140 Adjectives That Start With H
H runs to compounds. 18 of the 140 adjectives below are hyphenated, and 8 of those are built on a body part or the mind — hard-headed, heavy-handed, high-minded, hot-headed, half-hearted, hard-nosed. English reaches for that construction when it wants to name a trait of character in one word, and this letter carries a good crop of them.
This page lists 140 adjectives that start with H, each with its meaning and a short example. The table is the reference; everything after it is a selection from the same 140 words.
The letter also holds historic and historical, which style guides separate more sharply than dictionaries do, and homely, which leans one way in Britain and the other in America. Both are in the mistakes table at the end.
All 140 adjectives, with meanings and examples
The full reference. Everything below this table is a cut of it, chosen for a particular job.
| Adjective | What it means | In use |
|---|---|---|
| habitable | fit to be lived in | a habitable ruin |
| habitual | done so often it no longer takes a decision | a habitual lateness |
| hackneyed | worn out through overuse | a hackneyed phrase |
| haggard | gaunt and worn from strain or want of sleep | a haggard look |
| hairy | covered with hair; informally, alarming | a hairy descent |
| hale | sound and vigorous, especially in later life | hale at eighty |
| half-baked | not thought through | a half-baked scheme |
| half-hearted | done without any real commitment | a half-hearted apology |
| halting | faltering, and stopping and starting | a halting explanation |
| handmade | made by hand rather than machine | handmade paper |
| handsome | good-looking in a strong, well-made way | a handsome façade |
| handy | convenient to use, or good with one’s hands | a handy shortcut |
| hangdog | dejected, and a little sheepish with it | a hangdog expression |
| haphazard | done with no order or plan | a haphazard filing system |
| hapless | dogged by bad luck and unable to shift it | a hapless understudy |
| happy | feeling or showing pleasure | a happy accident |
| hard | firm to the touch, or difficult to do | a hard frost |
| hard-bitten | toughened by long difficult experience | a hard-bitten reporter |
| hard-headed | practical and unsentimental in judgement | a hard-headed estimate |
| hard-hearted | unmoved by anyone else’s distress | a hard-hearted refusal |
| hard-line | holding to a policy without concession | a hard-line stance |
| hard-nosed | unsentimental, and hard to bargain with | a hard-nosed negotiator |
| hard-wearing | standing up to long use | hard-wearing boots |
| hardworking | putting in sustained effort | a hardworking crew |
| hardy | able to endure difficult conditions | a hardy shrub |
| harmful | causing damage or injury | a harmful additive |
| harmless | incapable of doing damage | a harmless prank |
| harmonious | agreeing together pleasantly | a harmonious partnership |
| harrowing | acutely distressing to go through | a harrowing account |
| harsh | unpleasantly rough or severe | harsh lighting |
| hasty | done too quickly for the care it needed | a hasty conclusion |
| hateful | arousing strong dislike | a hateful chore |
| haughty | proud, and openly contemptuous of others | a haughty silence |
| haunting | staying in the mind long after | a haunting melody |
| hawkish | favouring force over negotiation | a hawkish memo |
| hazardous | carrying real risk of harm | hazardous waste |
| hazy | misty, or vague in recollection | a hazy morning |
| headlong | rushing forward with no thought of stopping | a headlong dash |
| headstrong | determined to have one’s own way | a headstrong daughter |
| heady | rash and impetuous; also, exhilarating or strong in effect | a heady first year |
| healthy | in good health, or indicating it | a healthy colour |
| heartbreaking | causing intense grief | a heartbreaking wait |
| heartbroken | overwhelmed by grief or disappointment | a heartbroken supporter |
| heartening | giving encouragement | a heartening turnout |
| heartfelt | sincerely and deeply meant | a heartfelt thanks |
| heartless | showing no feeling for anyone affected | a heartless decision |
| heartrending | so pitiful it is hard to witness | a heartrending appeal |
| heartsick | very despondent | heartsick at the news |
| hearty | warm and vigorous, or substantial | a hearty welcome |
| heated | angry and loud, of an exchange | a heated meeting |
| heaven-sent | arriving exactly when needed | a heaven-sent excuse |
| heavenly | of the heavens; informally, delightful | a heavenly stillness |
| heavy | of great weight, or hard to bear | a heavy silence |
| heavy-handed | clumsy through using too much force | heavy-handed editing |
| hectic | busy in a confused and pressing way | a hectic fortnight |
| heedful | taking careful notice | heedful of the warning |
| heedless | paying no attention to the risk | heedless of the cost |
| hefty | weighty in the hand, or large in amount | a hefty volume |
| heinous | shockingly wicked | a heinous breach |
| hell-bent | stubbornly, and often recklessly, set on a course | hell-bent on going |
| hellish | extremely unpleasant | a hellish commute |
| helpful | giving useful assistance | a helpful note |
| helpless | unable to act or defend oneself | a helpless shrug |
| henpecked | continually nagged by a domineering partner | a henpecked husband |
| herbal | made from or relating to herbs | a herbal remedy |
