List of 260 Positive Adjectives to Use in Your Descriptions

Adjectives are powerful. Used well, they bring settings and characters to life by adding descriptive details. They can also add flavor to non-fiction texts.

This ultimate list of positive adjectives is perfect if you’re looking for a particular word to describe something optimistically, or simply want to expand your vocabulary. They’re sorted into words that could describe people, and those that best describe places, all helpfully arranged in alphabetical order with a simple explanation of their meaning.

What Are Adjectives and How Do We Use Them?

Adjectives are often called "describing words." They modify the noun in a sentence. You can either use them directly before the noun to create a noun phrase or separate them from the noun they’re describing.

• Noun phrase: The ambitious employee.

• Separated from the noun: The employee was ambitious.

You can use more than one adjective in a sentence separated by a comma. However, try not to overuse adjectives, as this makes your writing harder to read.

What Are Positive Adjectives?

Highlight how great a person or place is by using positive adjectives. They are often used to describe personalities, particularly heroes. These adjectives give more detail about how a character behaves, their emotions, and their personality.

How Can ProWritingAid Help You Find the Best Adjectives?

When you’re writing, you might find that you rely on the same familiar adjectives. Or perhaps you’ve noticed that you tend to overuse certain words?

ProWritingAid has a range of reports that will help you spot overused words and helpfully suggest alternatives:

• All Repeats: Identify adjectives you over-rely on.

• Overused Words: Find and eliminate generic words.

• Word Explorer: Find a huge range of alternative adjective choices.

Which Positive Adjectives Could Describe a Person?

If you’re trying to describe a character in a positive way, this wide selection of adjectives is sure to help.

