This list includes 45 Adjectives that start with J, ranging from “jaded” to “juvenile”. Most entries are common single-word adjectives useful for everyday writing, speech, and vocabulary study. You can use them in essays, stories, editing, and ESL practice.
Adjectives that start with J are descriptive words beginning with the letter J. Many, like “joyful” and “jealous”, trace back to Latin or Old French and show familiar roots.
Below you’ll find the table with Adjective, Definition, Example sentence, and Register.
Adjective: The word itself, listed in alphabetical order so you can find and scan terms quickly.
Definition: A concise one-line meaning that helps you understand and choose the right adjective for context.
Example sentence: A short, natural sentence showing how to use the adjective in everyday writing or speech.
Register: Notes if the adjective is formal, colloquial, archaic, or neutral so you use it appropriately.
Adjectives that start with J
| Adjective | Part of speech | Meaning | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| jealous | adjective (emotional) | feeling envy toward another’s advantages | She was jealous of his promotion. | Very common; negative emotion word used in personal and literary contexts. |
| jaded | adjective (participial/attitudinal) | tired or bored from excess or overuse | After months of travel, he felt jaded. | Common; describes world-weariness or loss of enthusiasm. |
| jagged | adjective (descriptive) | having sharp, uneven edges or outline | The broken plate had jagged edges. | Neutral, physical descriptor; widely used. |
| jaundiced | adjective (figurative/medical) | biased or cynical; also yellowed by illness | Critics had a jaundiced view of the report. | Figurative common in criticism; medical sense is technical. |
| jaunty | adjective (attitudinal) | lively, cheerful, and self-confident in manner | He walked with a jaunty step. | Informal to neutral; often about style or gait. |
| jazzy | adjective (colloquial) | stylish, bright, or reminiscent of jazz | She prefers a jazzy wardrobe. | Colloquial and positive; suggests flashiness or musical flavor. |
| jejune | adjective (formal) | naive, simplistic, or dull and uninteresting | The essay felt jejune and superficial. | Formal or literary; relatively rare in everyday speech. |
| jerky | adjective (descriptive) | characterized by sudden, uneven movements | His writing appeared jerky and uneven. | Informal; also a noun (dried meat). |
| jittery | adjective (emotional) | nervous, anxious, and easily startled | He felt jittery before the exam. | Informal; commonly used for nerves or caffeine effects. |
| jocular | adjective (attitudinal) | playful or joking in tone | Her jocular remark broke the tension. | Neutral to formal; used in writing and speech. |
| jocund | adjective (literary) | cheerful and lighthearted | The scene had a jocund atmosphere. | Literary or poetic; less common than jovial. |
| jocose | adjective (literary) | humorous or given to joking | His jocose remarks amused everyone. | Slightly formal and literary; playful tone. |
| jolly | adjective (emotional) | happy and cheerful | The group was jolly at dinner. | Common, informal; often used colloquially. |
| jovial | adjective (attitudinal) | cheerful and friendly | The host was jovial and warm. | Common; neutral register for sociable mood. |
| joyful | adjective (emotional) | feeling or causing great happiness | The news made her joyful. | Common; strong positive emotion. |
| joyous | adjective (emotional) | full of joy; very happy | The crowd gave a joyous cheer. | Slightly elevated/literary compared with joyful. |
| joyless | adjective (negative) | lacking joy or happiness | The winter felt long and joyless. | Neutral to literary; often descriptive. |
| jubilant | adjective (emotional) | showing great triumph or happiness | Supporters were jubilant after victory. | Common; celebratory tone. |
| judicial | adjective (legal/relational) | relating to courts, judges, or judgments | The decision required judicial approval. | Formal legal register. |
| judicious | adjective (evaluative) | having or showing good judgment | She made a judicious choice. | Formal; positive quality descriptor. |
| judgmental | adjective (evaluative) | inclined to form critical opinions of others | Try not to be judgmental today. | Informal; often negative social label. |
