Making 10 Ordinary Adjectives More Powerful, Professional & Descriptive

One of the easiest ways to improve a sentence is to replace dull and overused adjectives with choices that are more expressive.

Business English writing calls for formal vocabulary and a respectful tone, which means it is necessary to be careful and precise when it comes to word selection. Step up your business vocabulary with the advanced options in the following table!

List of Adjectives
“Boring” version	Pro Alternative #1	Pro Alternative #2	Pro Alternative #3
Good	Satisfactory	Suitable	Ideal
Bad	Poor	Unacceptable	Inadequate
Nice	Pleasant	Enjoyable	Delightful
Small	Compact	Portable	Miniature
Big	Large	Sizable	Substantial
Fast	Prompt	Swift	Rapid
Important	Critical	Vital	Essential
Hard	Tough	Difficult	Challenging
New	Latest	Brand-new	Up-to-date
Okay	Passable	Sufficient	Decent

Keeping these professional alternatives in mind, let’s create an example sentence for each row:

1. The location and meeting time are ideal for us.

2. Unfortunately, the results are unacceptable.

3. I wish you all a delightful afternoon!

4. Most laptops come in portable form factors.

5. There is still a sizable amount of work to do.

6. Many thanks for the prompt response!

7. My manager says the design process is critical.

8. Tough times lie ahead for the struggling company.

9. The latest products will be ready to ship soon.

10. Does the hotel provide sufficient accommodation?

Now it’s your turn…

With the 30 professional adjectives in the table, you’ll be able to find an appropriate choice in many different situations.

And almost every common word has at least one formal synonym, so don’t be afraid to crack open a thesaurus when the need arises!

Need help? Submit your text for correction on textranch.com!