Download Common Adjective Suffixes Verb → Adjective

Common suffixes for adjectives
Some adjectives are formed from nouns and others are formed from verbs. The word
forms are from Latin, Greek and other languages. There is no simple rule for adding suffixes,
but there are common patterns.
Common Adjective Suffixes
Noun → Adjective
Suffix
Meaning
-AL
having the form or character of
-ARY
relating to quality or place
-FUL
full of
-IC
having the nature of; caused by
-ICAL
having the nature of
-ISH
origin, nature
-LESS
without
-LIKE
like
-Y, -LY
characterised by, like
-OUS
quality, nature
Example
accident – accidental
universe –universal
moment – momentary
honor – honorary
beauty – beautiful
skill – skillful
base – basic
science – scientific
magic – magical
practice – practical
fool – foolish
child – childish
power – powerless
use – useless
life – lifelike
child – childlike
rain – rainy
fun – funny
day – daily
danger – dangerous
mystery – mysterious
Common Adjective Suffixes
Verb → Adjective
-ABLE; -IBLE
able, can do
-ANT; - ENT
performing agent
-IVE; -ING
causing effect
-ED; -EN
receiving effect
agree – agreeable
pass – passable
access – accessible
flex – flexible
please – pleasant
resist – resistant
depend – dependent
differ – different
confuse – confusing
amaze – amusing
create – creative
prevent – preventive
excite – excited
surprise – surprised
darken – darkened
widen – widened
Suffixes -ic versus -ical
-IC
There is no particular way to know whether a
word will use the -ic or the -ical ending. The
suffix -ic comes from French -ique, or Greek ikos and means having the nature of, or
causing something.
-ICAL
The -ical form is often added to a word that
already has a final -ic. Such adjectives often
have a different or an additional meaning
from the more basic -ic form.
academic, algebraic, arithmetic, artistic,
athletic, catholic, domestic, dramatic,
egoistic, emphatic, energetic, fantastic,
geometric, strategic, linguistic, majestic,
neurotic, pathetic, pedagogic, phonetic,
public, semantic, syntactic, systematic, tragic
He buys classic cars. (traditional, old style)
alphabetical, alphanumerical, archaeological,
biblical, biological, chemical, chronological,
critical, cynical, ethical, grammatical,
fanatical, illogical, logical, mathematical,
mechanical, medical, musical, pedagogical,
physical, radical, surgical tactical, topical
We listen to classical music. (from a cultural
(sometimes Greek, Roman, European) source,
or 18thC).
His comic verse filled books.
comedy)
(artistic His comical verse entertained audiences.
(funny)
He chose an economical car. (inexpensive to
His economic theory was proved unsound. use)
(of the science of economics)
Electrical equipment makes our work easier.
An electric motor powered the car. (a (general, mass)
particular machine)
The dragon had fantastical powers. (strange,
We had a fantastic trip. (extremely good, unreal, magical)
attractive, or enjoyable)
This is a historical moment. (worthy of being
That was a historic moment. (recorded in past recorded in history)
history)
The movie was hysterical. (very funny,
The hysteric woman was out of control. causing uncontrollable laughter)
(unable to control your behavior or emotions)
It was a magical experience. (mysterious,
The little girl played with a magic wand. (of wonderful, exciting)
a mysterious source)
He wrote in a poetical manner. (having the
He wrote in a poetic speech. (imaginative, form of poetry)
having the quality of poetry, like poetry)
It was a political question. (concerning
It's not politic to ask such questions. (wise)
government and politics)
Suffixes - able, - ible
The suffixes ABLE and IBLE present a big problem for language learners. General
guidelines for choosing between ABLE and IBLE are given below. (Quite a few exceptions
exist.) In some cases these guidelines don't help, and the best way is to memorize the spelling of
these words by arranging them in two columns for comparison. There are more adjectives with
ABLE than with IBLE.
If there is a noun with the suffix ATION derived from the same root,
the suffix ABLE is generally used in
the adjective.
admiration – admirable
application – applicable
appreciation – appreciable
association – sociable
consideration – considerable
expectation – expectable
imagination – imaginable
irritation – irritable
navigation – navigable
operation – inoperable
satiation – insatiable
separation – separable
If there is a noun with the suffix ION derived from
the same root, the suffix IBLE is generally used in
the adjective.
admission – admissible
vision – visible
comprehension – comprehensible
expression – expressible
impression – impressible
collection – collectable, collectible
permission – permissible
suggestion – suggestible
connection – connectible, connectable
BUT: sensation – sensible
If the root is a complete word, the suffix
ABLE is usually added. If this complete
word ends in the mute letter E, the letter E
is dropped before adding ABLE.
accept – acceptable
agree – agreeable
break – breakable
count – countable
depend – dependable
eat – eatable
fashion – fashionable
pass – passable
view – viewable
In the case of complete words that end in CE [s] and
GE [j], don't drop the final mute letter E before
adding ABLE.
notice – noticeable
service – serviceable
change – changeable
manage – manageable
assess – assessable
adore – adorable
advise – advisable
compare – comparable
desire – desirable
But some complete words add the
suffix IBLE. The mute letter E at
the end of the word is dropped
before adding IBLE.
access – accessible
dismiss – dismissible
flex – flexible
response – responsible
sense – sensible
Mostly IBLE is added to the roots
that are incomplete words.
audio – audible
credo – credible
horror – horrible
terror – terrible
vision – visible
Only ABLE can be used after the letter I;
appreciable
sociable
Only ABLE can be added to the
word that ends in syllableforming Y. Change the letter Y
to I before adding ABLE.
classify – classifiable
Only ABLE is added to Y that doesn't
form a syllable (i.e., Y stands after another
vowel). In this case, Y is not changed to I
before adding ABLE.
destroy – destroyable
play – playable
enjoy – enjoyable