can you read this article when your puny eyes should be confronted by a mountain of glorious tuna in front of you?
8. own
Use these instead: mine, endemic, inherent, intrinsic, peculiar, personal, private, resident, particular, specific, special,
- Not trying: To thy own tuna be true.
- Trying too hard: To thy intrinsic tuna be true.
- Just right: To thy personal tuna be true.
Long-form alternative:
This joke is getting harder to stretch out now, isn’t it? I guess I’m on my own now.
9. other
Use these instead: diverse, separate, unique, contrasting, disparate, dissimilar, distant, distinct, divergent, opposite, otherwise, remaining, unalike, unequal, unlike, unrelated, variant, different
- Not trying: I just tried the other kind of sandwich — bleh!
- Trying too hard: I just tried a divergent sandwich — bleh!
- Just right: I just tried a different sandwich — bleh!
Long-form alternative:
There can be only one — kind of sandwich.
10. old
Use these instead: aged, ancient, decrepit, elderly, gray, mature, tired, venerable, age-old, antique, crumbling, former, old-fashioned, old-time, original, outmoded, primitive, traditional, familiar
- Not trying: The tuna fish may have been old, but the spirit was young and willing.
- Trying too hard: The tuna fish may have been decrepit, but the spirit was young and willing.
- Just right: The tuna fish may have been mature, but the spirit was young and willing.
Long-form alternative:
Tuna ages like a fine wine, as long as there is peanut butter to be had.
11. right
Use these instead: appropriate, good, honest, legitimate, proper, suitable, correct, perfect, valid, acceptable, desirable, ideal, sufficient, fitting, accurate, exact, real
- Not trying: Do what is right, not what is easy and non-PB&T.
- Trying too hard: Do what is valid, not what is easy and non-PB&T.
- Just right: Do what is honorable, not what is easy and non-PB&T.
Long-form alternative:
The Theory of Everything fails to include PB&T within its calculations. This is why it is not yet correct.
12. big
Use these instead: colossal, considerable, enormous, full, gigantic, hefty, immense, huge, sizable, tremendous, vast, main, powerful, large, mighty, prodigious, gigantic, hulking, mountainous
- Not trying: The recipe involves a big scoop of PB and one can of T.
- Trying too hard: The recipe involves a prodigious scoop of PB and one can of T.
- Just right: The recipe involves a mighty scoop of PB and one can of T.
Long-form alternative:
Imagine all the peanut butterless tuna drifting throughout the vast wide ocean.
13. high
Use these instead: great, huge, immense, large, lofty, long, soaring, steep, tremendous, excessive, great, steep, stiff, strong, unusual, mighty, sharp, tall, superior, elevated
- Not trying: A tuna’s worth is only as high as the quality of its peanut.
- Trying too hard: A tuna’s worth is only as tremendous as the quality of its peanut.
- Just right: A tuna’s worth is only as elevated as the quality of its peanut.
Long-form alternative:
To be or not to be, in a PB&T.
That is the tuna’s question.
14. different
Use these instead: distinct, divergent, dissimilar, contrary, diverse, contrasting, incompatible, unlike, contradictory, various, differing, assorted, varying, bizarre, uncommon, extraordinary
- Not trying: Some people call it a different form of art.
- Trying too hard: Some people call it an assorted form of art.
- Just right: Some people call it a diverse form of art.
Long-form alternative:
Beauty is in the eye of the PB&T-holder.
15. small
Use these instead: cramped, limited, meager, microscopic, minuscule, modest, paltry, tiny, insignificant, narrow
- Not trying: Even a small sandwich can pack a big punch.
- Trying too hard: Even an insignificant sandwich can pack a big punch.
- Just right: Even a modest sandwich can pack a big punch.
Long-form alternative:
To be small minded is a choice. But to be tiny tuna’d is sacrilegious.
16. large
Use these instead: abundant, broad, considerable, enormous, huge, extensive, generous, giant, gigantic, hefty, immense, massive, sizable, populous, vast
- Not trying: Some say a large amount of peanut butter is required to overcome tuna’s scent.
- Trying too hard: Some say a prodigious amount of peanut butter is required to overcome tuna’s scent.
- Just right: Some say a generous amount of peanut butter is required to overcome the tuna’s scent.
Long-form alternative:
The magic of the flavor is not in its ingredients, but in the hefty overpowering experience of the dish.
17. next
Use these instead: later, abutting, adjoining, after, alongside, attached, beside, consequent, neighboring, following, succeeding, subsequent, afterward, behind
- Not trying: I was pleased at seeing the type of fish and butter the next sandwich contained.
