134 Adjectives That Start With L
L is unusually rich in words for pace — languid, lethargic, leisurely, lively, listless — and for several of them the only difference is whether the slowness is a pleasure or a complaint. This page lists 134 adjectives that start with L, grouped by the job each does.
Every word has a plain meaning beside it. The confusion table at the end deals with the pairs that catch people most often, including two that are not adjective pairs at all.
All 134 adjectives at a glance
Every word on this page in one block. Each is defined further down.
laudable, lavish, lawful, learned, legendary, legible, legitimate, lenient, level-headed, liberal, likeable, limber, lively, logical, lovable, lovely, loving, loyal, lucid, lucky, lucrative, luminous, luxurious, lyrical, lion-hearted, laudatory, limpid, lacklustre, lame, lamentable, lawless, lax, lazy, leaden, lecherous, lifeless, limp, listless, loathsome, lopsided, loud, lousy, lowbrow, ludicrous, lugubrious, lukewarm, lurid, laborious, lackadaisical, licentious, litigious, lily-livered, long-winded, loveless, luckless, laconic, late, left-handed, liable, lifelong, literate, local, lone, loquacious, lordly, lowly, leery, liberated, literary, lettered, landed, law-abiding, lean, lanky, leafy, leathery, light, little, long, low, lumpy, lustrous, lush, lavender, lined, luminescent, lambent, large, lifelike, lacy, laid-back, languid, lighthearted, like-minded, longing, loath, lonesome, lethargic, light-fingered, larger-than-life, lovesick, large-hearted, light-footed, lithe, labyrinthine, landlocked, lasting, latent, lateral, latter, legal, leisurely, lengthy, lethal, level, limited, limitless, linear, lingering, liquid, literal, loose, lost, lunar, linguistic, long-standing, lemony, leftover, livable, loaded, longitudinal, lidded, lumbering, laden
Positive
Praise-side words. Lucid is the most useful of them: it praises writing or explanation for being followable, which is a harder thing than being clever.
| Adjective | What it means |
|---|---|
| laudable | deserving praise |
| lavish | given or spent generously |
| lawful | allowed by law |
| learned | having deep knowledge from study |
| legendary | famous enough to be told about |
| legible | clear enough to read |
| legitimate | justified and above board |
| lenient | milder in punishment than expected |
| level-headed | calm and sensible under pressure |
| liberal | generous, or open to change |
| likeable | easy to warm to |
| limber | supple and easily bent |
| lively | full of energy and movement |
| logical | following reasoning without gaps |
| lovable | inviting affection |
| lovely | delightful to see or be with |
| loving | showing affection |
| loyal | staying faithful |
| lucid | clear and easily followed |
| lucky | favoured by chance |
| lucrative | bringing in good returns |
| luminous | giving off light |
| luxurious | richly comfortable |
| lyrical | expressive in the manner of song |
| lion-hearted | courageous and brave |
| laudatory | expressing praise |
| limpid | clear and untroubled, of water or of a gaze |
Negative
Criticism-side words. Note how many name a failure of energy rather than of intent — listless, lacklustre, lackadaisical, limp, leaden.
| Adjective | What it means |
|---|---|
| lacklustre | dull and lacking sparkle |
| lame | weak and unconvincing |
| lamentable | bad enough to regret |
| lawless | paying no heed to law |
| lax | careless about enforcing a standard |
| lazy | unwilling to work |
| leaden | dull grey and heavy to carry or to read |
| lecherous | showing coarse sexual interest |
| lifeless | dead, or drained of all animation |
| limp | lacking firmness or force |
| listless | too flat in spirit to take an interest |
| loathsome | provoking disgust |
| lopsided | unbalanced toward one side |
| loud | excessive in sound or in manner |
| lousy | very poor in quality |
| lowbrow | aimed at undemanding taste |
| ludicrous | absurd enough to laugh at |
| lugubrious | mournful in an exaggerated way |
| lukewarm | only mildly enthusiastic |
| lurid | shocking and over-vivid |
| laborious | taking long and tiring effort |
| lackadaisical | showing no care or interest |
| licentious | disregarding moral restraint |
| litigious | quick to go to law |
| lily-livered | cowardly |
| long-winded | using far more words than the point needs |
| loveless | without affection |
| luckless | unlucky |
To describe a person
A mix of circumstance and manner. Laconic and loquacious are one of the letter’s sharpest opposite pairs; lawful/lawless and limited/limitless are the neatest.
