What are Cumulative Adjectives With Examples

Cumulative adjectives are two or more adjectives that work together as a unit in order to modify a noun by following a specific order that cannot be changed without destroying their meaning.

1. What are Cumulative Adjectives?

The definition of cumulative adjectives includes the following:

Cumulative adjectives are two or more adjectives that work together as a unit to modify a noun.
Cumulative adjectives are arranged in a specific order and cannot be changed without destroying their meaning.
Cumulative adjectives are used in a specific order: quantity, opinion, size, age, length, color, origin, material and purpose.
Cumulative adjectives are not separated by a comma.

Cumulative adjectives must appear in specific order based on their category as shown below.

Quantity (one, two, three, etc)
Opinion (attractive, silly, arrogant)
Size (small, large, huge)
Age/Condition (young, old, new)
Shape/Length (long, round, square)
Color (blue, red, green)
Origin/Nationality/Religion (Asian, Christian, Muslin)
Material (cotton, wooden, plastic)
Purpose (running (water), living (room), sleeping (bag)

Some examples of cumulative adjectives in sentences!

Remember cumulative adjectives work together as a unit by following a specific order based on their category. Furthermore, cumulative adjectives are not separated by a comma.

Note: The cumulative adjectives are in red and the noun they modify is underlined!

David took two huge wooden doors to the tip in his new truck. (quantity + size + material)
Kyle bought a flashy new red car during the week. (opinion + age + color)
Two huge American footballers rescued the old lady from the gangsters. (quantity + size + origin)
Jonathan delivered the big square wooden crate to his grandfather. (size + shape + material)
The attractive young Australian girl made herself at home in her new country of America. (opinion + age + origin)
Two small loin cubs entertained the crowd at the zoo. (quantity + size + origin)
Jennifer was an attractive Christian lady. (opinion + religion)
I bought a new blue sleeping bag for camping. (condition + color + purpose)
We had a delicious hot Greek pizza for dinner. (opinion + condition + nationality)
She recited an old Shakespearean sonnet at the concert on Friday night. (age + origin)

Note: Now that we know what are cumulative adjectives, let’s test a few examples so that we can easily spot them.

Example #1: Two huge American footballers rescued the old lady from the gangsters.

We notice here that “two,” “huge” and “American” modify the noun “footballer.” If we reverse the order, we will notice that it doesn’t make sense. American huge two footballers rescued the old lady from the gangsters. Therefore, these three adjectives are cumulative adjectives.

Example #2: I bought a new blue sleeping bag for camping.

We notice here that “new,” “blue” and “sleeping” modify the noun “bag.” If we reverse the order, we will notice that it doesn’t make sense. I bought a sleeping blue new bag for camping. Therefore, these three adjectives are cumulative adjectives.

Example #3: David took two huge wooden doors to the tip in his new truck.

We notice here that “two,” “huge” and “wooden” modify the noun “doors.” If we reverse the order, we will notice that it doesn’t make sense. David took wooden huge two doors to the tip in his new truck. Therefore, these three adjectives are cumulative adjectives.

NOTE:The tricky thing about cumulative adjectives is that they can be confused with coordinate adjectives. Therefore, it is important to know and spot the difference.

2. What are Coordinate Adjectives?

The Definition of Coordinate Adjectives Include the Following:

Coordinate adjectives work together to modify the same noun independently.
Coordinate adjectives are of equal importance (usually from the same category) and they do not follow a particular order. They can be switched without changing their meaning.
Coordinate adjectives are separated by a comma or an “and.”

Some examples of coordinate adjectives in sentences!

The coordinate adjectives are in red and the noun being modified by the coordinate adjectives is underlined.

The accident happened on a slippery, dangerous road in the snowy mountains.
The new boat sank in a wide, swampy lake.
My next-door neighbor is a sincere, genuine friend.
Jonathan is a devout, faithful Christian.
The outspoken, forthright speaker delivered his message with diplomacy.
The unbiased, impartial judge adjudicated the sensitive trial with great composure.
Candice gave her sister a warm, compassionate talk about their relationship with their mother.
My grandmother has a gentle, quiet nature.
The easygoing, carefree coach had a a close and harmonious relationship with the players.
The unfriendly, belligerent customer complained loudly about the poor service he was given.

Note: Now that we know what are coordinate adjectives, let’s test a few examples so that we can easily spot them.

Example #1: My next-door neighbor is a sincere, genuine friend.

