B1 English Adjectives: Feelings, Personality & Quality
This section of our B1 Adjectives list helps you describe people, things, and situations in more detail. It includes words for Feelings & Emotions like disappointed and confused, vocabulary for Personality & Character such as ambitious and generous, adjectives for Physical Description & Condition like injured and drunk, and common words for expressing Quality & Evaluation such as effective and reliable.
Jump to a section:
Feelings & Emotions
| Word | Example Sentence | IPA (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| amazed | I was amazed at the size. | /əˈmeɪzd/ |
| annoyed | She was annoyed with her husband. | /əˈnɔɪd/ |
| annoying | He has an annoying habit.
Word Partners: annoying habit
|
/əˈnɔɪɪŋ/ |
| brave | It was a brave decision to quit his job. | /breɪv/ |
| calm | Please stay calm.
Word Partners: stay calm, remain calm
|
/kɑːm/ |
| cheerful | She has a cheerful smile and was very friendly. | /ˈtʃɪəfl/ |
| confident | I am confident that we will win. | /ˈkɒnfɪdənt/ |
| confused | I was confused about the time. | /kənˈfjuːzd/ |
| disappointed | I was disappointed with the service. | /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪntɪd/ |
| disappointing | The results were disappointing. | /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪntɪŋ/ |
| embarrassed | I felt embarrassed about my mistake. | /ɪmˈbærəst/ |
| embarrassing | It was an embarrassing situation.
Word Partners: embarrassing situation
|
/ɪmˈbærəsɪŋ/ |
| frightened | She is frightened of spiders. | /ˈfraɪtnd/ |
| frightening | It was a frightening experience.
Word Partners: frightening experience
|
/ˈfraɪtnɪŋ/ |
| glad | I am glad to hear that you are felling better. | /ɡlæd/ |
| grateful | I am grateful for your help. | /ˈɡreɪtfl/ |
| guilty | He was found guilty of the crime. | /ˈɡɪlti/ |
| lonely | My brother told me that he feels lonely.
Word Partners: feel lonely
|
/ˈləʊnli/ |
| mad | He went mad with anger.
Word Partners: be mad, go mad
|
/mæd/ |
| peaceful | It is very peaceful here. | /ˈpiːsfl/ |
| pessimistic | Don't be so pessimistic about the future. | /ˌpesɪˈmɪstɪk/ |
| pleasant | We had a pleasant evening. | /ˈpleznt/ |
| proud | He should be proud of his achievements. | /praʊd/ |
| relaxed | This weekend, the weather is great and I feel relaxed. | /rɪˈlækst/ |
| relaxing | We had a relaxing weekend.
Word Partners: relaxing weekend
|
/rɪˈlæksɪŋ/ |
| romantic | They had a romantic dinner.
Word Partners: a romantic dinner
|
/rəʊˈmæntɪk/ |
| shy | She is very shy so finds it hard to speak to people. | /ʃaɪ/ |
| uncomfortable | This chair is very uncomfortable to sit on! | /ʌnˈkʌmfətəbl/ |
| unpleasant | There was an unpleasant smell.
Word Partners: unpleasant smell
|
/ʌnˈpleznt/ |
Personality & Character
| Word | Example Sentence | IPA (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| ambitious | She has ambitious plans for the company.
Word Partners: ambitious plans
|
/æmˈbɪʃəs/ |
| aware | Are you aware of the rules? | /əˈweə(r)/ |
| careless | It was a careless mistake.
Word Partners: a careless mistake
|
/ˈkeələs/ |
| competitive | The job market is highly competitive. | /kəmˈpetətɪv/ |
| cruel | It is cruel to animals to keep them in small cages. | /ˈkruːəl/ |
| determined | She is determined to win the race. | /dɪˈtɜːmɪnd/ |
| generous | It was very generous of you to pay. | /ˈdʒenərəs/ |
| gentle | Please be gentle with the baby. | /ˈdʒentl/ |
| honest | To be honest, I don't really like it.