| jugular | adjective (anatomical/figurative) | relating to the throat or a vital point | He targeted the jugular argument. | Anatomical use common; figurative use is dramatic. |
| jumpy | adjective (emotional) | nervous and easily startled | The cat was jumpy from the noise. | Informal; frequently used. |
| jumbo | adjective (colloquial) | unusually large; oversized | They bought a jumbo suitcase. | Colloquial; common in advertising and speech. |
| junior | adjective (relational) | lower in rank, age, or status | She is the junior editor. | Common in organizations and familial contexts. |
| just | adjective (evaluative) | lawful, fair, or morally right | That was a just decision. | Very common; used in wide registers. |
| justifiable | adjective (evaluative) | able to be shown as reasonable or defensible | His fears were justifiable in context. | Formal; used in argumentation and law. |
| justified | adjective (participial/evaluative) | shown to be reasonable or necessary | The response was justified by events. | Participial adjective; widely used. |
| justiciable | adjective (legal) | suitable for adjudication in a court | The claim was not justiciable federally. | Technical legal term; formal register. |
| juvenile | adjective (relational/pejorative) | relating to youth; immature in behavior | That prank was juvenile and unnecessary. | Neutral in legal contexts; pejorative meaning common. |
| juridical | adjective (legal) | relating to judicial authority or legal processes | The statute raised complex juridical issues. | Formal legal term; less common than judicial. |
| jingoistic | adjective (political) | excessively patriotic and belligerent | The speech sounded jingoistic and extreme. | Strong negative political term; formal to critical registers. |
| juicy | adjective (sensory/figurative) | full of juice; interestingly scandalous or rich | The article offered juicy details about the case. | Common; literal and figurative uses. |
| jejunal | adjective (medical) | relating to the jejunum, part of the small intestine | The jejunal biopsy showed inflammation. | Technical medical term; specialist register. |
| jeweled | adjective (ornamental/participial) | set with or decorated by jewels | She wore a jeweled necklace. | Descriptive; participial (US spelled jeweled, UK jewelled). |
| jarring | adjective (sensory/figurative) | causing shock or harsh discord; clashing | The color clash created a jarring effect. | Common; used for sound, contrast, or surprise. |
| jammy | adjective (colloquial, chiefly British) | lucky in an undeserved or easy way | He had a jammy escape from trouble. | British informal slang; positive or envious tone. |
| jingly | adjective (onomatopoeic) | making a light ringing or jingling sound | Her keys made a jingly noise. | Informal; vivid sound descriptor. |
| jilted | adjective (participial/emotional) | rejected, especially in a romantic relationship | He felt jilted after she left. | Participial adjective; common emotional term. |
| jesting | adjective (participial/attitudinal) | joking or playful in manner | His jesting tone eased tensions. | Present-participle adjective; informal to neutral. |
| joined | adjective (participial/relational) | combined or united together | They formed a joined committee. | Participial adjective; used in formal contexts. |
| juvenescent | adjective (descriptive/rare) | becoming youthful or appearing to grow young | The treatment promised a juvenescent skin glow. | Rare and literary; derived from Latin for young. |
| joysome | adjective (archaic/literary) | full of joy; joyous | The village felt bright and joysome. | Slightly archaic or poetic; uncommon in daily use. |
| jellied | adjective (culinary/participial) | turned into or resembling jelly; set | The gravy became jellied when chilled. | Culinary term; participial adjective. |
| jelled | adjective (participial/figurative) | come together successfully or coherently | After planning, the idea finally jelled. | Informal; used figuratively for plans or groups. |
Descriptions
jealous
jaded
jagged
jaundiced
jaunty
jazzy
jejune
jerky
jittery
jocular
jocund
jocose
jolly
jovial
joyful
joyous
joyless
jubilant
judicial
judicious
judgmental
jugular
jumpy
jumbo
junior
just
justifiable
justified
justiciable
juvenile
juridical
jingoistic
juicy
jejunal
jeweled
jarring
jammy
jingly
jilted
jesting
joined
juvenescent
joysome
jellied
jelled