 10. Negative Adjectives in English from EspressoEnglish.net 1. Hideous Hideous means extremely ugly, the opposite of beautiful. The word hideous can also be used to describe things that are morally shocking or offensive. For example, I like this apartment, but those bright green curtains are hideous. In this sentence, hideous means extremely ugly. Hideous acts of torture were committed during the war. In this sentence, hideous means morally shocking or offensive. 2. Revolting Repulsive Both these words describe something that is disgusting. It makes you feel sick and you have almost a physical reaction of wanting to get away from the thing. For example, the smell coming from the portable toilets was revolting. He was fired after he made a repulsive joke about his manager's sex life. 3. Stingy Stingy is the opposite of generous. Someone who is stingy doesn't like to spend or give money, even in situations where they should. For example, she's so stingy that she doesn't even buy birthday gifts for her own mother. 4. Obnoxious The adjective obnoxious is another way to say very annoying. You can describe a thing, a person, or someone's behavior as obnoxious. For example, my boyfriend's cell phone beeps every time he gets a message. It happens several times a minute and it's so obnoxious. 5. Dysfunctional Dysfunctional describes something that doesn't function properly. It is usually used for relationships or families that have unhealthy habits of interacting in ways that are not normal or positive. For example, Sarah has a dysfunctional relationship with her father who wants to control every aspect of her life. 6. Spoiled When used about food, spoiled means the food has gone bad. It's no longer suitable for eating. When used to describe a person, especially a child, it means the person usually gets everything they want and always expects this to happen. For example, ugh, my coffee tastes awful. I think the milk I put in it was spoiled. Timmy is a spoiled little boy who screams at his parents if they don't buy him candy. 7. Slimy The adjective slimy is used to describe something with an unpleasant wet and slippery texture. Worms and snails are slimy. This word can also be used to describe a person who is dishonest but who tries to hide it and be likable. For example, the river bank was covered with slimy mud. I don't like slimy salespeople who try to get you to buy things you don't really need. 8. Callous A person who is callous doesn't appear to have feelings or care about emotions. For example, how can you be so callous when people are suffering? 9. Dreary The adjective dreary means something is boring, dark and depressing. It is often used to talk about the weather but can also be used to describe places, tasks and events. For example, it wasn't the best weekend for camping. The weather was dreary. We didn't see the sun for three days. I grew up in a dreary, rundown neighborhood that I couldn't wait to leave. 10. Petty A person who is petty places great importance on small problems leading to conflict and bad feelings. For example, my sister's rather petty. She gets mad at me if I don't return her texts right away. When you improve your vocabulary, it's much easier to express your ideas in English. My vocabulary builder course can help you learn more than a thousand new words in a practical and effective way. The lessons are short and simple with lots of pictures and examples. Plus, the practice exercises help you use the new vocabulary immediately.