Adjectives That Start With H | List & Examples

There are many adjectives (words that describe a noun) that start with H. A few of the most common adjectives that start with H are:

  • Handsome
  • Heartwarming
  • Heroic
  • Hopeful
  • Haggard
  • Harmful
  • Headstrong
  • Howling
  • Hairy
  • Handmade
  • Hidden
  • Hot

This article includes lists of many adjectives that start with an H, divided into positive, negative, and neutral.

Positive adjectives that start with H

This is a list of adjectives that start with H with a positive connotation:

  • Handsome: Good-looking (especially of men); attractive; generous
  • Handy: Useful; convenient; adept
  • Happy: Content; pleased; positive
  • Hardworking: Industrious; diligent
  • Hardy: Resilient; (of plants) resistant to cold
  • Harmless: Not dangerous; safe
  • Harmonious: In harmony; sweet-sounding
  • Healthy: Well; balanced; appropriate
  • Heartfelt: Genuine and sincere; deeply felt
  • Heartwarming: Touching; moving; uplifting
  • Hearty: Large; generous
  • Heavenly: Blissful; divine; wonderful; supernatural
  • Helpful: Obliging; positive
  • Heroic: Brave; monumental; characteristic of a hero
  • High-class: Refined; top quality; superior
  • Highly-regarded: Esteemed; valued
  • High-minded: Principled; honorable; moral
  • High-quality: Excellent
  • High-ranking: Important; powerful; influential
  • High-spirited: Enthusiastic; excitable; unrestrained
  • Hilarious: Very funny
  • Honest: Truthful; genuine
  • Honorable: Principled; moral; having honor
  • Hopeful: Optimistic; positive
  • Hospitable: Welcoming; comfortable
  • Humane: Compassionate; moral
  • Humble: Not proud; self-effacing
  • Humorous: Funny; pithy; droll
  • Hygienic: Clean; safe
Positive adjectives that start with H examples
We started every day with a hearty breakfast, which might not have been all that healthy, but nonetheless made us happy, and it was served by the most helpful and hardworking waiting staff you could wish for.

Having such an honorable, honest leader couldn’t help but make us hopeful for the future.

As well as a handsome salary, there was a handy loyalty scheme for staff and high-quality IT provision.

Negative adjectives that start with H

Here’s a list of adjectives that start with an H with a negative connotation. If these were applied to a person, they would almost always be considered insults.

  • Haggard: Exhausted-looking; careworn
  • Half-baked: Poorly thought-through; incomplete
  • Halfhearted: Unenthusiastic; inadequate
  • Hardhearted: Callous; unsympathetic; uncaring
  • Harmful: Detrimental; negative
  • Harried: Flustered; stressed; overwrought
  • Harsh: Hard; unforgiving
  • Hasty: Rushed; overly-quick
  • Haunting: Persistent; unnerving
  • Hawkish: Aggressive; bellicose
  • Hazardous: Dangerous; unsafe
  • Headstrong: Stubborn; willful; unbending
  • Heartbreaking: Devastating emotionally; grief-stricken
  • Heartless: Callous; unfeeling
  • Heinous: Extremely wicked; atrocious
  • Helpless: Ineffective; needy; powerless
  • Hideous: Awful; ugly; terrible
  • High-strung: Anxious; nervous
  • Hopeless: Lacking hope
  • Hostile: In opposition to; aggressive; enemy
  • Hot-headed: Intemperate; mercurial; volatile
  • Howling: Extreme; making a noise like a dog’s howl
  • Humdrum: Unexciting; boring; tedious; lacking variety
  • Humiliating: Degrading; embarrassing;
  • Hungry: Needing food; ambitious
  • Hurtful: Causing hurt; cruel; unkind
  • Hypercritical: Overly critical; persnickety
  • Hysterical: Uncontrolled; overly emotional
Negative adjectives that start with H examples
The new minister was a hideous combination of being hawkish, headstrong, and hot-headed, which inevitably provoked hostile responses from friend and foe alike.

The haunting melody recalled too many hopeless, heartbreaking incidents, so I changed stations.

The harsh criticism left me harried and helpless; it was a humiliating experience.

Neutral adjectives that start with H

The following adjectives that start with H have neither a positive nor negative connotation.

  • Hairy: Covered in hair; hirsute; risky
  • Hallucinogenic: Psychoactive; causing hallucinations
  • Handcrafted: Made by hand; bespoke
  • Handmade: Made by hand (not machine)
  • Hands-on: Involved; practical
  • Hard-edged: Cold-hearted; dispassionate
  • Hard-to-find: Elusive; hidden
  • Hard-to-get: Rare; deliberately unavailable
  • Hard: Difficult; tough; solid
  • Hazy: Unclear; obscured by fog or smoke
  • Heated: Warmed; intense
  • Heavy-duty: designed for lots of use; strong
  • Heavy: Weighty
  • Heightened: Increased; enhanced
  • Hesitant: Tentative; reluctant; unsure
  • Hidden: Not visible; secreted
  • High-level: Important
  • High-priced: Expensive
  • High: At height; important; intoxicated with drugs
  • Hirsute: Hairy
  • Historical: To do with the past
  • Hoarse: Croaky
  • Hollow: Empty
  • Homely: Comfortable and cozy
  • Homeopathic: An alternative type of medicine
  • Homogeneous: Bland; samey; lacking individuality
  • Honking: Goose-like (sound)
  • Horizontal: Parallel to the ground; flat
  • Hot: Very warm; very current; sexually attractive
  • Huge: Extremely large; gigantic
  • Human: Relating to people; down-to-earth
  • Humid: Waterlogged air
  • Hushed: Reverential; very quiet; subdued
  • Hybrid: A mix of two or more types
  • Hyperactive: Overly active; suffering from ADHD
  • Hypnotic: Causing a trance-like state
Neutral adjectives that start with H examples
The hushed hotel library was a hidden delight—homely and with a huge section of travel books.

The high-level meeting was meant to be of historical importance, but in the end produced nothing but hollow promises.

Beijing was hot and humid, which made us hesitant about doing any hard labor because of the heavy toll it took on our energy levels.

Adjectives with other letters

If you’re looking for adjectives that start with another letter, you can visit one of our other articles.

Adjectives with A Adjectives with F Adjectives with L Adjectives with Q Adjectives with V
Adjectives with B Adjectives with G Adjectives with M Adjectives with R Adjectives with W
Adjectives with C Adjectives with I Adjectives with N Adjectives with S Adjectives with X
Adjectives with D Adjectives with J Adjectives with O Adjectives with T Adjectives with Y
Adjectives with E Adjectives with K Adjectives with P Adjectives with U Adjectives with Z

Frequently asked questions about adjectives with H

What are some adjectives starting with H to describe a person?

Some adjectives that start with H to describe a person include:

  • Handsome
  • Happy
  • Hardworking
  • Heroic
  • Harried
  • Heartless
  • Hurtful
  • Hairy
  • Heavy
  • Hesitant
  • Hyperactive
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Trevor Marshall, MSc

Trevor has a BA in English Literature & Language and an MSc in Applied Social Studies. He has been a teacher for 25 years, with 15 years experience teaching ESL alongside 1st language students.