| Adjective | What it means |
|---|---|
| laconic | using very few words |
| late | arriving after the time set |
| left-handed | writing and working with the left hand |
| liable | legally responsible, or likely to |
| lifelong | continuing from early years to the end |
| literate | reading and writing with confidence |
| local | belonging to the area |
| lone | acting or standing alone |
| loquacious | talking a great deal |
| lordly | grand and condescending |
| lowly | humble in rank |
| leery | wary and distrustful |
| liberated | free from traditional social and sexual attitudes |
| literary | concerned with books and their study |
| lettered | widely read |
| landed | owning land |
| law-abiding | keeping within the law |
Physical appearance
Shape, colour and surface. Lanky and lean both describe a thin frame; only the second is a compliment.
| Adjective | What it means |
|---|---|
| lean | thin and without excess |
| lanky | ungracefully tall and thin |
| leafy | full of foliage |
| leathery | tough and weathered |
| light | pale in colour, or not heavy |
| little | small in size |
| long | great in length |
| low | near the ground |
| lumpy | uneven with raised patches |
| lustrous | having a soft shine |
| lush | thick and richly growing |
| lavender | pale purple |
| lined | marked with creases |
| luminescent | glowing without heat |
| lambent | glowing or flickering softly |
| large | big in size |
| lifelike | closely resembling the living original |
| lacy | made of or resembling lace |
Personality
Disposition and the states that come with it. Languid and lethargic can be either, depending on whether the day or the person is being described.
| Adjective | What it means |
|---|---|
| laid-back | relaxed about most things |
| languid | slow and soft with no wish to hurry |
| lighthearted | cheerful and untroubled |
| like-minded | sharing the same outlook |
| longing | filled with a wish for something absent |
| loath | strongly unwilling |
| lonesome | feeling the absence of company |
| lethargic | sluggish and short of energy |
| light-fingered | given to petty theft |
| larger-than-life | more vivid and forceful than most people |
| lovesick | weakened by unreturned affection |
| large-hearted | generous in feeling |
| light-footed | moving lightly and nimbly |
| lithe | moving with easy grace |
Everyday and descriptive
Objects, times and conditions.
| Adjective | What it means |
|---|---|
| labyrinthine | complicated like a maze |
| landlocked | enclosed by land on all sides |
| lasting | continuing over time |
| latent | present but not yet showing |
| lateral | moving or placed sideways |
| latter | the second of two mentioned |
| legal | concerning the law |
| leisurely | done without hurry |
| lengthy | going on a long time |
| lethal | causing death |
| level | flat and even |
| limited | held within bounds |
| limitless | having no bound |
| linear | proceeding in one unbroken direction |
| lingering | staying longer than expected |
| liquid | flowing freely |
| literal | meaning exactly what the words say |
| loose | not tightly held |
| lost | no longer able to be found |
| lunar | of the moon |
| linguistic | concerning language |
| long-standing | having existed for many years |
| lemony | tasting or smelling of lemon |
| leftover | remaining after the rest is used |
| livable | fit to live in |
| loaded | carrying a full load, or heavy with meaning |
| longitudinal | running lengthwise |
| lidded | having a cover |
| lumbering | moving heavily and slowly |
| laden | weighed down with a load |
Using them in a sentence
A list is only half the job. These show the words carrying weight rather than sitting decoratively in front of a noun.
- He was laconic in meetings and loquacious everywhere else.
- The afternoon was languid, the service lackadaisical, and nobody minded.
- A lucid explanation of a labyrinthine rule.
- The light was lambent on lustrous water — or it would have been, had anyone been looking.
- Her case was legitimate, lengthy and finally lost.
L-words people mix up
| Pair | The difference that matters |
|---|---|
| lithe / lanky | Both describe a thin frame. Lithe praises how it moves; lanky adds a note of awkwardness. |
| lay / lie | Neither is an adjective, but they are the L-words people ask about most. Lay takes an object (you lay a book down); lie does not (you lie down). |
| liable / likely | Liable carries a sense of exposure to something unwelcome, and in law means responsible. Likely is neutral about whether the outcome is good. |
| luxurious / luxuriant | Luxurious means richly comfortable. Luxuriant means growing thickly — of hair or vegetation, not of hotels. |
| loath / loathe | Loath is the adjective, meaning unwilling. Loathe is the verb, meaning to hate. The e is the spelling difference; the th is voiced in the verb and not in the adjective. |
Related guides
- Adjectives for lightning — where luminous and lurid do their closest work.
- Adjectives for looks — expands the appearance section above.
- Adjectives for love — for loving, longing and lovable.
- Adjectives for a leader — pairs with level-headed, lordly and loyal.
- Adjectives for loud — the fuller sound vocabulary behind loud and lively.
- Adjectives for a lake — for lustrous, level and lush.
Checked against Merriam-Webster, the Chicago Manual of Style and the AP Stylebook. Spotted an error? Tell us — see our editorial policy.