Positive Adjectives A–C

• Accomplished: Proficient at something

• Adaptable: Able to change quickly

• Adept: Good at something

• Adventurous: Enjoys taking risks/trying new things

• Affable: Friendly

• Affectionate: Shows fondness

• Agreeable: Willing to do things

• Alluring: Sexually appealing

• Amazing: Wonderful

• Ambitious: Determined to succeed

• Amiable: Friendly, pleasant

• Amicable: Friendliness

• Ample: Plenty of something

• Amusing: Makes people laugh

• Approachable: Easy to talk to

• Articulate: Speaks well in an educated manner

• Awesome: Inspiring awe, amazement

• Blithesome: Cheerful

• Brave: Not scared

• Bright: Clever

• Brilliant: Clever, inspirational

• Broad-minded: Open-minded

• Calm: Even-tempered

• Capable: Able to do something

• Captivating: Keeps attention

• Careful: Uses caution

• Charismatic: Compels others to agree

• Charming: Has charm

• Chatty: Talkative

• Cheerful: Happy

• Communicative: Clear communication with others

• Compassionate: Caring

• Competitive: Driven to win

• Confident: Self-certainty

• Conscientious: Does their duty

• Considerate: Thinks of others

• Convivial: Cheerful, friendly

• Courageous: Brave

• Courteous: Good manners

• Creative: Artistic

Positive Adjectives D–F

• Dazzling: Bright

• Decisive: Makes decisions quickly

• Dependable: Can rely on

• Determined: Focused on success

• Devoted: Cares deeply for a person or ideal

• Diligent: Works hard

• Diplomatic: Tactful

• Discreet: Keeps secrets

• Dynamic: Full of ideas

• Easy-going: Relaxed temperament

• Educated: Well-studied

• Efficient: Completes tasks easily

• Elegant: Graceful, stylish

• Emotional: Full of emotion

• Enchanting: Delights

• Energetic: Full of energy

• Enlightened: Spiritually aware, rational, well-informed

• Engaging: Interesting

• Enthusiastic: Keen

• Excellent: Very good

• Expert: An authority on a subject

• Exuberant: Full of energy

• Fabulous: Wonderful

• Fair-minded: Impartial, just

• Faithful: True to something

• Fantastic: Wonderful, amazing at something

• Fearless: Without fear

• Flexible: Able to change easily

• Focused: Goal orientated

• Forceful: Makes change happen, determined

• Frank: Speaks honestly and openly

• Friendly: Pleasant to others

• Funny: Amusing

Positive Adjectives G–I

• Generous: Gives to others

• Gentle: Uses a light touch

• Giving: Gives to others

• Gleaming: Shining, very clean

• Glimmering: shining with a wavering light

• Glistening: Shining with a sparkling light

• Glittering: Shining with a shimmering light

• Glowing: Lit up from within

• Good: Honest

• Gorgeous: Beautiful

• Gregarious: Sociable, likes company

• Hard-working: Puts in full effort

• Helpful: Looks after others

• Hilarious: Extremely funny

• Honest: Tells the truth

• Humorous: Amusing

• Imaginative: Has a vivid imagination

• Impartial: Not biased

• Incredible: Extremely proficient at something

• Independent: Able to support themselves

• Inquisitive: Interested, curious

• Insightful: Has deep understanding

• Intellectual: Intelligent, educated

• Intelligent: Clever

• Intuitive: Instinctive understanding

• Inventive: Creative, comes up with new ideas

Positive Adjectives K–M

• Kind: Looks after others

• Knowledgeable: Intelligent, studied

• Kooky: Unusual

• Laid-back: Relaxed

• Likable: Easily liked by others

• Lovely: Good, kind

• Loving: Shows affection

• Loyal: Consistently supportive

• Lustrous: Shining (often to describe hair)

• Magnificent: Wonderful

• Marvelous: Amazing, stunning

• Mirthful: Full of humor, amused

• Modest: Doesn’t seek credit or well-covered in clothing

Positive Adjectives N–P

• Neat: Tidy

• Nice: Pleasant

• Observant: Sharp-eyed

• Open-minded: Willing to listen to alternative ideas

• Optimistic: Positive

• Organized: Works efficiently and systematically

• Outstanding: Beyond normal, very good

• Passionate: Feeling strongly, ardent

• Patient: Happy to wait

• Perfect: No flaws

• Persistent: Does not give up

• Personable: Pleasant appearance

• Philosophical: Calm reaction to difficulties

• Pioneering: Trendsetter, first to do something

• Placid: Calm, easy-going

• Plucky: Courageous

• Polite: Well-mannered

• Powerful: Strong, has power

• Practical: Skilled at manual tasks

• Pro-active: Takes action before it becomes necessary

• Productive: Gets lots done

• Proficient: Skilled at something

• Propitious: Favorable

Positive Adjectives Q–S

• Qualified: Certified as able to do something

• Quick-witted: Intelligent, quick-thinking

• Quiet: Not loud

• Rational: Thinks without emotion

• Ravishing: Delightful, entrancing

• Relaxed: Free from tension

• Reliable: Consistent, can be relied upon

• Remarkable: Unusually skilled or talented

• Reserved: Slow to reveal emotions or opinions

• Resourceful: Able to find solutions

• Responsible: Takes charge, reliable

• Romantic: Demonstrates their love

• Rousing: Stirs emotions in others

• Self-confident: Belief in own abilities

• Self-disciplined: controlled

• Sensible: Does not make rash decisions

• Sensitive: Aware of others

• Sincere: Honest and genuine

• Sleek: smooth

• Sociable: Enjoys company

• Spectacular: Wonderful, makes a spectacle

• Splendid: Extremely good

• Stellar: Exceptionally good

• Straightforward: To the point

• Stunning: Very beautiful

• Stupendous: Extremely impressive

• Super: Good

• Sympathetic: Cares about others, shows sympathy

Positive Adjectives T–Z

• Technological: Understands technology

• Thoughtful: Thinks of others

• Tidy: Neat

• Tough: Can withstand hardships

• Trustworthy: To be trusted

• Twinkling: Shining

• Unassuming: Modest

• Understanding: Sympathetic to opinions of others

• Unique: one-of-a-kind

• Upbeat: positive

• Versatile: Skilled at different things

• Vibrant: Bright, colorful

• Vivacious: Full of life

• Vivid: Very bright, strong color

• Warm-hearted: Kind to others

• Willing: Happy to do something

• Witty: Verbally clever, amusing

• Wondrous: Wonderful

Which Positive Adjectives Best Describe a Place?

