Proper Adjectives | Definition, Uses & Examples
Proper adjectives are adjectives that come from proper nouns.
We bought my dad a premium Scottish whisky for his birthday.
My Buddhist neighbor celebrates Buddha Purnima each year.
Proper adjectives must be capitalized. To make sure you don’t make any mistakes with these capitalization rules, use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker.
What is a proper adjective?
Proper adjectives come from proper nouns, which refer to specific people, places, things, or ideas (e.g., “Spain” or “Isaac Newton”). Proper adjectives are the adjective forms of these words (e.g., “Spanish” or “Newtonian”).
Like other adjectives, proper adjectives describe nouns. You might use “Spanish” to describe “Spanish food” or “Newtonian” to describe “Newtonian physics.”
Likewise, proper adjectives differ from common adjectives, which offer general descriptions that are not derived from proper nouns (e.g., “blue,” “bad,” and “amazing”).
There are a few rules for using proper adjectives:
- Capitalize all proper adjectives.
- If using a proper adjective with a prefix (e.g., “pre-“), do not capitalize the prefix, but do capitalize the adjective.
- If using proper adjectives in the comparative and superlative, use them with “more” or “most.”
- Lucy loves French pastries.
- Lucy loves french pastries.
- The nuraghe of Sardinia are pre-Roman structures.
- The nuraghe of Sardinia are pre-roman structures.
- The nuraghe of Sardinia are Pre-Roman structures.
- His writing is more Shakespearean than mine.
- His writing is Shakespeareaner than mine.
For example, nowadays “herculean” (from Hercules) means “requiring a lot of strength or effort” and is usually written in lowercase. Another example is “stoic” (from Stoicism), meaning “enduring hardship without showing emotions or complaining.”
Proper adjectives examples
Many proper adjectives come from the names of places: countries, states, mountain ranges, oceans, and so on. Many proper adjectives in English end with the suffixes “-an,” “-ian,” “-ese,” and “-ish.”
| Proper noun | Proper adjective | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Africa | African | There is a conference of African nations today. |
| Alaska | Alaskan | Alaskan salmon is my favorite fish. |
| Alps | Alpine | My father loves Alpine skiing. |
| Amazon | Amazonian | We must protect Amazonian plant and animal life. |
| America | American | The American ambassador gave a speech. |
| Antarctica | Antarctic | It was completely quiet except for the howling of the Antarctic winds. |
| Asia | Asian | Forty Asian countries signed the treaty. |
| Australia | Australian | This is our Australian shepherd puppy, Luna. |
| Canada | Canadian | This caramel is made with Canadian maple syrup. |
| Egypt | Egyptian | This museum has a large collection of Egyptian mummies. |
| England | English | An English slang word for “vacuum” is “hoover.” |
| Florence | Florentine | Florentine art is central to Renaissance history. |
| France | French | Is there anything better than a French baguette? |
| Germany | German | The Black Forest is a popular destination for German hikers. |
| Greece | Greek | This Greek pottery is from 650 BC. |
| Himalayas | Himalayan | The Himalayan brown bear may have been the inspiration for the Yeti. |
| India | Indian | Some common ingredients in Indian food are chickpeas, lentils, cumin, turmeric, and ghee. |
| Ireland | Irish | St. Patrick’s Day is a big celebration in Irish pubs around the world. |
| Italy | Italian | My brother makes the best pizza, and he only uses Italian tomatoes for the sauce. |
| Japan | Japanese | Mia has a Japanese fiancé, and they’re planning to live in Japan after they’re married. |
| Mexico | Mexican | Mexican food uses a lot of different chilis. |
| The North | Nordic | The Nordic countries are Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland. |
| Norway | Norwegian | We spent a week in a cozy cabin nestled among the Norwegian fjords. |
| Polynesia | Polynesian | Some of the Polynesian islands are Hawaii, Tuvalu, Samoa, and Easter Island. |
| Peru | Peruvian | There are three Peruvian restaurants in town, but Pisco is definitely my favorite. |
| Portugal | Portuguese | Portuguese tiles — or azulejos — are known around the world for their beauty and craftsmanship. |
| Quebec | Quebecois | The Quebecois accent sounds different from European French. |
| Russia | Russian | Although I didn’t enjoy the book, I can appreciate its status as one of the greatest Russian novels. |
| Scotland | Scottish | When we attend my friend’s wedding in Aberdeen, we are going to wear traditional Scottish kilts. |
| Spain | Spanish | Paella is one of the most famous dishes in Spanish cuisine. |
| Sweden | Swedish | Swedish design typically emphasizes minimalism. |
| Turkey | Turkish | The Turkish language has no grammatical gender. |
| Vienna | Viennese | Several of Mozart’s most famous works debuted in Viennese opera houses. |
For example, Argentine and Argentinian are both correct to describe someone or something from Argentina. Argentine is considered more formal and is more commonly used in British English, while Argentinian is more conversational and the preferred adjective in American English.
