Compound Adjectives in English Grammar

What Are Compound Adjectives? A compound adjective is an adjective that includes more than one word.

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Compound Adjectives in English

Compound adjectives are adjectives that are made up of two or more words usually with hyphens (-) between them.

Compound adjectives can be formed as follows:

Adjective + Past participle

narrow-minded

I can’t stand narrow-minded people who are intolerant of new ideas.

high-spirited

The students gave a high-spirited musical performance.

old-fashioned

We had lunch in an old-fashioned restaurant.

short-haired

He was dancing with a short-haired woman.

absent-minded

His absent-minded comment hurt his sister’s feelings.

strong-willed

She’s a strong-willed woman who won’t stop until she gets what she wants.

quick-witted

The quick-witted detective solved the crime before anyone else had a clue.

kind-hearted

A kind-hearted stranger helped us find the train station.

Adverb + Past Participle

well-behaved

They have three well-behaved children.

well-educated

A lot of well-educated people are still having trouble finding jobs.

densely-populated

This densely-populated area has the highest crime rates in the country.

widely-recognized

She’s a widely-recognized expert in technology.

highly-respected

Our speaker tonight is a highly-respected scholar.

brightly-lit

We live on a brightly-lit street in the city center.

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

A lot of middle-aged men are dissatisfied with their lives.

Noun + Present Participle

English-speaking

United Kingdom is an English-speaking country.

time-saving

These time-saving techniques will help you work more efficiently.

record-breaking

The athlete’s record-breaking performance won him the gold medal.

mouth-watering

There was a variety of mouth-watering desserts at the wedding reception.

thought-provoking

It was a thought-provoking novel.

Adjective + Present Participle

good-looking

Who’s that good-looking guy over there?

long-lasting

This long-lasting makeup will keep you looking lovely day and night.

slow-moving

I was stuck in slow-moving traffic for over an hour.

far-reaching

The new law will have far-reaching effects in the economy.

Adverb + Present Participle

never-ending

Learning a language seems to be a never-ending process.

forward-thinking

Some forward-thinking politicians are proposing reforms to the educational system.

Noun + Adjective

world-famous

We had dinner at a world-famous Italian restaurant.

ice-cold

There’s nothing better than drinking an ice-cold lemonade on a hot summer day.

smoke-free

This is a smoke-free restaurant.

Adjective + Noun

full-length

The director produced his first full-length movie in 1998.

last-minute

It was a last-minute decision.

Noun + Noun

part-time

We have 20 part-time members of staff .

Adjective + Adjective

fat-free

These fat-free cookies are delicious!

A list of compound adjectives with their meanings:

Kind-hearted: kind; generous
Brightly-lit: full of light
Old-fashioned: not modern
Deeply-rooted: difficult to change
Good-looking: attractive
Labor-saving: making work easier
Left-handed: uses left hand for writing ≠ Right- handed
Short-sighted: unable to see far things ≠ Long-sighted
Well-known: famous
Easy-going: easy to accept things without worrying
Brand-new: completely new
Part-time (job): carries fewer hours per week
Badly-written: written in a bad or wrong way
Well-paid: providing or receiving good payment
Second-hand: not new; used by someone before
Well-informed: knows a lot
Open-minded: flexible
Red-handed: did a crime or something wrong
Tight-fisted: mean; not generous with money
Well-earned: deserved
Self-reliant: independent
Self-centered: selfish
Ever-lasting: eternal
Heart-broken: depressed
Narrow-minded: inflexible
Absent-minded: forgetful; likely to forget things
Middle-aged: around 40-50 years old
Quick-witted: intelligent, clever, fast at thinking and discovering things
Strong-willed: strong desires, stubborn, does not desist
High-spirited: with a lot of energy
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