| hereditary | passed from parent to offspring | a hereditary title |
| hermetic | of the old alchemical writings, and so obscure; also airtight | a hermetic seal |
| heroic | showing great courage | a heroic effort |
| hesitant | holding back through doubt | a hesitant reply |
| hexagonal | having six sides | a hexagonal tile |
| hidden | put or kept out of sight | a hidden charge |
| hidebound | inflexibly attached to old ways | a hidebound committee |
| hideous | extremely ugly to look at | a hideous carpet |
| high | far above the ground, or great in degree | a high tolerance |
| high-end | at the expensive end of a range | high-end fittings |
| high-handed | using authority without regard for others | a high-handed dismissal |
| high-minded | holding to elevated principles | a high-minded refusal |
| high-pitched | high in sound frequency | a high-pitched whine |
| high-profile | attracting a great deal of attention | a high-profile client |
| highbrow | appealing to cultivated taste | a highbrow review |
| hilarious | extremely funny | a hilarious misprint |
| hilly | having many hills | hilly country |
| historic | famous or important in history | a historic ruling |
| historical | belonging to or concerning the past | historical records |
| hoarse | rough and rasping in the voice | a hoarse whisper |
| hoary | stale from long repetition; also, grey or white with age | a hoary anecdote |
| hokey | corny, or obviously contrived | a hokey ending |
| holier-than-thou | offensively convinced of one’s own virtue | a holier-than-thou tone |
| holistic | treating something as a whole rather than in parts | a holistic review |
| hollow | having a space inside; also, empty of meaning | a hollow promise |
| homely | cosy in British use; plain-looking in American | a homely kitchen |
| homesick | longing for home while away from it | a homesick first term |
| homespun | spun or woven at home; hence plain and unsophisticated | homespun advice |
| homogeneous | made up of parts that are all of one kind | a homogeneous sample |
| honest | truthful, and not given to deceiving | an honest answer |
| honeyed | sweetened, or ingratiatingly smooth | honeyed words |
| honorary | held as an honour, without the usual duties | an honorary degree |
| honourable | deserving of respect for upright conduct | an honourable discharge |
| hooded | having or shaped like a hood; of eyes, half-closed | hooded eyes |
| hopeful | expecting a good outcome | a hopeful start |
| hopeless | offering no prospect of success | a hopeless muddle |
| horizontal | flat and level, at right angles to the vertical | a horizontal stripe |
| horned | having horns | a horned beetle |
| horrendous | dreadful in size or extent | a horrendous overrun |
| horrible | causing horror or intense dislike | a horrible taste |
| horrid | repulsive enough to shock, or simply very unpleasant | a horrid smell |
| horrific | shocking through sheer violence | a horrific collision |
| hospitable | welcoming to guests | a hospitable house |
| hostile | openly opposed and unfriendly | a hostile crowd |
| hot | at a high temperature | a hot draught |
| hot-headed | quick to lose the temper | a hot-headed reaction |
| household | of or used in the home | a household name |
| huge | very large indeed | a huge relief |
| hulking | massive and ponderous, often unnervingly so | a hulking cabinet |
| humane | showing compassion in the treatment of others | humane conditions |
| humanitarian | concerned with relieving human suffering | humanitarian grounds |
| humble | having a modest view of one’s own importance | a humble beginning |
| humdrum | monotonous and dull | a humdrum afternoon |
| humid | heavy with moisture in the air | a humid evening |
| humiliating | causing loss of dignity | a humiliating error |
| humorous | meant to be funny | a humorous aside |
| humourless | without any sense of the comic | a humourless memo |
| hunched | bent forward with the shoulders raised | a hunched figure |
| hungry | needing food; also, eager for something | hungry for a result |
| hunted | wearing the look of someone being pursued | a hunted look |
| hurried | cut short because there was no time | a hurried goodbye |
| hurtful | causing emotional pain | a hurtful comparison |
| hushed | quiet because nobody is speaking above a murmur | a hushed corridor |
| husky | low and rasping, of a voice; separately, burly and robust | a husky laugh |
| hybrid | made by combining two different kinds | a hybrid arrangement |
| hydraulic | worked by liquid under pressure | a hydraulic press |
| hygienic | clean enough to prevent disease | hygienic conditions |
| hyperactive | abnormally and continuously active | a hyperactive news cycle |
| hyperbolic | exaggerated well beyond the facts | a hyperbolic headline |
| hypercritical | finding fault far beyond what is warranted | a hypercritical review |
| hypersensitive | reacting far more strongly than the cause warrants | hypersensitive to criticism |
| hypnotic | holding attention as though by a spell | a hypnotic rhythm |
| hypocritical | professing standards one does not keep | a hypocritical stance |
| hypothetical | supposed for the sake of argument | a hypothetical case |
| hysterical | wildly emotional and out of control | a hysterical laugh |
The twenty most useful
If you take twenty words from this page, take these — the ones that do work no other word on the list quite does.
