Grammar 10 min read
A neon light-style letter "A" against a deep purple background representing adjectives starting with a

An astonishing list of adjectives starting with A | Pixar Graphics - Shutterstock.com License

The English language contains thousands of adjectives starting with A. We’ve put together this comprehensive list of adjectives that begin with A with practical examples.

Like tone words, adjectives are descriptive words. This basically means that they help describe a noun’s qualities or state of being.

Example adjectives that begin with the letter A are: average, amazing, attractive, achy, and angelic.

Let’s take a look at some astounding adjectives with A (see what we did there?) .

More A Adjective Examples

In grammar class, students are taught that adjectives are words that modify nouns. Adjectives do not modify verbs, adverbs or any other adjectives.

Toy Story's Buzz and Woody explore the world of adjectives beginning with a
“Buzz” and “Woody” could be considered adjectives, depending on how you use them | MakeAMeme.orgCreative Commons License

Here are a few examples:

–    Alice bought an amazing dress to wear to the dance.

–    Adorable penguin chicks are fluffy.

–    My car has alternate license plates.

–    The angriest animal in the world is a hungry brother.

Descriptive Words That Start With A

Below is a list of adjectives that begin with the letter A. The header notes the use of the adjective and what it describes. A definition is included and an example sentence follows. We’ll continue to update and add to this list, so check back frequently.

Two smiley faces on a blackboard. One is white and frowning. A hand draws a yellow arrow to another that is yellow and smiling
Create a more uplifting tone with positive adjectives that start with A | turgaygundogduShutterstock.comLicense

Positive Adjectives Starting with A to Describe a Person

Accomplished: highly trained or skilled.

–  The accomplished graduate had her choice of universities.

Adaptable: able to adjust to new situations.

–   Adaptable undercover agents caught the suspect who was hiding in the bushes.

Adept: very skilled.

–   The adept surgeon has a waiting list.

Amenable: open to suggestions.

–   The amenable student took the teacher’s advice and his project was commended.

Appreciative: feeling or showing gratitude.

–   The victim was appreciative of the hard work put in by the detectives.

Positive A Adjectives to Describe an Event

Absorbing: intensely interesting.

–   The movie was so absorbing that even when it was over no one left the theater.

Amusing: causing laughter and providing entertainment.

–   The amusing dog chased his own tail.

Animated: full of life.

Not sure how to pronounce some of these adjectives starting with A? Check out this list from 8sa Sentence Examples

–    The animated conversation between the two sisters caught the attention of their mother.

Astonishing: extremely impressive; amazing.

–   The scientist’s astonishing discovery is said to move cancer treatment ahead by ten years.

Awesome: excellent; extremely good or daunting; impressive.

–   The task was awesome but this is the moment that they had trained for.

Positive Adjectives Starting with A to Describe a Place

Accessible: able to be reached or entered.

–   The bar was accessible only by boat.

Arid: lack of moisture.

–  An arid climate is necessary for growing cactus.

Amazing: causing great wonder.

–   As the car approached the ocean, the amazing sunset came into view.

Ambient: of the surrounding area or environment.

–   Ambient lighting was enough that we didn’t need flashlights.

Ancestral: of or belonging to, inherited from, or denoting an ancestor.

–   We traveled to my ancestral home located in the Tuscan hills.

Negative Adjectives Beginning with A to Describe a Person

Abrasive: showing little concern for others.

–    His abrasive behavior cost him the election.

Abusive: offensive and insulting; habitual violence and/or cruelty.

–   The abusive behavior exhibited by the defendant caused the jury to find him guilty.

Adulterous: not faithful to a spouse or lover.

A young redhead with a pixie cut wears a black and white striped shirt and stands against a blue-green background with her index finders in her ears looking annoyed and rolling her eyes
“Annoyed” and “aloof” are written all over this gal’s face and are examples of negative adjectives starting with A you can use to describe a person | Roman SamborskyiShutterstock.comLicense

–   The adulterous girlfriend finally told her boyfriend the truth. They are no longer together.

Aloof: cool and distant.

–   It’s been said that I’m aloof. However, I think it just takes me longer to warm up to new people.

Arrogant: having an exaggerated opinion of one’s abilities.

–   Even though he consistently lost the race, his arrogant behavior made others think he was the best runner.

Negative A Adjectives to Describe an Event

Abortive: failing to accomplish an intended result.

–   The abortive attempt by the citizens to overthrow the government led to mass imprisonment.

Abrupt: sudden and unexpected.

–   Because of my abrupt stop, the car behind me hit my bumper.

Absurd: wildly unreasonable.

–   The absurd cost of the plane tickets is making us rethink our destination.

Agonizing: causing great physical or emotional pain.

–   The agonizing treatment was worse than the injury.

Awry: deviation from the planned or appropriate or expected.

–   The demonstration went awry when the window shattered.

Negative Adjectives Starting With A to Describe a Place

Abandoned: having been deserted; uninhibited.

–   Abandoned homes littered the city.

Abject: no pride or dignity; to the maximum degree.

–   Abject poverty is devastating to the self-esteem of children.

Abysmal: extremely bad; very deep.

–   Previously thought extinct animals could live in the abysmal ocean.

Airless: stuffy; not ventilated.

–    Humidity was 99% making the outdoors feel airless.

Apocalyptic: describing the complete destruction of the world.

–   The apocalyptic scene painted by the scientist made the audience shutter.

