Adjectival forms of words in English are usually formed by adding suitable suffixes to nouns and verbs. Independent adjectives are those which cannot be formed by adding suffixes. They stand out as separate entities and often come from the Greek and Latin roots that refer to the particular thing or field of study.
Adjectival forms of certain words may leave you wonder-struck. If you have ever been confused on receiving an invitation to a sacerdotal silver jubilee celebration, or if someone has ever made fun of you for your simian attitude, you may find the following list of independent adjectives interesting and useful.
| Relating to | Adjective |
|---|---|
| aardvark | edentate |
| aardwolf | protelid |
| abdomen | coeliac |
| abdominal organs | splanchnic |
| action | practical |
| actor | histrionic |
| agriculture | geoponic |
| alligator | eusuchian |
| almond | amygdalate |
| American king crab | xiphosuran |
| amide | amic |
| ancestor worship | filiopietistic |
| anchovy | engraulid |
| animal disease | veterinary |
| ankle | tarsal |
| ant | formic |
| antelope | bubaline |
| ape | simian |
| aphorism | gnomic |
| appetite | orectic |
| apple | malic |
| archery | toxophilitic |
| arm | brachial |
| armadillo | tolypeutine |
| armed ship | naval |
| armpit | alar, axillary |
| army | military |
| ash | cinerary |
| ass | asinine |
| astrology | chaldean |
| athletic contest | agonistic |
| atmosphere pressure | baric |
| auk | alci(di)ne |
| author | auctorial |
| baby (newborn) | neonatal |
| back | dorsal, tergal |
| backbone | spinal |
| back of skull | occipital |
| badger | mustelid |
| banana | musaceous |
| bank (river) | riparian |
| barber | tonsorial |
| bark (of tree) | cortical |
| barley | hordeaceous |
| barnacle | balanid |
| barracuda | peresocine |
| bat | noctilionine, pteropine |
| bathing | balneal |
| bear | ursine |
| beast | bestial |
| bee | apian |
| beer | cervisial |
| beetle . | coleopteral |
| belief | doxatic |
| belly | alvine, ventral, coeliac |
| biblical interpretation | hermeneutic |
| bile | cholic |
| binocular vision | orthopotic |
| bird | avian, ornithic |
| birth | natal |
| birthday | natalitial, genethliac |
| bishop | episcopal |
| bison | bisontine |
| blackbird | icterine |
| black magic | goetic |
| Black Sea | Pontic |
| blood | haematic |
| blood vessel | arterial, haemal |
| bluebird | turdine |
| boa constrictor | boid |
| bobolink | icterine |
| body | corporal, physical, somatic |
| body movement | gestic |
| bone | osteal |
| bone of hind limb | fibular |
| boxing | fistic, pugilistic |
| bracelet | armillary |
| brain | cerebral |
| bran | frufuraceous |
| branch | ramal |
| breakfast | jentacular |
| breast | mammary, pectoral |
| breast (large) | macromastic |
| breast-bone | sternal |
| bridge | potine |
| bristle | setal |
| brother | fraternal , |
| brownish / greyish color | fuscous |
| building | tectonic |
| bull | taurine |
| bumblebee | bombid |
| business | pragmatic |
| butcher | carnificial |
| butter | butyric |
| butterfly | lepidopterous |
| buttocks | natal |
| buzzard | buteonine |
| calf | vituline |
| calf of leg | sural |
| Cambridge University | Cantabrigian |
| care of hair | philocomal |
| carp | cyprine |
| cashew nut | anacardic |
| cat | feline |
| catfish | silurid |
| cattle | bovine |
| cave | spelean |
| cave-dwelling | troglodytic |
| central point | focal |
| centre of gravity | centrobaric |
| chalk | cretaceous |
| chamois | ruficaprine |
| cheek | buccal, genal, malar |
| cheekbone | jugal |
| chest | pectoral |
| chicken | gallinaceous |
| chickenpox | varicellous |
| child | filial |
| childbirth | puerperal |
| chimpanzee | simiid |
| chin | genial, mental |
| chocolate | theobromic |
| church | ecclesiastical |
| circumlocution | periphrastic |
| citizen | civic, civil |
| city | urban |
| city (very large! | megalopolitan |
| civet | viverrine |
| clan | gentile |
| clay | bolar |
| climbing | scansorial |
| clothes | vestiary |
| coat of arms | armorial |
| coco | theobromic |
