Something that is superlative is the highest possible quality it can be. It can be the best, the worst, the tallest, or the most important — if it can’t be more, it’s superlative.
Like all adjectives, superlative adjectives modify or describe one quality of a noun or pronoun.
- Mark is the oldest kid in the class.
(No one is older than Mark) - Percy is the cutest dog in the kennel.
(No dog is cuter than Percy) - You have the longest hair I have ever seen.
(No one has longer hair than you do) - Mary is the most gullible person I know.
(No one is more gullible than Mary) - This is the least interesting movie I’ve ever seen.
(No movie is less interesting than this one)
Superlative adjectives can be positive (best, most talented, prettiest), or they can be negative (worst, least talented, ugliest).
As long as they can’t get any more (or less), they’re superlative adjectives.
But how do you turn a regular adjective into a superlative, and how is it different from a comparative adjective?
How to make superlative adjectives
Typically, you form superlative adjectives by adding -est to the end, or you add the adverb most in front of them.
There aren’t specific rules for when to use each, but generally, the different types of adjectives below follow different spelling patterns when in the superlative form.
Type of Adjective | Superlative Form | Example |
One-syllable adjectives (strong, weak, cold) | Add -est to the word | He was the strongest man alive. That’s the weakest argument. December is the coldest month. |
One-syllable CVC adjectives (big, sad, thin) | Double the last consonant and add -est | Ike was the biggest dog in town. I’m saddest when it rains. We ordered the thinnest pasta. |
One- and two-syllable words ending in silent E (rare, fine, little) | Add -st to the word, since the E is already in place | What is the rarest gem? I only wear the finest clothes. Mike ordered the littlest pizza. |
Two-syllable words ending in Y (funny, silly, pretty) | Change the Y to an I and add -est | Bozo is the funniest clown. Who can make the silliest sound? Mrs. Jones has the prettiest flowers. |
Two-syllable adjectives that don’t end in Y (careful, boring, patient) | Add most before the word | The most careful drivers look both ways before they go. That’s the most boring class I’ve ever attended. Sandy is the most patient person we know. |
Any adjectives with three or more syllables (restrictive, annoying, talented) | Add most before the word | Our state has the most restrictive smoking laws. Your brother is the most annoying person ever. We watched the most talented band perform last night. |
Need to Know
Some two-syllable adjectives that don’t end in Y (such as quiet, narrow, simple, or gentle) can use either an -est ending or most.
- quietest or most quiet
- narrowest or most narrow
- simplest or most simple
- gentlest or most gentle
Irregular Superlative Adjectives
Some adjectives don’t follow these patterns when in the superlative form.
Irregular Adjective | Comparative Form | Superlative Form |
good | better | best |
bad | worse | worst |
little | less | least |
far | farther (or further) | farthest (or furthest) |
much | more | most |
Adjectives are put into four different categories before creating their comparative and superlative forms:
- one-syllable or short adjectives
- two or more syllable long adjectives
- adjectives that end with ‘y’
- irregular adjectives.
1. To make one-syllable or short adjectives into superlative adjectives we add ‘the’ before the adjective and ‘est’ to the end of the adjective.
- short becomes the shortest
- long becomes the longest
2. To make two or more syllable long adjectives into superlative adjective add ‘the most’ before the adjective.
- comfortable becomes the most comfortable
- impressive becomes the most impressive
3. To make adjectives that end with ‘y’ into superlative adjectives we add ‘the’ before the adjective, we remove ‘y’ at the end of the adjective and add ‘iest’.
- easy becomes the easiest
- heavy becomes the heaviest
4. To make irregular adjectives into superlative adjectives you just have to learn the superlative form. Fortunately they aren’t many.
- good becomes the best
- bad becomes the worst
- far becomes the furthest / the farthest
Adding “Least” To a Superlative Adjective
If you’re describing a noun that has the lowest quality of an adjective, add least (not most) and don’t change the ending at all.
- Kerry is the least friendly of all your sisters.
- They have the least pretty lawn in the neighborhood.
- Math is the least interesting subject for me.
If these sentences sound awkward to you, you may want to choose opposite superlative adjectives (meanest instead of least friendly, ugliest instead of least pretty, most boring instead of least interesting).