Word Partners: to be honest
|
/ˈɒnɪst/ |
| ignorant | He remained blissfully ignorant of the chaos he caused.
Word Partners: blissfully ignorant
|
/ˈɪɡnərənt/ |
| innocent | She said she was innocent. | /ˈɪnəsnt/ |
| keen | She is keen on photography.
Word Partners: keen on
|
/kiːn/ |
| kind | It was very kind of you to help. | /kaɪnd/ |
| organised | She is a very organised person. | /ˈɔːɡənaɪzd/ |
| proper | Please put the books in their proper place.
Word Partners: the proper place/way
|
/ˈprɒpə(r)/ |
| qualified | She is a qualified doctor.
Word Partners: a qualified teacher/doctor
|
/ˈkwɒlɪfaɪd/ |
| reliable | He is a very reliable worker. | /rɪˈlaɪəbl/ |
| responsible | Who is responsible for this mess? | /rɪˈspɒnsəbl/ |
| sensible | It was a sensible decision.
Word Partners: a sensible decision
|
/ˈsensəbl/ |
| silly | Don't be silly.
Word Partners: don't be silly
|
/ˈsɪli/ |
| smart | You look smart in that suit.
Word Partners: look smart
|
/smɑːt/ |
| talented | She is a talented singer. | /ˈtæləntɪd/ |
Physical Description & Condition
| Word | Example Sentence | IPA (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| aged | The programme is for children aged 5-11. | /eɪdʒd/ |
| close | The supermarket is close by the toy shop.
Word Partners: close to/by, a close friend
|
/kləʊs/ |
| coloured | She used coloured pencils for the drawing.
Word Partners: coloured pencils
|
/ˈkʌləd/ |
| covered | The car was covered in snow. | /ˈkʌvəd/ |
| dressed | She was all dressed in black. | /drest/ |
| drunk | He got drunk at the party.
Word Partners: get drunk
|
/drʌŋk/ |
| fixed | There is a fixed price for all tickets.
Word Partners: a fixed price/rate
|
/fɪkst/ |
| frozen | I bought some frozen peas.
Word Partners: frozen food/peas
|
/ˈfrəʊzn/ |
| injured | He got injured during the match. | /ˈɪndʒəd/ |
| living | It is the largest living animal on earth.
Word Partners: living creature/thing
|
/ˈlɪvɪŋ/ |
| located | The shop is located in the city centre. | /ləʊˈkeɪtɪd/ |
| medium | I take a medium size in shirts. | /ˈmiːdiəm/ |
| pale | You look pale. Are you okay?
Word Partners: look pale, turn pale
|
/peɪl/ |
| sharp | Be careful with that sharp knife.
Word Partners: a sharp knife, a sharp pain
|
/ʃɑːp/ |
| shiny | He has a new shiny car. | /ˈʃaɪni/ |
| smooth | The baby has smooth skin.
Word Partners: smooth skin
|
/smuːð/ |
| solid | The door is made of solid wood.
Word Partners: solid wood/gold
|
/ˈsɒlɪd/ |
| spicy | I don't like spicy food.
Word Partners: spicy food
|
/ˈspaɪsi/ |
| tight | These shoes are too tight for you. | /taɪt/ |
| tiny | The baby has tiny hands and fingers. | /ˈtaɪni/ |
| ugly | That's an ugly building, isn't it? | /ˈʌɡli/ |
| written | I need your written permission.
Word Partners: written permission/exam
|
/ˈrɪtn/ |
Quality & Evaluation
| Word | Example Sentence | IPA (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| academic | He has excellent academic qualifications.
Word Partners: academic qualifications
|
/ˌækəˈdemɪk/ |
| advanced | This class is for advanced learners.
Word Partners: advanced level, advanced technology
|
/ədˈvɑːnst/ |
| basic | You need basic knowledge of computers.