| coin | numismatic |
| collar-bone | clavicular |
| colour | chromatic |
| common people | plebeian |
| coot | fulciline |
| copper | cupreous |
| copying | imitational |
| copyist | clerical |
| corn | frumentarious |
| correct pronunciation | orthoepic |
| cough | tussive |
| country | rural, rustic |
| cow | bovine, vaccine |
| cramp | myalgic |
| crane | alectoridine, coronal |
| crow | corvine |
| crown | coronary |
| cuckoo | cuculine |
| dancing | orchestic, terpsichorean |
| dandruff | scurfy |
| daughter | filial |
| dawn | eoan |
| day | diurnal |
| deacon | diaconal |
| dead tissue | necrotic |
| dean | decanal |
| death | lethal, mortal, mortuary |
| death (time after) | posthumous, postobit |
| decimal system | decadic |
| deep sea | bathybic |
| deer | capreoline, cervine |
| desert | eremic, xeric |
| desire | orectic |
| devil | diabolic |
| dew | roral, roric |
| diaphram | phrenic |
| digestion | peptic |
| digestion (good) | eupeptic |
| digestion (slow) | bradypeptic |
| digging | fodient |
| dinner | prandial |
| dinosaur | diapsidian |
| disciple | apostolic |
| disease | morbid, pathological |
| dizziness | dinic |
| dodo | didine |
| dog | canine |
| dog days of July and August | canicular |
| dolphin | delphine, delphinine |
| domestic fowl | galline |
| dormouse | myoxine |
| dove | columbine |
| dowry | dotal |
| dragon | draconic |
| dragonfly | libellulid |
| drama | thespian |
| dress | sartorial |
| drum | tympanic |
| duck | anatine |
| duke | ducal |
| dung | stercoraceous |
| dunghill | sterquilinian |
| duty | deontic |
| dwarf | homuncular |
| dyeing | tinctorial |
| eagle | accipitrine, aquiline |
| ear | aural, otic |
| eardrum | tympanal |
| early man | palaeanthropic |
| earth | tellurian, terrestrial |
| earthenware | ceramic, figuline |
| earthquake | seismal, seismic |
| earthworm | lumbricine |
| earwig | forficulid |
| Easter | paschal |
| edible mushroom | agaric |
| edible plant | vegetal |
| eider duck | fuliguline |
| eight | octonary |
| elbow | ulnar |
| elephant | pachydermic |
| elk | cervine |
| elm | ulmaceous |
| emerald | smaragdine |
| emperor | imperial |
| emu | ratite |
| enemy | inimical |
| engraving | glyptic |
| evening | vespertine |
| excessive thirst | anadipsic |
| exercise for bodily development | gymnastic |
| exchange | catallactic |
| eye | ocular, ophthalmic |
| eye (one) | monocular |
| eyes (both) | binocular |
| eye (of bean) | hilar |
| eyelid | palpebral |
| fak | nundinal |
| fairy | elfin |
| falcon | raptorial |
| farewell | apopemptic |
| farming | agrarian/ agricultural |
| farting | carminative |
| fast day | maigre |
| fat | adipic, adipose |
| father | paternal |
| feast | festal |
| fermentation | zymotic |
| fever | febrile, pyretic |
| field | agrestic |
| finch | fringilline |
| fine literature | belletristic |
| finger | digital |
| fire | igneous |
| firefly | lampyrid |
| first age | primeval |
| fish | ichthic, piscine |
| fishing | piscatorial, piscatory |
| flag | vexillary |
| flamingo | phoenicopteroid |
| flat country | champaign |
| flea | pulicine |
| flesh | carnal, sarcous |
| flood | diluvial, diluvian |
| flour | farinaceous |
| flock | gregarious |
| flogging | baculine |
| flower | floral |
| food | alimentary, cibarious |
| food plants | vegetal |
| foot | pedestrial, podal |
| forearm | cubital |
| forehead | frontal, metopic |
| forest | silvan |
| fortune-telling | mantic |
| fox | vulpine |
| frog | ranine |
| funeral | funebrial |
| fungal infection | mycotic |
| fungus | agaric |
| gall | fellic, fellinic |
| gallows | patibulary |
| garden | hortensial |
| garlic | alliaceous |
| gartersnake | colubrine |
| gem-carving | glyptic |
| genital organ | venereal |
| genus | generic |
| gibbon | hylobatine |
| giraffe | artiodactylous |
| glass | vitric |
| glue | colletic |
| goat | caprine, hiricine |
| God | divine |
| gold | auric |
| goldfish | cyprinid |
| goose | anserine |
| gorilla | pongid |
| gourd | cucurbitaceous |
| gout | podagral |
