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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.
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