Irregular adjectives are adjectives that do not follow the normal rules when comparing people, places, or things in English. In this blog post, you will learn the definition, uses, and examples of irregular adjectives and understand how these special words change in comparative and superlative forms. Learning irregular adjectives improves grammar, writing, and speaking skills because these words are commonly used in school lessons, conversations, and English sentences.
Irregular Adjectives Definition
Irregular adjectives are those that do not follow the normal rule of adding –er or –est to make comparative or superlative forms.
Instead of changing in a regular pattern, they have special forms that must be learned individually.
Example:
- Good → Better → Best
- Bad → Worse → Worst
- Far → Farther → Farthest
Here, the words don’t follow the regular “add -er / -est” rule.
Regular vs Irregular Adjectives
| Type | Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | tall | taller | tallest |
| Regular | easy | easier | easiest |
| Irregular | good | better | best |
| Irregular | bad | worse | worst |
| Irregular | far | farther/further | farthest/furthest |
How to Use Irregular Adjectives
Irregular adjectives are used to compare things or people just like regular adjectives — but their forms change differently.
- This book is better than that one.
- Today’s weather is worse than yesterday’s.
- He is the best player in the team.
They show degrees of comparison:
- Positive (basic form) → good
- Comparative (comparison of two) → better
- Superlative (comparison of three or more) → best
Irregular Adjectives Examples
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| good | better | best |
| bad | worse | worst |
| far | farther/further | farthest/furthest |
| little | less | least |
| much/many | more | most |
| old | older/elder | oldest/eldest |
| late | later/latter | latest/last |
Complete List of Irregular Adjectives
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| good | better | best |
| bad | worse | worst |
| far | farther / further | farthest / furthest |
| little | less | least |
| much | more | most |
| many | more | most |
| old | older / elder | oldest / eldest |
| late | later / latter | latest / last |
| well (adv.) | better | best |
| ill (adv.) | worse | worst |
| near | nearer | nearest / next |
| far | farther / further | farthest / furthest |
| much | more | most |
| little | less | least |
| great | greater | greatest |
| goodly (old use) | better | best |
| well-known | better-known | best-known |
| friendly | more friendly | most friendly |
FAQs
What are Irregular Adjectives in English?
Irregular adjectives are adjectives that do not follow the regular rule of adding -er or -est for comparative and superlative forms.
Example: good → better → best, bad → worse → worst
What is the difference between Regular and Irregular Adjectives?
Regular adjectives form comparisons by adding -er or -est (e.g. tall → taller → tallest),
while irregular adjectives change their form completely (e.g. bad → worse → worst).
What are the 10 most common Irregular Adjectives?
Here are 10 common irregular adjectives:
good – better – best
bad – worse – worst
far – farther/further – farthest/furthest
little – less – least
much/many – more – most
old – older/elder – oldest/eldest
late – later/latter – latest/last
well – better – best
ill – worse – worst
near – nearer – nearest/next
How do you use Irregular Adjectives in sentences?
Irregular adjectives are used to compare people or things.
This exam is worse than the last one.
She is the best student in the class.
Why are Irregular Adjectives important in English grammar?
They are important because they help express degrees of comparison clearly and naturally. Learning them improves writing, speaking, and understanding of everyday English.
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