| government by old men | gerontocratic |
| government by majorities | arithmocratic |
| government by the wealthy | plutocratic |
| government by a woman or women | gynaecocratic |
| governor | gubernatorial |
| grandparent | aval |
| grape | uval |
| grass | gramineous, poaceous |
| grasshopper | acridid |
| groin | inguinal |
| grouse | tetraonine |
| gull | lari(di)ne |
| gum | gingival, uletic |
| hair | crinal, pilar |
| hall | aularian |
| hamster | cricetine |
| hand | manual |
| handwriting | graphic |
| hanging | patibulary |
| hare | leporine |
| hartebeest | bubaline |
| hawk | accipitrine |
| head | cephalic |
| headache | cephalagic |
| hearing | acoustic, auditory |
| heart | cardiac |
| heartbeat | systaltic |
| heat | calorific, thermal |
| heat loss | thermolytic |
| heaven | celestial |
| Hebrew | Hebraic |
| hedgehog | erinaceous |
| hell | infernal |
| hermit crab | pagurian |
| heron | grallatorial |
| herring | clupeoid |
| high pressure | hyperbaric |
| hip | sciatic |
| hog | suilline |
| holiday | ferial |
| homesickness | nostalgic |
| horse | caballine, eqine, hippic |
| hospitality . | xenial |
| hour | horal |
| house | domal, domestic |
| housefly | muscid |
| hummingbird | trochilidine, trochiline |
| hump-back whale | megapterine |
| hunting | venatic |
| husband | marital |
| ibis | ibidine |
| ice | glacial |
| Indian swamp deer | rucervine |
| inflammation | phlogistic |
| insect | entomic |
| insomnia | agrypnotic |
| intellect | noetic |
| intestinal worm | heliminthic |
| intestine | enteral, enteric |
| iron | ferrous |
| island | insular |
| ivory | eburnean |
| ivy | hederaceous |
| jaw | gnathic |
| jay | garruline |
| jellyfish | discophoran |
| Jesus | dominical |
| jew | Judaic |
| joint | articular |
| journey | viatic, viatal |
| judge | judicial, judiciary |
| Jupiter | Jovian |
| kaka | nestorine |
| kangaroo | macropine, macropodine |
| kidney | renal, nephritic |
| king | regal |
| kingfisher | dacelonine |
| kissing | basial, oscular |
| kitchen | culinary |
| kitchen garden | olitory |
| kite (bird) | milvine |
| knee | genual |
| kneepan | patellar |
| knowledge | epistemic, gnostic |
| lack of will power | abulic |
| lake | lacustrine |
| lamp | lucernal |
| lamprey | cyclostome |
| land | agrarian, praedial |
| language | linguistic |
| laughter | gelastic |
| law | legal |
| law court | foraneous |
| layer | stratal |
| layer of iris | uveal |
| leaf | foliar |
| leafbud | gemmaceous |
| leap-year | bissextile |
| leech | hirudine |
| leg | crural |
| left side | sinistral |
| Lent | quadragesimal |
| leopard | pardine |
| letter | epistolarian |
| life | vital, zoetic, biotic |
| light | photic |
| lion | leonine |
| lip | labial |
| liver | hepatic, jecoral |
| liver and stomach | hepatogastric |
| living organism | biotic |
| lizard | lacertine |
| lobster | homarine |
| laical reasoning | dianoetic |
| long duration | diuturnal |
| louse | pedicular |
| love | erotic |
| lung | pneumonic, pulmonary |
| lying down | decubital |
| lynx | lyncine |
| lyric poem | odic |
| macaw | psittacine |
| mackeral | scombroid |
| magic or magicians | thaumaturgic |
| magpie | corvoid |
| postal | |
| man | hominine |
| maple | aceric |
| marble | marmoreal |
| market | nundinal |
| marlin | istiophorid |
| marmoset | callithricid |
| marmot | sciurid |
| marriage | marital, matrimonial |
| marriage-bed | thoral |
| marsh | paludal |
| martin | hirundine |
| mayapple | podophylic |
| meadowlark | icterine |
| meal | prandial |
| meaning of words | semantic |
| measles | morbilious |
| measure | mensural |
| measurement | metrical |
| mechanic | banausik |
| medal | numismatic |
| medicine | iatric |
| menses | menstrual |
| mental disease | psychopathic |
| merchant | mercantile |
| metrical line | stichic |
| midwifery | obstetric |
| milk | lacteal |
| mind | mental |
| minnow | cyprinid |
| mink | musteline |
| minor | catoptric |
| mite | acarine |
| mockingbird | mimine |
| Modern Greek | Romaic |
| mole | talpine |
| mollusc | malacozoic; |
