Adjectives Beginning with B (Definition, Examples & Quiz)

B-adjectives: Adjectives starting with B

If you Google-search “most common adjectives that start with B,” you’ll find plenty—brilliant, for example (see what I did there?).

1. Balanced: Having elements in the correct proportions.

2. Beautiful: Pleasing to the senses or mind.

3. Beneficial: Producing good results; advantageous.

4. Blissful: Extremely happy; full of joy.

5. Breathtaking: Astonishing or awe-inspiring in quality.

6. Brave: Ready to face and endure danger or pain; showing courage.

7. Bright: Giving out or reflecting much light; intelligent.

8. Brisk: Quick and energetic.

9. Bubbly: Full of cheerful high spirits.

10. Busy: Actively engaged; occupied.

Not a bad lineup. But we can do better: for this word list, we'll include our personal favourite adjectives that start with the letter B. Let’s begin with our most admired picks.

B1 (positive; encouraging) adjectives

• Benign: Gentle; kindly.
• Beneficent: Doing or producing good.
• Beloved: Dearly loved.
• Beaming: Smiling radiantly; cheerful.
• Benevolent: Well-meaning and kindly.
• Brainy: Intelligent; clever.
• Breezy: Cheerful and relaxed.
• Buoyant: Cheerful; optimistic.
• Bountiful: Abundant; generous.
• Blameless: Innocent; without guilt.
• Blooming: Thriving; flourishing.
• Blonde: Pale, golden yellow; usually for hair.
• Bright-eyed: Eager and enthusiastic.
• Brilliant: Exceptionally clever or talented.
• Bubbly: Full of life and energy.
• Bracing: Invigorating; refreshing.
• Bashful: Shy; easily embarrassed (in a charming way).
• Believable: Able to be believed; credible.
• Broad-minded: Tolerant or liberal in views and opinions.
• Big-hearted: Kind and generous.
• Benevolent: Charitable; good-hearted.
• Balanced: Stable; having emotional or mental steadiness.
• Bespoke: Custom-made; tailored.
• Boundless: Unlimited; immense.
• Busy: Energetic; always active.
• Breathtaking: Astonishing; awe-inspiring.
• Brilliant: Exceptionally impressive or successful.
• Belonging: Feeling accepted or part of a group.
• Beneficiary: Receiving benefits or advantages.
• Best: Of the highest quality or standing.
• Blissful: Full of joy and happiness.

Bothersome & harsh B-adjectives

• Banal: Commonplace, common, trite; trivial, petty
• Barbaric: Savagely cruel; exceedingly brutal.
• Belligerent: Hostile and aggressive.
• Bewildered: Confused or puzzled.
• Bitter: Exhibiting strong animosity as a result of pain or grief.
• Bland: Lacking strong features; uninteresting.
• Blemished: Damaged or spoiled.
• Boastful: Showing excessive pride and self-satisfaction.
• Bossy: Fond of giving people orders; domineering.
• Brash: Self-assertive in a rude or noisy way.
• Brutal: Savagely violent; cruel.
• Bothersome: Causing trouble or annoyance.
• Burdensome: Difficult to carry out or fulfill; taxing.
• Blustering: Talking loudly and aggressively.
• Broken: Not functioning properly; damaged.
• Boiling: Very hot; angry.
• Bizarre: Very strange or unusual.
• Backhanded: Indirect or ambiguous (often with negative intent).
• Backward: Behind others in progress or development.
• Blunt: Uncompromisingly forthright.
• Bleak: Cold and forbidding; unlikely to be favorable.
• Bothersome: Annoying; troublesome.
• Boorish: Rough and bad-mannered.
• Burnt-out: Run down; tired; overworked.

Neutral adjectives

These describe objects or concepts without strong positive or negative bias.

• Bare: Uncovered; exposed. Or, a basic necessity.
• Basic: Fundamental; essential.
• Brief: Lasting only a short time.
• Broad: Wide in extent or scope.
• Both: One and the other; two together.
• Binary: Relating to, composed of, or involving two things.
• Biannual: Occurring twice a year.
• Bounded: Having boundaries or limits.
• Bilateral: Having or relating to two sides.
• Bimonthly: Occurring every two months.
• Blended: Mixed together.
• Borderline: Not clearly belonging to a particular category; ambiguous.
• Bygone: Belonging to an earlier time.