Gradable and Absolute Adjectives

Many adjectives are gradable; we can make comparison. Look at the examples below.

•  big → bigger → biggest
•  small → smaller → smallest
•  cold → colder → coldest
•  tired → more tired → most tired
•  good →  better → best
•  bad → worse → worst

Some adjectives, however, are non-gradable; we can not make comparison because they have extreme meaning. These adjectives are called "absolute adjectives"; for examples, hilarious, freezing, horrible, terrified, starving...


LISTS OF GRADABLE AND ABSOLUTE ADJECTIVES

See more examples of absolute adjectives and their comparable meaning in the table below.

Gradable adjectives	Absolute adjectives
angry	furious
annoying	infuriating
bad	awful
bad	horrible, awful, terrible, disgusting
beautiful	gorgeous
big	huge, enormous
cold	freezing
excited	thrilled
frightening	terrifying
funny	hilarious
funny	hilarious
good	excellent, great, wonderful, fantastic, superb, brilliant
hot	boiling
hungry	starving
interesting	fascinating
loud, noisy	deafening
pleased	delighted
silly	ridiculous
small	tiny
strange	incredible
surprised	astonished, amazed
tasty	delicious
tired	exhausted
wet	soaked

USING WITH ADVERBS


We normally use adverbs of degree to modify these adjectives. However, it is noticeable that the gradable and absolute adjectives require different adverbs of degree.

Gradable adjectives are used with fairly, quite, rather, quite, and pretty. For examples,

• I am very tired. (I am absolutely tired.)
• It is quite cold outside. (It is extremely cold outside.)
• The story is fairly funny. (The story is absolutely funny.)

Absolute adjectives are used with  absolutely, totally, and completely. For examples,

• I am absolutely exhausted. (I am very exhausted.)
• It is extremely freezing outside. (It is fairly freezing outside.)
• The story is absolutely hilarious. (The story is very hilarious.)