| money | monetary, pecuniary |
| money-making | chrematistic |
| mongoose | herpestine |
| monkey | simian |
| moon | lunar, selenic |
| moose | alcine |
| morning | matutinal |
| mosquito | anopheline, culicine |
| moth | arctian |
| mother | maternal |
| mountain | montane |
| mouse | murine |
| mouth | oral |
| municipality | civic |
| muscle | sarcous |
| musical drama | operatic |
| musical sound | tonal |
| musk deer | moschine |
| musk ox | ovibovine |
| muskrat | cricetid |
| mustard | sinapic |
| nail (of finger) | ungual |
| name | onomastic |
| nape of neck | nuchal |
| neck | cervical, jugular |
| nephew | nepotal |
| nerve | neural |
| nest | nidamental |
| night | nocturnal |
| nightingale | philomelian |
| nitrogen | azotic |
| normal vision | orthoscopic |
| north wind | boreal |
| nose | nasal, rhinal |
| nostril | narine |
| noun | nominal |
| number | numerical |
| nuthatch | sittine |
| nutrition | trophic |
| oak | quercine |
| oats | avenaceous |
| ocean | pelagic |
| ocean | depth bathyal |
| oil | oleic |
| old age | senile, gerontic |
| onion | cepaceous |
| operation | surgical |
| opinion | doxastic |
| opossum | didelphine |
| origin | genetic |
| origin and development of diseases | pathogenic |
| origin or birth of things | genetic |
| ostrich | strulhious |
| otter | lutrine |
| owl | strigine |
| ox | taurine |
| Oxford University | Oxonian |
| oxygen deficiency | hypoxic |
| oyster | ostracine |
| painlessness | apenic |
| pair | dyadic |
| palm (of hand) | volar |
| parish | parochial |
| parrot | pstittacine |
| partrk%e | perdicine |
| peacock | pavonine |
| peanut | arachidic |
| pearl | margaric |
| pedestal | acroterial |
| pelican | pelecanid |
| petal | corollaceous |
| pheasant | phasianine |
| physician | iatric |
| picture | pictorial |
| pig | porcine |
| pigeon | columbine, peristeronic |
| pineapple | anonaceous |
| pitch | piceous |
| plague | luetic |
| plastic surgery | anaplastic |
| platypus | monotremal |
| play or game | ludic |
| pleasure | hedonic |
| pleasure of the senses | sensual |
| plover | charadrine |
| poetry | melic |
| pope | papal |
| porcupine | hystricine |
| porpoise | phocaenine |
| pottery | ceramic, fictile |
| preaching | predicatory |
| priest | hieratic, sacerdotal |
| prison | carceral |
| profound learning | acroatic |
| prolonged adolescence | neoteinic |
| pronoun | pronominal |
| prophecy | mantic |
| prophet | vatic |
| puberty | hebetic |
| pulse | sphygmic |
| public executioner | carnificial |
| public prayer | liturgic |
| public treasury | fiscal |
| puffin | alci(di)ne |
| punishing | penal, punitive |
| punning | paronomastic |
| pus | purulent |
| quail | gallinaceous |
| queen | regal |
| quicksand | syrtic |
| rabbit | lapine |
| raccoon | procyonine |
| race | ethnic |
| rail (bird) | alectoridine, ralline |
| rain | hyetal, pluvial |
| rat | murine |
| rattlesnake | crotaline |
| raven | corvoid |
| reflection | catoptric |
| reign | regnal |
| reindeer | rangiferine |
| retaliation | talionic |
| rhinoceros | ceratorhine |
| rib | costal |
| rickets | rachitic |
| right hand | dexter |
| ring | annular |
| river | fluvial |
| river bank | riparian |
| road | viatic, viatical |
| robin | turdine |
| rock | saxatile |
| rod | baculine |
| roe | capreoline |
| roof of mouth | palatal |
| root | radical |
| rope | funicular |
| roundworm | nematoid |
| royal court | aulic |
| royal palace | palatine |
| rush (plant) | juncaceous |
| sable | zibeline |
| saliva | sialic |
| salt | saline |
| sandpiper | tringine |
| scenery | scenic |
| scorpion | pedipalpous |
| sea | marine, maritime, thalassic |
| seagull | laroid |
| sea horse | hippocampine |
| seal | phocine |
| seashore | orarian |
| seed | seminal |
| seeing | visual |
| sermon | homiletic |
| shark | carcharinid |
| sheep | ovine |
| shell | testaceous |
| shepherd | bucolic, pastoral |
| sheriff | shrieval |
| shinbone | cnemial |
| ship | nautical |
| shore | littoral |
| shoulder | humeral |
| shrew | soricine |
| shrimp | macruran |