Notice that “sincere” and “genuine” modify the noun “friend” independent of each other.
Notice that you can reverse the order and they still make sense. My next-door neighbor is a genuine, sincere friend.
Notice also that you can replace the comma with the conjunction “and” and it still makes sense. My next-door neighbor is a sincere and genuine friend.

Example #2: The unbiased, impartial judge adjudicated the sensitive trial with great composure.

Notice that “unbiased” and “impartial” modify the noun “judge” independent of each other.
Notice that you can reverse the order and they still make sense. The impartial, unbiased judge adjudicated the sensitive trial with great composure.
Notice also that you can replace the comma with the conjunction “and” and it still makes sense. The impartial and unbiased judge adjudicated the sensitive trial with great composure.

Example #3: The outspoken, forthright speaker delivered his message with diplomacy.

Notice that “outspoken” and “forthright” modify the noun “speaker” independent of each other.
Notice that you can reverse the order and they still make sense. The forthright, outspoken speaker delivered his message with diplomacy.
Notice also that you can replace the comma with the conjunction “and” and it still makes sense. The outspoken and forthright speaker delivered his message with diplomacy.

NOTE: You can find more examples by clicking on the following link: coordinate adjectives.

3. Cumulative Adjectives vs. Coordinate Adjectives

We use adjectives to describe nouns. Sometimes we use several adjectives to describe multiple features of a noun.

This is where cumulative adjectives and coordinate adjectives work really well.

However, cumulative adjectives and coordinate adjectives are used differently in describing nouns. Therefore, it is important to understand the difference between cumulative adjectives and coordinate adjectives.

Here are five examples! Take your time and nominate if they are cumulative adjectives or coordinate adjectives!

Those two mean young men are making fun of the girls.
My sister is a tall, slim girl.
The quiet, gentle teacher spoke to the student about the disaster in a compassionate way.
Rebekah decided to adopt a cute little black puppy.
She is a cruel, heartless mother.

Let’s look at these examples and nominate if they are cumulative adjectives or coordinate adjectives!

Example #1: Those two mean young men are making fun of the girls.

Notice that “two”, “mean” and “young” modify the noun “men.”
Notice when you reverse the order of the adjectives, they don’t sound correct. Those young mean two men are making fun of the girls.
Therefore, they are cumulative adjectives and they follow the order of quantity, opinion and age.

Example #2: My sister is a tall, slim girl.

Notice that “tall” and “slim” modify the noun “girl.”
Notice when you reverse the order of the adjectives, they still make sense. My sister is a slim, tall girl.
Therefore, they are coordinate adjectives. Also, notice they make sense if you add “and.” My sister is a tall and slim girl.

Example #3: The quiet, gentle teacher spoke to the student about the disaster in a compassionate way.

Notice that “quiet” and “gently” modify the noun “teacher.”
Notice when you reverse the order of the adjectives, they still make sense. The gentle, quiet teacher spoke to the student about the disaster in a compassionate way.
Therefore, they are coordinate adjectives. Also, notice they make sense if you add “and.” The quiet and gentle teacher spoke to the student about the disaster in a compassionate way.

Example #4: Rebekah decided to adopt a cute little black puppy.

Notice that “cute”, “little” and “black” modify the noun “puppy.”
Notice when you reverse the order of the adjectives, they don’t sound correct. Rebekah decided to adopt a black little cute puppy.
Therefore, they are cumulative adjectives and they follow the order of opinion, size and color.

Example #5: She is a cruel, heartless mother.

Notice that “cruel” and “heartless” modify the noun “mother.”
Notice when you reverse the order of the adjectives, they still make sense. She is a heartless, cruel mother.
Therefore, they are coordinate adjectives. Also, notice they make sense if you add “and.” She is a cruel and heartless mother.

4. Helpful Hints For Coordinate Adjectives vs. Cumulative Adjectives

If the adjectives can be reversed and still make sense, they are coordinate adjectives.
If the adjectives are reversed and they don’t make sense, they are cumulative adjectives.
If the adjectives can be separated by a comma or “and”, they are coordinate adjectives.

5. Chart – Word Order of Cumulative Adjectives

Order	Categories	Example Adjectives
1	Quantity	one, two, three, etc
2	Opinion	attractive, silly, arrogant
3	Size	small, large, huge
4	Age/Condition	young, old, new
5	Shape/Length	long, round, square
6	Color	blue, red, green
7	Nationality/Religion	Asian, Christian, Muslin
8	Material	cotton, wooden, plastic
9	Purpose	running (water), living (room), sleeping (bag)