If you want a vivid description, this list of positive adjectives will help you find the perfect word to describe a setting.

Positive Place Adjectives A–C

• Abundant: Full of something

• Agricultural: Farmland

• Alive: Full of life

• Amazing: Wonderful

• Astronomical: Extremely large

• Attractive: Appealing, beautiful

• Beautiful: Very pretty

• Blazing: Full of light or fire

• Boundless: Endless, very large

• Bountiful: Fertile, lots of something

• Breath-taking: Visually beautiful

• Bright: Very light

• Bustling: Full of people

• Calm: Quiet and relaxed

• Charming: Quaint, lovely

• Colossal: Extremely large

• Colorful: Full of color

• Cosmopolitan: Includes people from disparate countries

Positive Place Adjectives D–F

• Dramatic: Drama

• Dusky: Darkish, dim

• Enchanted: Magical

• Enchanting: Creates a feeling of magic

• Extensive: Very large

• Fairy-tale-like: Magical

• Far-flung: distant

• Fascinating: Very interesting

• Favorable: Promising, good

• Fertile: Full of life, easy to grow

• Fresh: New, newly grown

Positive Place Adjectives G–K

• Harmonious: Living in harmony, without dispute

• Historic: From the past

• Homey: Warm, inviting, small

• Immaculate: Perfectly clean

• Immeasurable: Impossible to measure

• Immense: Enormous

• Imposing: Large, overwhelming

• Impressive: Admirable

• Incredible: Beyond belief

• Indescribable: Unable to describe using words

• Inspiring: Inspires someone

Positive Place Adjectives L–M

• Lively: Full of life, energetic

• Lush: Especially of vegetation, rich

• Luxurious: Luxury

• Magical: Magic, wonderful

• Magnificent: Extremely beautiful or impressive

• Majestic: A sense of majesty

• Marvelous: Wonderful

• Massive: Very large

• Meandering: Not in a straight line

• Monumental: Extremely large

• Mountainous: Like a mountain

• Mysterious: Strange, unknown

• Mystical: Magical

Positive Place Adjectives N–P

• Nostalgic: Warm feeling of the past

• Palatial: Like a palace

• Pastoral: Arable farmland

• Peaceful: Quiet, undisturbed

• Picturesque: Visually attractive

• Pleasant: Nice, enjoyable

• Prosperous: Rich

Positive Place Adjectives R–Z

• Remarkable: Unusual

• Rural: Remote, farmland

• Sandy: Made of sand

• Sensational: Creating a sensation, wonderful

• Serene: Calm and tranquil

• Shiny: Reflects light

• Spacious: Ample space

• Stunning: Extremely impressive, attractive

• Sun-drenched: Extremely sunny

• Superb: Wonderful, best quality

• Terrific: Wonderful, great

• Towering: Very tall

• Tranquil: Quiet and calm

• Unspoiled/Unspoilt: Unaffected, undamaged

• Vast: Extremely large

• Vibrant: Bright, full of life

How to Use Positive Adjectives In Your Writing

Adjectives should be used sparingly to have the greatest impact. Overusing adjectives, particularly if they have very similar meanings, weakens your writing, and makes it harder to read. Carefully choosing the most effective ones creates a vivid picture for your reader without over-explaining every detail.

ProWritingAid’s readability suggestions will show you stronger alternatives for weak adjectives. If you write that something is "really good," you’ll see the alternatives below:

If none of those quite fit your meaning, come back to this list to find an adjective that is specific and strong to engage your reader.