gradables

Gradables are adjectives whose meaning is interpreted along a scale or gradient. They describe properties that can vary in degree, such as height, price, temperature, or happiness. Because of this, speakers can compare entities in terms of how much of the property they have, as in taller than, more expensive, or very warm. The notion of gradability helps explain why some adjectives readily take degree modifiers and comparative forms.

Gradable adjectives contrast with non-gradable (absolute) adjectives, whose properties are seen as existing to a maximum or as binary states and are not typically subject to standard degree modification. Examples of often non-gradable terms include perfect, unique, and absolute. In practice, these can sometimes take limited intensifiers (almost, nearly) but they do not regularly form standard comparative or superlative forms: you would not normally say “more perfect.”

In English, gradable adjectives commonly form comparatives and superlatives either with suffixes or with independent adverbs. Short adjectives typically take -er and -est (tall, taller, tallest), while many longer adjectives use more and most (expensive, more expensive, most expensive). Degree modifiers such as very, quite, somewhat, and extremely are also licensed with gradable adjectives (very tall, somewhat warm, extremely expensive).

Semantically, gradability interacts with the scale a property is understood to reside on and with the reference class or context for comparison. The suitability of a degree term can depend on the standard of comparison and the speaker’s intention, leading to variability across languages and contexts.