20 Powerful Adjectives in English

Are you tired of using the same basic and boring words in English? In this lesson you’ll expand your vocabulary by learning powerful adjectives.

1. “Deafening”, this means extremely noisy (sangat berisik). For example, “There was a deafening roar as the rocket ship blasted off”.

2. “Excruciating”, this means very painful (sangat menyakitkan). For example, “I have an excruciating headache. I can’t even think straight”.

3. “Destitute”, this means very poor (sangat miskin). For example, “He grew up in a destitute family that barely had enough food to eat”.

4. “Devastating”, this means very damaging or upsetting (sangat menghancurkan/mengganggu). It can refer to physical damage. For example, “The town was destroyed by a devastating flood”. Remember, a flood is a natural disaster where there is too much water causing damage to buildings and houses. The word “devastating” can also refer to great emotional impact, for example “They received the devastating news that their son was in a coma”.

5. “Gorgeous”, this means very beautiful (sangat cantik). For example, “Wow, those flowers are absolutely gorgeous”. The word “gorgeous” is a little more feminine and is usually used to describe women, not men as well as objects like the flowers.

6. “Swamped”, this means very busy (sangat sibuk). For example, “I have five major projects to finish by the end of this week. I’m totally swamped”. This is an informal way to say that you are overwhelmed with work you have, far too much work and so you’re very busy.

7. “Packed”, this means very crowded (sangat padat). For example, “The stores were packed on the day before Christmas. Everyone was doing last-minute shopping”, “In the picture, you can see an outdoor festival that is packed. There are so many people that there’s barely any room to move”.

8. “Thrilled”, this means very happy or excited (sangat gembira). For example, “Joanna’s parents were thrilled to hear that she had won a full scholarship to college”. “A full scholarship” means a program that will pay for your entire college education.

9. “Horrific”, this means very shocking or scary (sangat mengejutkan/menakutkan) . For example, “50 people were badly injured in a horrific accident at the factory”, “The prospect of a nuclear war is horrifying”.

10. “Mind-blowing”, this means very amazing (sangat mengagumkan). For example, “Modern medical technology is mind-blowing. They can even operate on a baby before it’s born”.

11. “Miraculous”, this means very fortunate (sangat beruntung). For example, “This book tells the story of Henry’s miraculous escape from a war-torn country”. “Miraculous” is the adjective form of the word “miracle” which means something that is so fortunate and so amazing that it seems supernatural.

12. “Fearless”, this means very brave (sangat berani). For example, “He fearlessly walked into his boss’s office and asked for a big raise”.”Fearless” is the adjective and “fearlessly” is the adverb.

13. “Absurd” and “preposterous”, they mean very ridiculous (sangat menggelikan). For example, “That book contains some preposterous theories that go against the scientific consensus”, “The store won’t give you a refund eventhough it was their mistake. That’s absurd”.

14. “Frivolous”, this means very unimportant or silly (sangat tidak penting atau bodoh). For example, “If you want to save money, you have to avoid making frivolous purchases like buying candy at the supermarket”.

15. “Impeccable”, this means completely perfect (sangat sempurna). For example, “Her academic record is impeccable and she’s at the top of her class”.

16. “Jittery”, this means very nervous (sangat gugup). For example, “Most people are jittery on a first day of work. Try to relax and just be yourself”.

17. “Outstanding”, this means very remarkable (luar biasa). For example, “The results of the educational program were outstanding. More than 1000 children were able to improve their grades”.

18. “Prestigious”, this means very respected (sangat terhormat). For example, “My internship at a prestigious law firm was a great start to my career”.

19. “Heartfelt”, this means very sincere (sangat tulus). For example, “He delivered a heartfelt speech expressing his gratitude”.

20. “Vital”, this means very important (sangat penting). For example, “It’s vital to pay attention to the road while driving if you’d like to keep learning”.

Source: Espresso English Channel on Youtube