| side | lateral |
| siege | obsidional |
| sight | optic, visual |
| silk | sericate |
| silkworm | bombycine |
| silver | argentine |
| sister | sororal |
| six | senary |
| sixty | sexagesimal |
| skin | cutaneous, dermic |
| skull | cranial |
| skunk | mephitine |
| sky | celestial |
| skylark | alaudine |
| Sleep-walker or sleep-walking | somnambulistic |
| sloth | xenarthral |
| slug | limaceous |
| smallpox | variolar |
| smelling | olfactory |
| snake | anguine, ophidian |
| snow | nival |
| soft palate | velar |
| soil | edaphic |
| soldier | military |
| sole of foot | volar |
| son | filial |
| song | melic |
| songbird | oscine, passerine |
| sooty colour | fuliginous |
| sound | acoustic |
| sound waves | sonic |
| space | spatial |
| sparrow | passerine |
| speech | phernic, vocal |
| speech sound | phonemic |
| spider | arachnid |
| spoils of war | manublary |
| sponge | poriferal |
| spring | vernal |
| square | quadratic |
| squirrel | sciurine |
| stamen with pollen | antheral |
| stamp collection | philatelic |
| star | sidereal, stellar |
| starch | amylaceous |
| starfish | asteroidean |
| stem | cauline |
| stomach | gastric |
| stork | ciconine |
| straw | stramineous |
| stringed instruments | fidicinal |
| sugar | saccharic |
| summary | epitomic |
| summer | aestival, estival |
| sun | solar, heliacal |
| sundial | sciatheric |
| surname | cognominal |
| swallow | hirundine, sturnine |
| swallowing | deglutitious |
| swan | cygnine |
| swimming | natatorial |
| swine | porcine, suoid |
| symbol | semiotic |
| symptom | semeiotic |
| table | mensal |
| tail | caudal |
| tailor | sartorial |
| tarantula | theraphosid |
| taste (sense of) | gustatory |
| tear | lachrymal |
| ten | denary |
| thigh | femoral |
| thought | dianoetic |
| thousand | millenarian, millenary |
| thread | filar |
| throat | guttural |
| thrush | turdine |
| tick | acarian |
| tile | tegular |
| tin | stannic |
| tissue | histic |
| toad | batrachian |
| tobacco | nicotian |
| today | hodiernal |
| toe | dactylic |
| tongue | glossal |
| tooth | dental |
| toothache | odontalgic |
| tooth-socket | alveolar |
| tortoise | chelonian |
| touch | haptic, tactile |
| town | urban |
| trade | mercantile |
| travel | viatic |
| tree | arboreal |
| tree pruning | topiary |
| trout | truttaceous |
| turf | cespitose |
| turkey | meleagrine |
| turtle | chelonian |
| twelve | duodecimal |
| twenty | icosian, vigesimal |
| twig | vimineous |
| twilight | crepuscular |
| two | dual |
| ulcer | helcoid |
| uncle | avuncular |
| under side of tongue | ranine |
| universe | cosmic |
| urine | uretic |
| use of new words | neologistic |
| vampire bat | desmodontid |
| vegetarian diet | macrobiotic |
| vein | venous |
| Venus | Cytherean |
| verse line | catalectic |
| vessel | vascular |
| viceroy | viceregal |
| vinegar | acetic |
| vision | optical |
| vocabulary | lexical |
| voice | phonetic, vocal |
| volcano | vulcanian |
| vow | votive |
| vulture | cathartine |
| wading bird | grallatorial |
| wagon | plaustral |
| walking | pedestrian |
| wall | parietal, mural |
| walrus | obenid |
| war | martial |
| wasp | vespine |
| water | aquatic |
| water power | hydrodynamic |
| wax | ceral |
| wax-modelling | ceroplastic |
| weasel | musteline |
| weaving | textile, textorial |
| web | retiary |
| weevil | curculionid |
| weight | baric |
| Welsh (land or people) | Cymric |
| whale | cetacean |
| wheat | frumentacious |
| wheel | rotal |
| widow | vidual |
| wife | uxorial |
| wild beast | ferine |
| willow | salicaceous |
| wind | aeolian |
| wine | vinous |
| wing | alary |
| winter | brumal, hiemal, hibernal |
| wolf | lupine |
| womb | uterine |
| wood | ligneous, nemoral |
| woodpecker | picine |
| word | verbal, lexical |
| world | terrestial |
| worm | vermicular |
| wormwood | absinthic |
| wound | traumatic |
| writing | graphic |
| yawning | oscitant |
| year | annual |
| yesterday | hesternal |
| yolk of egg | vitelline |
| young fox | vulpecular |
| zebra | hippotigrine, zebrine |