| Italian adjective | Translation | Example or Context |
|---|---|---|
| Buono | Good | For food or a kind person |
| Cattivo | Bad / Evil | Opposite of buono |
| Grande | Big / Great | Size or importance |
| Piccolo | Small / Little | Size or age (child) |
| Bello | Beautiful / Nice | General aesthetics |
| Brutto | Ugly | Unpleasant to look at or to experience |
| Nuovo | New | Recent object or new situation |
| Vecchio | Old / Ancient | Elderly person or worn object |
| Giovane | Young | Few years of age |
| Facile | Easy | Simple to do |
Adjectives enrich the precision of a sentence by adding details about the quality, quantity or state of a noun. This list brings together more than 100 terms to describe the physical world, emotions and abstract characteristics in Italian.
Physical description and appearance
- Alto : Tall — Said of a person or a building
- Basso : Short / Low — Opposite of alto
- Magro : Thin / Slim — Little body mass
- Grasso : Fat — A lot of body mass
- Snello : Slender — Fine and graceful figure
- Robusto : Robust / Sturdy — Strong build
- Calvo : Bald — Without hair
- Riccio : Curly — Hair type
- Liscio : Straight — Hair without curls
- Biondo : Blonde — Hair colour
- Bruno : Dark-haired / Brunette — Dark hair colour
- Stanco : Tired — Physical state after effort
- Attivo : Active — Full of energy
- Forte : Strong — Physical or mental strength
- Debole : Weak — Lack of strength
Personality and emotions
These adjectives are often used after personal pronouns to define character or mood.
- Simpatico : Nice / Likeable — Pleasant to be around
- Antipatico : Unpleasant — Disagreeable
- Gentile : Kind / Gentle — Polite and benevolent
- Maleducato : Rude — Impolite
- Intelligente : Intelligent — Ability to think
- Stupido : Stupid — Lack of reasoning
- Felice : Happy — State of lasting joy
- Triste : Sad — State of sorrow
- Arrabbiato : Angry — Irritated
- Geloso : Jealous — Envy or possessiveness
- Generoso : Generous — Gives easily
- Avaro : Miserly / Stingy — Holds on to money
- Coraggioso : Brave / Courageous — Faces fear
- Timido : Shy / Timid — Reserved
- Pazzo : Crazy / Mad — Irrational behaviour
- Serio : Serious — Responsible or without a smile
- Divertente : Funny / Entertaining — Makes people laugh
- Noioso : Boring — Tiresome
- Onesto : Honest — Tells the truth
- Bugiardo : Lying / Dishonest — Does not tell the truth
- Pigro : Lazy — Avoids effort
Colours and visual shades
Agreement of these adjectives with nouns and definite articles is required, except for some invariable colours such as blu or rosa.
- Bianco : White — Colour of snow
- Nero : Black — Absence of light
- Rosso : Red — Colour of blood
- Blu : Dark blue — Colour of the deep sea (invariable in plural)
- Verde : Green — Colour of vegetation
- Giallo : Yellow — Colour of the sun
- Arancione : Orange — Colour of the fruit
- Viola : Purple / Violet — Colour of the flower (often invariable)
- Rosa : Pink — Pale colour (invariable in plural)
- Grigio : Grey — Mix of black and white
- Marrone : Brown — Colour of the earth
- Azzurro : Sky blue — Colour of the Italian sky or national team
- Chiaro : Light — Bright shade
- Scuro : Dark — Gloomy shade
- Brillante : Bright / Shiny — Reflects light
- Opaco : Opaque / Matt — Without reflections
Taste, texture and sensations
- Dolce : Sweet / Soft — Pleasant flavour or silky texture
- Salato : Salty — Presence of salt
- Amaro : Bitter — Flavour of unsweetened coffee
- Aspro : Sour / Tart — Flavour of lemon
- Piccante : Spicy / Hot — Burning sensation (chilli)
- Caldo : Hot / Warm — High temperature
- Freddo : Cold — Low temperature
- Tiepido : Lukewarm — Neither hot nor cold
- Secco : Dry — Absence of moisture
- Bagnato : Wet — Presence of water
- Morbido : Soft / Fluffy — Pleasant to the touch
- Duro : Hard — Resistant to the touch
- Fresco : Fresh — Pleasant temperature or recent food
- Maturo : Ripe / Mature — Ready to eat (fruit)
- Acerbo : Unripe — Still green (fruit)
Time, speed and abstract concepts
- Veloce : Fast — High speed
- Lento : Slow — Low speed
- Rapido : Quick — Synonym of veloce
- Lungo : Long — Significant duration or distance
- Corto : Short — Small duration or distance
- Difficile : Difficult — Hard to do
- Utile : Useful — Serves a purpose
- Inutile : Useless — No function
- Possibile : Possible — Achievable
- Impossibile : Impossible — Unachievable
- Giusto : Right / Correct — True or fair
- Sbagliato : Wrong / Incorrect — A mistake
- Vero : True — In line with reality
- Falso : False — Contrary to reality
- Importante : Important — Has value
- Famoso : Famous — Known by everyone
- Pronto : Ready — Prepared for action
Quantity and value
- Caro : Expensive — High price
- Economico : Affordable / Cheap — Low price
- Povero : Poor — Lack of resources
- Ricco : Rich — Abundance of resources
- Pieno : Full — Filled up
- Vuoto : Empty — No content
- Intero : Whole / Entire — Complete
- Mezzo : Half — Middle
- Unico : Unique — One of a kind
- Diverso : Different — Not the same
- Uguale : Equal / Same — Identical
- Molto : Much / Many (variable as adjective) — Large quantity
- Poco : Little / Few (variable as adjective) — Small quantity
Weather and environment
- Soleggiato : Sunny — Presence of sun
- Nuvoloso : Cloudy — Overcast sky
- Piovoso : Rainy — Wet weather
- Ventoso : Windy — A lot of wind
- Nebbioso : Foggy / Misty — Presence of fog
- Sereno : Clear — Sky without clouds
- Pulito : Clean — Without dirt
- Sporco : Dirty — Needs cleaning
- Pericoloso : Dangerous — Risky
- Sicuro : Safe / Secure — Without danger
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