- hackneyed — worn out by overuse, and the precise word for a phrase that was once good
- haggard — exhaustion written on the face, which no plainer word manages
- haphazard — disorder that came from having no plan rather than from carelessness
- hapless — unlucky and unable to do anything about it, which is a kinder charge than incompetent
- hard-headed — unsentimental in judgement, which is not the same as hard-hearted
- harrowing — distress that the reader goes through rather than merely hears about
- haughty — pride aimed downward at other people, with the contempt included
- haunting — the exact word for something that will not leave the mind afterwards
- heartening — gives encouragement, and does it without overstating the case
- heavy-handed — too much force applied to something that needed less
- heedless — not merely careless but paying no attention to a risk that was there to see
- hermetic — airtight, and so closed off — the seal is named after Hermes Trismegistus, not the other way about
- hidebound — inflexibly attached to old ways, and stronger than merely set in them
- high-handed — authority used without consulting anyone it lands on
- hoarse — the voice worn rough, and the plainest way to say it
- holistic — treating a thing whole, and worth rescuing from the wellness aisle
- hollow — empty of the meaning it appears to have, which is what makes it useful about promises
- homely — the one word here that means something warm in Britain and something unkind in America
- humdrum — monotony named as monotony, without having to say boring twice
- hyperbolic — exaggeration named as exaggeration, without calling anyone a liar
The positive ones
Praise-side words. Heartfelt and hearty look like a pair and are not: the first is about sincerity, the second about vigour, and a hearty apology is not a heartfelt one.
habitable, handsome, handy, hardworking, hardy, harmless, harmonious, heartening, heartfelt, hearty, helpful, heroic, high-minded, holistic, honest, honourable, hopeful, hospitable, humane, humble, humorous, hygienic
The negative ones
Criticism-side words. Six of them are compounds naming a specific fault of manner — hard-hearted, heavy-handed, high-handed, hot-headed, half-hearted, half-baked — which is more precise than the letter’s plain insults manage.
hackneyed, half-baked, half-hearted, haphazard, hard-hearted, harmful, harsh, hasty, hateful, haughty, heartless, heavy-handed, heedless, heinous, hellish, hidebound, high-handed, hollow, horrid, hostile, hot-headed, humdrum, hurtful, hypocritical
Describing appearance
Appearance and physical condition, and a thin section for a letter this size — the voice words hoarse and high-pitched are deliberately left out, since a voice is not a look. Haggard and hunted are the pair worth having: both put strain on the face, the first from exhaustion and the second from being chased.
haggard, hairy, handsome, hideous, hunched, hunted, husky
Common mistakes
| Pair | The difference that matters |
|---|---|
| historic / historical | The taught split is that historic means important enough to be remembered — a historic ruling — while historical means merely belonging to the past. It is worth following, but it is a preference rather than a fact about the language: Merriam-Webster gives historic the senses “known or established in the past” and “dating from a past time” too, and notes that writers have long used the two interchangeably. |
| healthy / healthful | A rule many style guides teach and dictionaries do not enforce. The taught split is that people are healthy and food is healthful. In practice healthy has covered both senses for centuries and Merriam-Webster records it doing so; healthful — not on this page — is now the rarer word and sounds faintly clinical. |
| homely / homely | One spelling pulling two ways. Oxford marks the cosy sense British and approving, and the plain-looking sense North American and disapproving — so a homely kitchen is warm in London and a homely face is unkind in Chicago. But the split is a tendency, not a border: Merriam-Webster lists the homelike senses first with no regional label at all. There is also a third sense both varieties share, and it is the most useful of them: simple and unaffected, as in homely cooking or homely virtues. |
| hardy / hearty | Hardy is able to survive hard conditions — a hardy plant, a hardy perennial. Hearty is warm, vigorous or substantial — a hearty welcome, a hearty meal. They sound alike, and they overlap only in the region of plain physical vigour. |
| hanged / hung | Neither is on this page, and both are past forms of hang. Editors and style guides keep people hanged and everything else hung, and it is worth following. But the dictionary is gentler than the rule suggests: Merriam-Webster lists hung first among the principal parts and says hanged is the form often used of execution — a strong preference rather than a law. |
Related guides
- Adjectives for hardworking — the fuller set behind hardworking and hardy.
- Adjectives for houses — where habitable, homely and hospitable get used.
- Adjectives for hair — expands hairy and the rest of the appearance cut.
- Adjectives for happy — for happy, heartening and hopeful in more detail.
- Adjectives for history — useful alongside the historic and historical row above.
- Adjectives for homes — pairs with homely, homesick and household.
Checked against Merriam-Webster, the Chicago Manual of Style and the AP Stylebook. Spotted an error? Tell us — see our editorial policy.