- Trying too hard: I was pleased at seeing the type of fish and butter the adjoining sandwich contained.
- Just right: I was pleased at seeing the type of fish and butter the subsequent sandwich contained.
Long-form alternative:
Ask not what sandwich your country can make for you, but how you can help make PB&T for your country.
18. early
Use these instead: immediately, previous, quick, soon, ahead of time, advanced, anticipated, premature, timely
- Not trying: It’s too early to tell if PB&T will become famous.
- Trying too hard: It’s too anticipatory to tell if PB&T will become famous.
- Just right: It’s too premature to tell if PB&T will become famous.
Long-form alternative:
Timely to bed and timely to rise make a man healthy, happy, and hungry for PB&T.
19. young
Use these instead: budding, inexperienced, new, youthful, blooming, blossoming, developing, fledgling, green, growing, juvenile, raw, recent, burgeoning, pubescent, undeveloped
- Not trying: The young student hadn’t yet learned the ways of PB&T.
- Trying too hard: The pubescent student hadn’t yet learned the ways of PB&T.
- Just right: The inexperienced student hadn’t yet learned the ways of PB&T.
Long-form alternative:
It is never wise to discourage youthful idealism towards odd mixtures of butters and fish.
20. important
Use these instead: valuable, substantial, critical, crucial, decisive, essential, extensive, imperative, influential, meaningful, significant, vital, considerable, chief, momentous
- Not trying: It was important to understand that certain understated flavors can combine to create ecstasy.
- Trying too hard: It was paramount to understand that certain understated flavors can combine to create ecstasy.
- Just right: It was crucial to understand that certain understated flavors can combine to create ecstasy.
Long-form alternative:
The will to succeed is considerable, but what’s more considerable is the will to slather delicious creamy peanut butter on top of tuna.
21. few
Use these instead: less, middling, minute, scanty, trifling, imperceptible, inconsequential, insufficient, meager, negligible, seldom, sparse, smattering, spattering, sprinkling
- Not trying: Some say adding only a few tuna fish on a PB sandwich is the correct way. They are wrong.
- Trying too hard: Some say adding only a negligible amount of tuna on a PB sandwich is the correct way. They are wrong.
- Just right: Some say adding only an imperceptible amount of tuna on a PB sandwich is the correct way. They are wrong.
Long-form alternative:
To give anything less than your best is to rob yourself of that sweet, sweet PB&T.
22. public
Use these instead: popular, general, common, universal, widespread, shared, prevalent, prevailing, generic, communal, collective, national, civic, civil, social, global
- Not trying: It’s not yet public knowledge that PB&T is the future ruler of fine dining.
- Trying too hard: It’s not yet communal knowledge that PB&T is the future ruler of fine dining.
- Just right: It’s not yet widespread knowledge that PB&T is the future ruler of fine dining.
Long-form alternative:
A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows the collective opinion and doesn’t eat PB&T every day.
23. bad
Use these instead: poor, vile, awful, inferior, terrible, dreadful, lousy, rotten, unpleasant, horrible, evil, disgusting, ugly, foul, wicked, substandard, repulsive, sinful, offensive, atrocious, rough, nasty, inadequate, disagreeable, mediocre, paltry
- Not trying: The village idiot claimed PB&T was a bad invention.
- Trying too hard: The village idiot claimed PB&T was an inferior invention.
- Just right: The village idiot claimed PB&T was an awful invention.
Long-form alternative:
It is far better to be alone, than to be in unpleasant company of those who are anti-PB&T.
24. same
Use these instead: similar, equal, identical, alike, equivalent, corresponding, comparable, indistinguishable, duplicate, parallel, matching, uniform, consistent, invariable, interchangeable
- Not trying: Some have said PB&T is a similar experience as taking opioids in heaven.
- Trying too hard: Some have said PB&T is an interchangeable experience as taking opioids in heaven.
- Just right: Some have said PB&T is an indistinguishable experience as taking opioids in heaven.
Long-form alternative:
No man ever steps foot in an identical river twice. For it is not the same river, and he is not the same man after tasting delectable PB&T.
25. able
Use these instead: capable, skilled, proficient, competent, adept, accomplished, talented, gifted, fit, clever, apt, qualified, deft, worthy
- Not trying: He was fully able to eat at least 3 PB&T’s in one sitting.
- Trying too hard: He was apt to eat at least 3 PB&T’s in one sitting.
- Just right: He was fully gifted to eat at least 3 PB&T’s in one sitting.
Long-form alternative:
When we are no longer capable to change a situation — we are challenged to change ourselves by spreading peanut butter on top of a can of drained tuna and placing it between two crunchy toasted slices of bread.
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