What are opinion adjectives?
Opinion adjectives describe what we think or feel about something. They are different from factual adjectives (like color, size, or material). Opinion adjectives include words like beautiful, terrible, interesting, boring, wonderful, and awful. They tell us the speaker's personal judgment about a noun, not an objective fact.
Position of opinion adjectives
Opinion adjectives usually come BEFORE descriptive adjectives and the noun. When you have multiple adjectives, the order is: opinion + other adjectives + noun. For example: a beautiful red flower (not a red beautiful flower). Opinion adjectives can also come after the verb 'to be' or other linking verbs like seem, look, and taste.
Common patterns and exceptions
Most opinion adjectives follow the rule above, but some adjectives (like 'good', 'bad', 'nice') are so common that native speakers sometimes place them flexibly. Additionally, in informal speech, people may break these rules for emphasis. However, for B1 level, following the standard pattern is most important: put opinion adjectives before size, color, and material adjectives.
Opinion Adjectives — Position at a Glance
| Position | Pattern | Example | Adjective Order Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attributive (before noun) |
Opinion adj + noun | a lovely day a horrible smell a beautiful painting |
Opinion adjectives come first, before fact adjectives (size, age, shape, colour, origin, material). e.g. a lovely big house ✓ / a big lovely house ✗ |
| Attributive (before noun — multiple adjectives) |
Opinion + Fact adj(s) + noun | a gorgeous little old Italian car a wonderful small wooden table |
Full order: Opinion → Size → Age → Shape → Colour → Origin → Material → Purpose → Noun |
| Predicative (after linking verb) |
Subject + linking verb + opinion adj | The day is lovely. The smell seems horrible. The painting looks beautiful. |
No ordering conflict — only one adjective typically follows the linking verb. Common linking verbs: be, seem, look, feel, taste, smell, sound, appear, become. |
| Common Opinion Adjectives | lovely, beautiful, gorgeous, wonderful, brilliant, awful, horrible, terrible, dreadful, nasty, nice, pleasant, unpleasant, strange, odd, interesting, boring, exciting, frightening, surprising, amazing, ridiculous, perfect, ideal, important | ||
| Key Rule | Opinion adjectives express a personal view or judgement (not an objective fact). They can be used in both attributive and predicative positions. Most opinion adjectives work in either position, but a small number (e.g. utter, mere, sheer) are attributive only: utter nonsense ✓ / the nonsense was utter ✗. | ||
Formula
✔ Positive
Opinion adjective
+
(+ other adjectives)
+
+
+
Noun
a beautiful red rose
Examples
That is a beautiful old house.
Opinion + age + noun · Adjective order
She wore an ugly green sweater.
Opinion + color + noun · Descriptive context
The meal was delicious and expensive.
Opinion adjectives after linking verb 'was'
I found the documentary interesting but long.
Opinion adjective after finding verb · Two opinions
He drives a fantastic silver car.
Opinion + color + noun · Material objects
The terrible wooden chair broke yesterday.
Opinion + material + noun · Past event
When to use it
Describing real estate
When talking about houses or apartments, you often use opinion + other adjectives. This helps buyers understand both your feeling and the facts.
"We found a wonderful spacious apartment in the city center."
Talking about food
Restaurants and food reviews frequently combine opinion adjectives with description. Opinion comes first to emphasize your judgment.
"The terrible cold pizza wasn't worth the high price."
Book and film reviews
When reviewing media, opinion adjectives appear early in your description to guide the listener's understanding.
"I watched a fascinating historical documentary last night."
Discussing fashion
Fashion conversations often mix opinion with factual details like color and material.
"That elegant black leather jacket looks amazing on you."
Signal words
opinion adjectives
linking verbs
adjective order
before the noun
after linking verbs
descriptive adjectives
Common Mistakes
✕
Wrong
She bought a red beautiful dress.
✓
Correct
She bought a beautiful red dress.
Opinion adjectives come before color adjectives, not after.
✕
Wrong
She wore a blue beautiful dress to the party.
✓
Correct
She wore a beautiful blue dress to the party.
Opinion adjectives like 'beautiful' must come before color adjectives like 'blue' in English.
✕
Wrong
The small wonderful blue flowers bloomed.
✓
Correct
The wonderful small blue flowers bloomed.
Opinion adjectives like 'wonderful' must come before size adjectives like 'small' in English adjective order.
✕
Wrong
The expensive beautiful house is sold.
✓
Correct
The beautiful expensive house is sold.
Both are opinions, but typically 'beautiful' (aesthetic value) comes before 'expensive' (price).
KEY TAKEAWAYS
What to Remember
- Opinion adjectives describe personal judgments or feelings about something, not objective facts.
- Opinion adjectives always come before other descriptive adjectives and the noun.
- Common opinion adjectives include beautiful, terrible, interesting, boring, wonderful, and awful.
- When using multiple adjectives, always place opinion adjectives first in the sequence.
- Don't confuse opinion adjectives with factual adjectives like color, size, or material.