Adjectives That Start With W (2024)

Looking for adjectives that start with W? You might not consider it to be a very common letter. In truth, there are too many W adjectives to list them all, but we can share some of our favorites. Take a look at this winding and wide variety of adjective examples. If you are wise, perhaps you can think of more W adjectives to add to the list!

Wonderful Adjectives That Begin With W

The letter W is a wonderful letter for adjectives. It can be warmhearted, wholesome and wise! Take a look at these positive adjectives that begin with W.

Woeful Adjectives That Start With W

Sometimes you need a woeful or wicked adjective. Check out these negative adjectives that start with W if you need to describe someone who is worrisome or wretched.

wanton - blatant, without care for others
warlike - violent and aggressive
wasteful - not careful with resources
wayward - all over the place, unpredictable
weak - lacking in strength
wearisome - making someone feel tired
weary - tired from overexertion
weepy - cries easily, overemotional
wheezy - not breathing well
whiny - constantly complaining
wicked - evil or terrible
wimpy - weak, not brave
withdrawn - quiet and unsociable
woebegone - woeful; sad
worthless - having no value
worrisome - causing worry or concern
wonky - not working correctly; off-center
wounded - hurt emotionally or physically
wretched - deeply distressed or unhappy
wrong - incorrect

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Descriptive Adjectives That Start With W

There are many W adjectives that can describe the five senses. Use these descriptive adjectives that start with W when you need to discuss how something looks or feels.

warped - not straight, distorted
waxy - having the texture or appearance of wax; fake-looking
weathered - worn from exposure to sun, rain or wind
wee - very small
wet - filled with moisture
white - having the color of milk or snow
wide - extending over a large area
willowy - tall and slender
windy - characterized by wind or breezes
windswept - disheveled or blown by the wind
winding - twisting
wintry - having the look or feel of winter
wiry - lean and tough (person); having the appearance of wire (object)
wispy - fine or feathery
withering - shriveling; shrinking
wobbly - unstable
worn - damaged due to overuse or exposure
wrinkly - having lots of wrinkles or folds

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Wide-Ranging Adjectives That Start With W

There are lots of W adjectives that are wild and wacky! The word weird may be one of the most commonly used, all-purpose adjectives in the English language to describe a wide variety of oddities, but there are many less common W adjectives out there. Take a look at these additional adjectives that start with W.

wacky - crazy, unusual
wary - overly cautious
wistful - sad and sentimental
whopping - very big
wild - in a natural state; uncontrolled
widespread - occurring in several areas
wide-ranging - covering many spaces or regions
wily - sneaky, clever
workaday - ordinary, not distinctive
woozy - dizzy or sick
wry - dryly funny, sarcastic

Wacky Example Sentences With W Adjectives

Want to see these wide-ranging, whimsical adjectives at work? Read these example sentences that use W adjectives in several different ways.

It was nice to sit by the warm fireplace after being in the cold weather.
The weak man was unable to lift even the light weights.
The wealthy couple was able to buy their own plane.
Wet dogs do not smell very good.
My white bedroom is stark and lacking in color or decoration.
Can you measure how wide the new dresser is?
Wild animals are not appropriate to keep as pets.
The willful girl did not take direction or orders very well.
It was too windy to have a picnic since everything kept blowing away.
The withering plants desperately needed to be watered.
Harrison is so witty that he makes his classmates laugh at his jokes.
She had a woebegone expression after being told she could not go to the dance.
The baby took her first wobbly steps.
Her first birthday was a wondrous occasion for the family.
The worldly girl had traveled all over Europe and the United States.
Dr. Baker gave us some worrisome news about Dad's test results.

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Sound Off for W

Given W's confusing history, it’s no surprise it continues to cause kerfuffles today. It creates a lot of different sounds, depending on the context.

Sometimes, it makes a "wuh" sound, like in “wonder,” “walk” or “why.”
Sometimes, it makes a softer, "voiceless" sound, as in the word “whisper” or “white.”
Other times, like in the word "two" or "whole," it makes no sound at all.
It can also be silent, such as in "write" or "wrong."

The Wandering World of Letter W

The letter W has a long history as a confused letter. When the Greeks borrowed the letter from the ancient Egyptians — who used the letter as a hieroglyph that represented a snake — they gave W to two letters in their alphabet.

The Greeks used W as the basis for both an F-type letter, and a U-type letter. When the Romans then borrowed the letter from the Greeks, they made things even more confusing by using W interchangeably with U and V.

Sometime after the middle ages, U and V evolved into their own letters in the English language. Today, W firmly represents just the "w" sound in English but, in many foreign languages, W is still pronounced as "v" and vice versa. German is a good example of this.

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An Alphabet of Adjectives

Which W adjective will you choose for your next written work? As you can see, there are plenty to choose from! If you thought W adjectives weren’t all that common, wait until we get to our next adjective list: adjectives that start with X! You can also stick with W with these positive words that begin with W.