What Are Compound Adjectives? Learn how to form Compound Adjectives and Compound Adjective list with examples. Compound adjectives are adjectives that are made up of two or more words usually with hyphens (-) between them.
Forming Compound Adjectives
Compound adjectives can be formed as follows:
Adjective + Past participle
- narrow-minded
He was too narrow-minded and prejudiced and bigoted.
- high-spirited
Sophie’s a high-spirited young girl.
- old-fashioned
An old-fashioned bell tinkled as he pushed open the door.
- short-haired
He was dancing with a short-haired woman.
- absent-minded
The actress was so absent-minded that she fluffed her lines.
- strong-willed
She’s very strong-willed and if she’s decided to leave school, nothing will stop her.
- quick-witted
He proved himself a quick-witted negotiator.
- kind-hearted
Everyone says he is a kind-hearted man.
Adverb + Past Participle
- well-behaved
He is an obedient and well-behaved child.
- well-educated
I come from a well-educated family.
- densely-populated
The Republic of Malta is a small and densely-populated island nation in southern Europe.
- widely-recognized
She’s a widely-recognized expert in technology.
- highly-respected
Our speaker tonight is a highly-respected scholar.
- brightly-lit
He walked into the brightly-lit kitchen, opened the fridge, took out a bottle of water.
Noun + Past Participle
- sun-baked
We strolled along the sun-baked streets of Naples.
- child-wanted
I wanted to buy my daughter the most child-wanted toy.
- middle-aged
I noticed two middle-aged passengers.
Noun + Present Participle
- English-speaking
United Kingdom is an English-speaking country.
- time-saving
We spend a fortune on the latest time-saving gadgets.
- record-breaking
The show had a record-breaking run in the London theatre.
- mouth-watering
The waitress came round with a tray of mouth-watering cream cakes.
- thought-provoking
The film had a thought-provoking message.
Adjective + Present Participle
- good-looking
He was tall and quite good-looking.
- long-lasting
The impact of divorce on children can be long-lasting.
- slow-moving
He was stuck in a line of slow-moving traffic.
- far-reaching
Our findings have far-reaching consequences for researchers.
Adverb + Present Participle
- never-ending
Writing a dictionary is a never-ending task.
- forward-thinking
Some forward-thinking politicians are proposing reforms to the educational system.
Noun + Adjective
- world-famous
His books are world-famous.
- ice-cold
I’d love an ice-cold beer.
- smoke-free
This is a smoke-free restaurant.
Adjective + Noun
- full-length
A full-length portrait of the Queen hung on the wall.
- last-minute
It was a last-minute decision.
Noun + Noun
- part-time
We have 20 part-time members of staff .
Adjective + Adjective
- fat-free
You can put it over frozen yogurt, fat-free ice cream, whatever you like.
Forming Compound Adjectives | Image
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