Descriptive adjectives can be categorized based on their object of description. Some adjectives are exclusively used to describe characteristics of either humans or things, while others can be used to describe both humans and things. Thus, we can categorize them into three groups:

Adjectives that describe human characteristics are often related to an individual's traits, appearance, emotions, or other attributes that might be temporary or permanent. In the following, we will discuss each subcategory in more detail.

Human traits can be further categorized into the following groups:

Human intellectual traits refer to the abilities and characteristics that are associated with intelligence and mental capacity. Some of the most common adjectives used to describe intellectual traits include:

Pay attention to the following examples to see how they are used in sentences:

Human physical traits are the observable physical characteristics that are unique to each individual. These traits can be inherited genetically or influenced by environmental factors. Some of the most common adjectives used to describe physical traits of humans include:

Pay attention to their use in sentence:

Personality traits are the ways that people consistently think, feel, and behave. They are things that make each person unique and can influence their actions and relationships with others. Some of the common descriptive adjectives used to describe an individual's personality traits include:

Moral traits are related to an individual's sense of right and wrong which guide their behavior and decision-making. Common descriptive adjectives used to describe moral traits include:

Now pay attention to their use in sentence:

Human emotions are complex psychological experiences that are associated with subjective feelings and physiological responses. They can be positive or negative:

Human appearance refers to the physical characteristics and traits that are observable in an individual's body, face, and overall appearance. Descriptive adjectives can be used to describe factors such as a person's height, weight, shape, or beauty. The following table presents examples of each group:

Permanent human attributes are physical or behavioral traits that are relatively stable and enduring over time. These traits can be related to a person's age or physical disabilities. Examples of adjectives describing each group are provided in the table below:

Temporary human attributes are physical or behavioral traits that are not permanent and can change over time. They can be related to a person's health, wealth and success, or social status. The table below presents examples of each group of adjectives:

Adjectives that describe things are often related to their appearance, the sensory experience they invoke, age, time and sequence, value, complexity, intensity, rationality, probability, or entirety.

The appearance of an object can be described in terms of its dimensions, shape, color, and size. Examples of each group are provided in the table below:

Objects can create different sensory experiences for humans through their taste, smell, texture, temperature, and sound.

The age of an object refers to the length of time that has passed since it was created or manufactured, unlike the age of a human which refers to the number of years since they were born. The age of an object is described using different adjectives from those used to describe the age of a person, for example, while 'young' is used to describe a person, 'new' is its counterpart for objects. Common adjectives used to describe the age of an object include:

Adjectives of time indicate when an event occurred. They provide information about the duration, frequency, or timing of events. Common adjectives in this category include:

Adjectives of value indicate the cost or worth of an object or idea. They include:

Adjectives of complexity can help to describe the level of detail or level of understanding required to grasp or work with something. Here are some examples of adjectives of complexity:

Adjectives of intensity are adjectives that modify or intensify the meaning of another adjective or adverb in a sentence. They express the degree or intensity of the quality being described.

Adjectives of probability describe the likelihood or chance of an event occurring. They help to express the degree of certainty or uncertainty associated with a situation. Common adjectives of probability include:

These adjectives describe something that is not divided or is complete or includes all its parts. They include:

Adjectives of rationality describe the qualities or characteristics of something that is or is not rational or based on sound thinking. Some of the common adjectives in this category include:

In addition to adjectives that are used to specifically describe humans or things, there are also many adjectives that can be used to describe both humans and things. We categorize these adjectives as general descriptive adjectives. They can be used to describe a person or thing's location or direction, uniqueness, speed, evaluation, cleanness, significance, or emotions and viewpoint.

Adjectives of location and direction are used to describe where something is in relation to other things or to indicate the direction of movement. Here are some examples:

Adjectives of uniqueness can be categorized based on whether they indicate uniqueness or commonness:

Adjectives of speed are used to describe how fast something is moving or happening. Here are some examples:

Evaluative adjectives can express a positive or negative judgment about the quality or value of something. They include:

There are many adjectives that can be used to describe cleanness or uncleanness. Here are some examples:

These adjectives can be used to describe the order or sequence of things, events, or people in a group or a line. They can help to convey the chronological or logical arrangement of items in a list, a series of steps, or a narrative. Some of the most common adjectives of sequence include:

Many adjectives can be used to describe the significance or importance of a person or object. Here are some examples:

These adjectives can be used to describe the amount or quantity of something, such as food, money, time, or other resources as well as the number of people. Some common examples are:

Inducive adjectives describe people or objects that induce a specific feeling. On the other hand, viewpoint adjectives are counterparts of inducive adjectives in that they describe the feelings that are induced by inducive adjectives. However, viewpoint adjectives are only used for people and not objects. For example, while both a person and an object can be 'interesting' (inducive), only a human can be 'interested' (viewpoint) in that particular person or object.
Examples of inducive and viewpoint adjectives include:

Finally, there are sets of adjectives that are the opposite of each other. We call these binary adjectives and categorize them into two groups. While the sets of adjectives in the first group refer to two independent but opposite concepts (for example, dead and alive), sets of adjectives in the second group are derived from one another and one indicates the lack or absence of the other (for example, possible and impossible). Some common binary adjectives are as presented in the table below: