adjectivalnoun

An adjectival noun, also called a nominalized adjective, is an adjective that functions as a noun. In this use, the adjective stands on its own to refer to a class or group defined by the property described by the adjective, rather than to a specific noun.

In English, adjectival nouns are common for referring to people or groups characterized by a quality, often with definite or plural reference. Examples include the rich, the poor, the elderly, the young, and the French. They can serve as the subject or object of a sentence: “The rich have influence,” “The poor deserve better care,” “The elderly need support.” They may appear with determiners such as the, or with modifiers like very, as in “the very rich.” In many cases they function without an explicit noun head, though they can appear in constructions where a noun is supplied, as in “the rich man.”

Usage notes include that the form is typically unchanged when used as a noun, and the sense is collective rather than referring to a single individual. Adjectival nouns often carry evaluative or social meaning, highlighting distinctions between groups (economic classes, age groups, nationalities, etc.). They can be contrasted with stock phrases or with genuine nouns formed from other parts of speech.

Cross-linguistic perspective shows that nominalized adjectives are a common feature in many languages, though the precise syntax and productivity vary. In English, the category is more of a functional description than a distinct word class, but it remains a productive and widely understood device for referring to groups by a shared attribute.

See also: nominalization, adjective, noun phrase.