Degrees of comparison of adjectives in English

01 December 2025

English-learners

Oleksandra Kulish

Book expert

Communication in English — regardless of your level of proficiency — is impossible to imagine without adjectives. If you want to speak confidently and freely, sooner or later you will have to not only learn a large number of words, including adjectives, but also learn how to use them to compare objects, phenomena or concepts with each other.

It is at this stage that you will need the degrees of comparison of adjectives. Thanks to them, you will be able, for example, to explain which of two hotels is more affordable or find out where the best bar in Chicago is — and confidently hold any conversation in English.

First, it is worth noting that adjectives in English are divided into two types — relative and qualitative.

Qualitative and relative adjectives

Relative adjectives usually describe the permanent characteristics of objects — for example, the material from which they are made: cotton — cotton. Such characteristics cannot be expressed to a greater or lesser degree, so relative adjectives do not have degrees of comparison.

Qualitative adjectives, on the other hand, characterise properties that can be measured or compared with each other — for example, size (big), speed (fast), temperature (cold). They have three degrees of comparison that help to show the difference between objects: positive — the basic form of the adjective; comparative — indicates a greater or lesser degree of the characteristic; superlative — shows the highest degree of the property among others.

Three degrees of comparison

The degrees of comparison of adjectives help to express different levels of a certain feature.

The positive degree is the basic form of the adjective. It only indicates the presence of a property, but does not compare objects.

Example: The garden is quiet.

The comparative degree shows that one thing has a feature to a greater or lesser degree than another.

Example: This road is longer than that one.

The superlative degree emphasises that a certain feature is the strongest among all.

Example: This restaurant is the cosiest in the city.

As you can see, knowing the degrees of comparison allows you to describe objects, phenomena or people more accurately, making your speech more natural and expressive.

The positive degree of an adjective is easy to find in a dictionary — you just need to memorise the word. However, the comparative and superlative degrees are formed from the basic form and change depending on three factors:

the number of syllables in the word;
the ending of the word;
the presence of exceptions.

Next, we will look at how the comparative and superlative degrees are formed, taking these features into account.

How degrees of comparison are formed in English for adjectives

There are several rules for forming the comparative and superlative degrees

of adjectives — they depend on the length of the word and its ending.

Monosyllabic adjectives, as well as disyllabic adjectives ending in –ow or –er

To form the comparative degree, the ending –er is added, and for the superlative degree, –est + the article the is added.

Examples:

Cold → colder → the coldest

Shallow → shallower → the shallowest

Braver → braver → the bravest

One-syllable and two-syllable adjectives ending in –e

In this case, only –r is added for the comparative and –st for the superlative.

Example:

Nice → nicer → the nicest

One-syllable adjectives ending in a vowel + consonant

If the adjective has this structure, the last consonant is doubled, and then –er or –est is added.

Example:

Hot → hotter → the hottest

One- and two-syllable adjectives ending in a consonant + –y

The letter y changes to i, after which –er or –iest is added.

Example:

Happy → happier → the happiest

One- and two-syllable adjectives ending in a vowel + –y

In this case, y does not change, just add –er or –est.

Example:

Gray → grayer → the grayest

Multi-syllabic adjectives (three or more syllables) and compound adjectives

In such words, the ending does not change. Instead, the words more / less are used for the comparative degree and the most / the least for the superlative degree.

Examples:

Beautiful → more beautiful → the most beautiful

Comfortable → more comfortable → the most comfortable

Open-minded → more open-minded → the most open-minded

Note: some two-syllable adjectives can be inflected in both ways — with an ending and with more / the most.

For example:

Simple – simpler / more simple – the simplest / the most simple

Quiet – quieter / more quiet – the quietest / the most quiet

Friendly – friendlier / more friendly – the friendliest / the most friendly

Degrees of comparison of adjectives in English: exceptions

As in many other languages, there are exceptions to the rules in English, especially among the most commonly used words. Some adjectives that describe simple and basic concepts form degrees of comparison incorrectly — you just have to memorise them. Fortunately, there are not many such words. The most common ones are listed below.

Positive degree	Comparative degree	Highest degree	Note
Good	Better	The best
Bad	Worse	The worst
Little*	Less	The least
Many / Much	More	The most
Far	Farther	The farthest	in terms of physical distance
Far	Further	The furthest	figuratively
Late**	Latter	Last	in the sense of sequence
Old***	Elder	The eldest	in terms of people's age

* Little — only in the sense of quantity. When referring to size, the usual rules apply (for example: small – smaller – the smallest).

** Late — only in the sense of the order of objects; when referring to time, the standard forms are used (late – later – the latest).

*** Old — in the sense of people's age; for inanimate objects or general age, the usual forms are also used (old – older – the oldest).

Once you have mastered these exceptions for the comparative and superlative degrees of adjectives in English, you will be able to use this part of speech more confidently and sound natural when communicating in English.

Remember that systematic learning is the key to success! Try, for example, books and flashcards for vocabulary training, which help you quickly expand your vocabulary and reinforce what you have learned in practice.