When proper adjectives come from people’s names, they most often come from surnames, but may also be derived from first names or titles.
| Proper noun | Proper adjective | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Dante Alighieri | Dantean, Dantesque | The movie’s protagonist has to explore a Dantean hellscape to find her brother. |
| Gautama Buddha | Buddhist | Buddhist monks are well-respected members of their societies. |
| Jesus Christ | Christian | Easter is an important Christian holiday. |
| Confucius | Confucian | Confucian teachings include righteousness, kindness, and sincerity. |
| Charles Darwin | Darwinian | Natural selection is a key concept in Darwinian evolution. |
| Queen Elizabeth | Elizabethan | William Shakespeare popularized iambic pentameter in the Elizabethan era. |
| Sigmund Freud | Freudian | Freudian slips are unintentional errors believed to reveal subconscious feelings. |
| Franz Kafka | Kafkaesque | We had to navigate a truly Kafkaesque bureaucratic process to get this done. |
| Vladimir Lenin | Leninist | The party split over Leninist ideals versus more reformist principles. |
| Niccolò Machiavelli | Machiavellian | The politician’s Machiavellian scheming helped him rise to the top of his party. |
| Karl Marx | Marxist | Marxist ideas spread across Russia in the 19th century, leading to revolution. |
| Isaac Newton | Newtonian | Newtonian physics dominated scientific thought until Einstein. |
| George Orwell | Orwellian | The new surveillance law has been criticized as Orwellian. |
| Plato | Platonic | The Platonic dialogues explore philosophical concepts and often feature Socrates as a character. |
| William Shakespeare | Shakespearean | 10 Things I Hate About You is my favorite of the modern Shakespearian adaptations. |
| Socrates | Socratic | The Socratic method is a form of teaching that uses questions to stimulate critical thinking. |
| Queen Victoria | Victorian | Victorian architecture is known for its ornate details and asymmetrical design. |
However, platonic as a common adjective refers to a relationship that is intimate and affectionate but not romantic or sexual (e.g., “Their relationship is strictly platonic”).
Finally, some proper adjectives derive from other types of names, like those of tribes, schools, artistic styles, or brands.
| Proper adjective | Meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Bauhaus | Pertaining to the modernist German design and architecture school known as Bauhaus | The building’s clean lines reflect a Bauhaus influence. |
| Berber | Relating to the Berber people of North Africa | Traditional Berber rugs are known for their bold geometric patterns. |
| Brutalist | Relating to the Brutalist architectural style characterized by stark, raw concrete | Brutalist architecture favors structural elements and building materials over decorative design. |
| Celtic | Relating to the Celts or their culture, language, or art | Celtic influences can be found in northwestern Spain. |
| Gothic | Relating to the Goths; a medieval European style of architecture, art, or literature | Cologne Cathedral is one of the most famous Gothic cathedrals in the world. |
| Impressionist | Related to the art style known as Impressionism | Monet is my mother’s favorite Impressionist painter. |
| Islamic | Relating to Islam or Islamic art, culture, and architecture | Islamic tradition requires Muslims to fast during Ramadan. |
| Michelin | Associated with the Michelin Guide or the Michelin brand, often in reference to restaurant ratings | We ate dinner last night at a Michelin restaurant. |
| Moorish | Relating to the Moors or their architectural and cultural legacy in Iberia and North Africa | The Alhambra is a masterpiece of Moorish architecture. |
| Romantic | Relating to the Romantic movement in art, music, or literature | Wuthering Heights is a classic Romantic novel. |
| Slavic | Relating to the Slavs or their languages and cultures | Maria is studying Slavic languages at university. |
| Surrealist | Relating to the Surrealist movement in art and literature | Dalí’s paintings are iconic Surrealist works. |
FAQs for the article proper adjectives
- Is a name a proper noun?
-
People’s names are proper nouns. This includes first names (e.g., “Kyle,” “Sarai”), family names (e.g., “Klein,” “the Ruperts”), and titles that are part of an individual’s name (e.g., “Pope Francis,” “Professor Martinez”).
The names of many non-human entities are also proper nouns. This includes brands (e.g., “Coca-Cola,” “Microsoft”), organizations (e.g., “New York University,” “the World Health Organization”), religions (e.g., “Eastern Orthodoxy,” “Buddhism”), and holidays (e.g., “New Year’s Day,” “Mid-Autumn Festival”), among other things.
When these names are used as adjectives, they are proper adjectives (e.g., “the Elizabethan era”).
- What’s the difference between common and proper nouns?
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A common noun is not capitalized, as it names a category of person, place, thing, or concept. Common nouns often require articles (e.g., “a”) or determiners (e.g., “many,” “his”).
In contrast, a proper noun is capitalized and names a specific person, place, thing, or concept. Most common nouns don’t require an article, but some require “the” (e.g., “the Great Lakes”).
The same goes for proper adjectives (e.g., “my Indian colleague”) and common adjectives (e.g., “the blue house”).
- What is a demonym?
-
A “demonym” is a noun for the people from or living in a specific place (e.g., “New Yorker,” “Japanese,” and “Puerto Rican”).
Demonyms often double as proper adjectives (e.g., “French bread”). Demonyms and their related adjectives aren’t always the same, though. For example, the demonym for Denmark is “Dane,” but the proper adjective is “Danish.”
To make sure you use demonyms correctly, try QuillBot’s Grammar Checker.
- What does Kafkaesque mean?
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“Kafkaesque” means “nightmarishly complex, bizarre, or illogical,” especially when related to helplessness or oppressive bureaucracy. The word is derived from the name of writer Franz Kafka.
For example, navigating a confusing legal system with no clear rules or outcomes might be described as “a Kafkaesque experience.”
Like all proper adjectives, “Kafaesque” must be capitalized. Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to make sure you use this word correctly.
- What does Gothic mean?
-
“Gothic” is a proper adjective with several meanings, depending on the context:
- In history, it means “of or relating to the Goths,” an ancient Germanic people (e.g., “Gothic raids in Roman territory”).
- In architecture, it refers to a medieval European style characterized by arches, vaults, and flying buttresses (e.g., “a Gothic cathedral”).
- In literature, it refers to a genre marked by mystery, horror, and supernatural elements (e.g., “Frankenstein is a Gothic novel”).
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can make sure you use “Gothic” correctly.
