Adjectives That Start with Y

With many other letters of the alphabet, we see a host of related adjectives due to families of word roots or particular prefixes, but adjectives that start with Y run the gamut of meanings. From clothes to countries, music to munchies, Y-adjectives can describe just about anything.

Eighteen Adjectives That Start With Y

• yappy - talkative, loquacious, barking in a high-pitched staccato This can describe your chatty secretary or her annoying miniature pinscher.
• yawning - wide open; gaping This is the type of cave you want to find to throw said secretary and her dog into.
• year-long - lasting for a duration of one year This is the type of vacation you’d like to have from your job.
• yearly - annually, happening every year This is how often you’d like to take that vacation.
• yeasty - of, like, or containing yeast This describes the best kind of dinner rolls.
• yellow - the color between orange and green in the color spectrum This describes the butter you put on your dinner rolls.
• yellow-bellied - cowardly This describes people who are afraid of carnival rides.
• yellowish - rather yellow This describes the color they become when they ride carnival rides.
• Yiddish - of or in Yiddish, a language derived from Middle High German, spoken by East European Jews and their descendants in other countries: it is written in the Hebrew alphabet and contains vocabulary borrowings from Hebrew, Russian, Polish, English, etc. 
• yielding - producing a good yield, productive; bending easily, flexible; submissive, obedient This describes the audience that actually does discuss “Rhode Island: Neither a road nor an island” when Linda Richman instructs them to do so.
• yodeling - singing with abrupt alternating changes between the normal chest register and the falsetto.
• young - being in an early period of life or growth; not old This describes the little girl in the pale, pink coat who is wooed by the yodeling goatherd.
• youngish - rather young This is how you should describe your wife.
• your - of or belonging to you Your wife will appreciate it, especially once she hits forty.
• youthful - of, characteristic of, or suitable for youth; fresh; vigorous; active Correction: THIS is how you should describe your wife.
• yucky - unpleasant, disgusting, etc. Otherwise, she might describe you this way.
• Yugoslavian - of, from or pertaining to Yugoslavia This can describe any noun from Yugoslavia, obviously.
• yummy - very tasty; delectable; delicious This probably describes the food from Yugoslavia, at least in the opinions of the Yugoslavians.

Whether you need a word for your grandma or your Grand Marnier, for your role within your company or the roll on your plate, it’s possible there’s a Y-adjective to suit your needs.