Heroic A Adjectives

Adventurous: willing to try new things and take risks.

A tall, blonde woman in black and white stands against the words "Atomic" in aqua blue and "blonde" in bold, black letters outlined in white. All against a black background
This superheroine’s name, Atomic Blonde, is one apt example of heroic adjectives that start with A | Houston PressCreative Commons License

–  The adventurous child climbed to the top of the tree.

Assertive: having a confident and forceful personality.

–   The super hero’s assertive personality was key to taking down the villain.

August: respected and impressive.

–    She was in august company.

Authoritative: commanding and self-confident.

–    My father is an authoritative figure in the house.

Sporty Adjectives Beginning With A

Accurate: correct is all details.

–   The quarterback tossed such an accurate pass that no one could duplicate it.

Active: characterized by energetic activity.

–   The active teen said he doesn’t have time for his studies.

Agile: able to move easily.

–   The agile runner avoided being tackled.

Alert: quick to notice; vigilant.

–   The alert goalie blocked every kick.

Athletic: physically strong and active.

–   The athletic teenager varsities in three sports.

Romantic A Adjectives

A bottle and glass of red wine paired with two candles in the foreground against soft focus, heart-shaped candle flames
Help create your own amorous setting using romantic adjectives with A | Alina GShutterstock.comLicense

Affectionate: easily showing fondness.

–   The affectionate puppy licked his owner’s face.

Alluring: powerfully and mysteriously attractive.

–   Her alluring personality ensured that she was constantly surrounded by interested suiters.

Amorous: expressive of or exciting sexual love or romance.

–   The amorous couple was the envy of their friends.

Attractive: pleasing to look at; pleasing to all the senses.

–    His attractive appearance and personality made him one of the most popular people on campus.

Interesting A Adjectives

Aberrant: departing from an accepted norm.

–   The best man’s aberrant behavior caused the bride to blush.

Antic: attention-drawing act.

–   Her antics at the PTA meeting embarrassed her children.

Antsy: nervous, agitated, or restless.

–   The longer he spoke the antsier the crowd became.

Arboreal: living in trees.

–   The fern is arboreal.

Astute: mental sharpness; clever; observing.

–   The astute policeman knew the suspect was lying.

Auxiliary: providing additional support.

–    The auxiliary unit stepped in to help.

Azure: bright blue color.

–    Her azure eyes were hypnotizing.

How Are Adjectives Used in a Sentence?

Remember that adjectives can modify as well as describe other words. You will find it easier to identify them after reviewing the different kinds listed below. Content Tools like INK also help support proper adjective use.

Without further ado, here are some “A” adjective types with examples.

Drawing of two women as silhouettes. One has a thought bubble with a sun floating above her head. The other, a thought bubble with a raining cloud.
Which will you use: a positive or negative A adjective? Roman SamborskyiShutterstock.comLicense

Articles

There are three articles, and they are all adjectives Two begin with the letter A. They are a and an. The is the third article.

A and an are used to discuss non-specific things and people. They’re referred to as indefinite articles.

Examples are:

–    I’d like a car.

What brand of car? What color? How many people does it need to hold?

–    Let’s go on an adventure.

What sort of adventure? Do you want to leave town? Could an adventure be a walk around your neighborhood?

Neither one of these sentence examples above provide any specifics.

The word the is a definite article. It’s used to indicate very specific people or things.

Here are a couple of examples:

–    I’d like the red car. It’s the one that has the black stripe down the side.

–    Let’s go on an adventure to the beach. The waves are high and perfect for surfing.

Coordinate Adjectives Starting With A

Coordinate adjectives are separated with commas or the word and. They modify the noun and are in sequential order. Think of them as a coordinated outfit.

For example:

–    I was angry and agitated when I was awakened by the barking dog.

Angry and agitated are the coordinate adjectives.

–    It was an adventurous, amazing drive.

Adventurous and amazing are separated by a comma and are the coordinate adjectives. 

–    He was described as artsy, affectionate, and animated.

Artsy, affectionate and animated are coordinate adjectives.

A color-coded map of the world against a white background
Countries, nationalities, regions, and even continents can also be descriptive words that start with A | PingebatShutterstock.comLicense

Indefinite A Adjectives

Indefinite adjectives are used to discuss non-specific things. The most common A indefinite adjective is any.

–    Do we have any soup?

Attributive Adjectives Starting With A

They discuss specific traits, qualities, or features. There are different kinds of attributive adjectives.

A Color Adjectives

apricot

aqua

apple green

amber

Origin A Adjectives

They tell the source of the noun.

American

Australian

Angolan

Armenian

African

Asian

Material A Adjectives

They describe what something is made of.

Angorawool

Antique silk

Argentan lace

Takeaways

Adjectives add spice to an otherwise simple dish. Consider peppering them throughout your writing. They help describe tone, build moods, add personality and paint a more realistic picture for readers.

A adjectives help make your writing a full sensory experience. They exploding with sounds and dynamic images that will stick with your reader.

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Alexander De Ridder

Co-Founder of INK, Alexander crafts magical tools for web marketing. He is a smart creative, a builder of amazing things. He loves to study “how” and “why” humans and AI make decisions.

Comments (2)
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  1. Nana Moretti April 30 at 3:56 pm GMT

    Word of the day: Awry

    • Rechelle Ann Fuertes May 04 at 11:13 am GMT

      Hope you have an amazing day! Thank you for reading. 🙂

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