Word Partners: basic knowledge/skills
|
/ˈbeɪsɪk/ |
| complex | It's a complex problem with no easy solution. | /ˈkɒmpleks/ |
| convenient | Is 3pm a convenient time for you? | /kənˈviːniənt/ |
| definite | I need a definite answer by tomorrow.
Word Partners: a definite answer
|
/ˈdefɪnət/ |
| effective | This is a very effective way to learn. | /ɪˈfektɪv/ |
| essential | Water is essential for life. | /ɪˈsenʃl/ |
| expected | The expected arrival time is 10am.
Word Partners: the expected time/date
|
/ɪkˈspektɪd/ |
| experienced | We need an experienced teacher. | /ɪkˈspɪəriənst/ |
| familiar | Are you familiar with this software? | /fəˈmɪliə(r)/ |
| fascinating | The book was absolutely fascinating. | /ˈfæsɪneɪtɪŋ/ |
| fashionable | She wears very fashionable clothes. | /ˈfæʃnəbl/ |
| horrible | We had horrible weather on holiday.
Word Partners: horrible weather
|
/ˈhɒrəbl/ |
| immediate | This problem needs immediate attention.
Word Partners: immediate attention/action
|
/ɪˈmiːdiət/ |
| impressive | His collection of books is very impressive. | /ɪmˈpresɪv/ |
| involved | He is involved in a new project. | /ɪnˈvɒlvd/ |
| latest | Have you heard the latest news?
Word Partners: the latest news/fashion
|
/ˈleɪtɪst/ |
| leading | She is a leading expert in her field.
Word Partners: leading expert/role
|
/ˈliːdɪŋ/ |
| obvious | The answer was obvious to everyone. | /ˈɒbviəs/ |
| odd | That cat looks a bit odd, doesn't it? | /ɒd/ |
| original | I prefer the original version of the song.
Word Partners: the original version
|
/əˈrɪdʒənl/ |
| painful | He has a painful injury from his tennis match. | /ˈpeɪnfl/ |
| powerful | She has a powerful voice and loves singing. | /ˈpaʊəfl/ |
| practical | He has a lot of practical experience.
Word Partners: practical experience
|
/ˈpræktɪkl/ |
| prepared | I am not prepared to accept that. | /prɪˈpeəd/ |
| previous | In my previous job, I was a teacher.
Word Partners: the previous owner/job
|
/ˈpriːviəs/ |
| rare | It is a rare bird.
Word Partners: a rare bird/disease
|
/reə(r)/ |
| related | The two incidents are related to each other. | /rɪˈleɪtɪd/ |
| remote | They live in a remote village in the country. | /rɪˈməʊt/ |
| repeated | There were repeated warnings about the storm.
Word Partners: repeated warnings/attempts
|
/rɪˈpiːtɪd/ |
| rough | We had a rough sea crossing.
Word Partners: a rough sea, a rough area
|
/rʌf/ |
| spoken | His spoken English is very good.
Word Partners: spoken English
|
/ˈspəʊkən/ |
| sudden | There was a sudden change in the weather.
Word Partners: a sudden change
|
/ˈsʌdn/ |
| suitable | This film is suitable for children. | /ˈsuːtəbl/ |
| unfair | That decision was unfair. | /ˌʌnˈfeə(r)/ |
| unlikely | It is highly unlikely that he will come. | /ʌnˈlaɪkli/ |
| unnecessary | It was an unnecessary risk.
Word Partners: an unnecessary risk
|
/ʌnˈnesəsəri/ |
| used | I'm not used to waking up early.
Word Partners: used to
|
/juːst/ |
| valuable | This painting is very valuable. | /ˈvæljuəbl/ |
| various | We discussed various topics. | /ˈveəriəs/ |
| violent | I don't like violent films.
Word Partners: violent films
|
/ˈvaɪələnt/ |
| worth | The house is worth a million pounds.
Word Partners: worth a fortune
|
/wɜːθ/ |
