150+ Compound Adjective Example Sentences With Hyphens

A compound adjective is an adjective built from two or more words that modify a single noun together, as in a well-known author. Compound adjective example sentences range from ice-cold lemonade to five-star hotels, and each pair locks two words into one hyphenated modifier.

What Is a Compound Adjective?

A compound adjective joins two or more words into one description that neither word delivers alone. A regular adjective uses one word such as "tall" or "red," while a compound adjective fuses at least two into a hyphenated modifier: "red-hot," "old-fashioned," "out-of-date."

word + word (hyphenated before a noun) = compound adjective

The bakery sold mouth-watering pastries every Saturday morning.

Common Compound Adjective Example Sentences

At the street market an ice-cold drink, at the dentist a last-minute appointment, and at the airport an up-to-date passport are the compound adjectives most speakers already use without thinking twice.

• At the street market, a vendor handed me an ice-cold bottle of water on a thirty-degree afternoon.
• Fatima made a last-minute decision to join the weekend hiking trip.
• Our teacher asked for an up-to-date bibliography before grading the final essay.
• A brand-new bicycle waited in the garage.
• That hotel charged extra for a king-size bed in the corner room.
• Across the square, a mouth-watering smell drifted from the bakery window.
• His old-fashioned pocket watch still kept perfect time after forty years.
• On Tuesday the clinic offered a walk-in appointment for flu vaccinations.
• We booked a round-trip flight to Lisbon and saved two hundred euros.
• Every contestant wore a tailor-made suit to the regional debate finals.
• Priya submitted a well-written proposal and received funding within a week.
• By noon the mechanic had replaced a worn-out brake pad on the rear wheel.
• Next to the runway, a high-speed train connects the airport to the city centre in twelve minutes.
• Nadia described the sunrise in a matter-of-fact manner that surprised her classmates.
• During surgery, the team performed a life-saving procedure on the injured cyclist.
• After the rainstorm, we dragged a heavy-duty extension cord from the garage to the garden.

Compound Adjective Patterns in Sentences

Three of the most recognizable compound adjective patterns are ice-cold (noun + adjective), full-time (adjective + noun), and five-star (number + noun), with adverb-participle and noun-participle pairs completing the set.

Noun + Adjective Compound Adjectives in Sentences

A bone-dry riverbed in Arizona, a sky-blue ceiling in a Roman chapel, and a rock-hard biscuit forgotten on a kitchen counter are places and objects where a noun sharpens an adjective into a vivid modifier.

• Our gardener cracked open the bone-dry soil with a pickaxe after three rainless weeks.
• Rosa painted the nursery ceiling a soft sky-blue shade that matched the curtains.
• After a night on the counter, the bread turned rock-hard and crumbled at the first touch.
• On the mountain road, the mechanic warned that the engine was running red-hot.
• A snow-white tablecloth covered the oak dining table at the anniversary dinner.
• Her toddler tugged at a skin-tight sleeve that she had bought one size too small.
• Every drink in the hospital cafeteria was sugar-free for the wellness programme.
• At the shallow end, the pool was only knee-deep for the youngest swimmers.
• Even after the price cut, that dirt-cheap fabric looked and felt expensive.
• We found a pitch-dark corridor behind the stage door.
• Wading through a waist-high stream, the hikers never stopped to remove their boots.
• Kenji placed a paper-thin slice of salmon on the seasoned rice.
• The deli’s newest sandwich featured a world-famous sourdough recipe from San Francisco passed down through three generations of bakers.
• Airport security required every passenger to use a hands-free device in the departure lounge.

Adjective + Noun Compound Adjectives in Sentences

Offices employ full-time workers, airports welcome last-minute travellers, and harbours launch deep-sea divers, and each compound pairs an adjective with a noun to name a role, a schedule, or a setting.

• At the factory, full-time employees receive dental insurance after ninety days.
• The family squeezed in a last-minute visit to the aquarium before the evening flight.
• A deep-sea expedition discovered three new species near the Atlantic ocean floor.
• Short-term parking at the train station costs four dollars for the first two hours.
• On the second floor, the museum displayed a long-distance radio used during the Second World War.
• Yuki enrolled in a part-time cooking course every Saturday morning near the harbour.
• Rescue workers built a large-scale shelter for the families displaced by the spring flood.
• Near the entrance, the theatre screened a first-class documentary about bird migration in the Arctic.
• Passengers boarded through a narrow-gauge railway tunnel carved into the mountainside.
• A bare-foot runner from Nairobi finished the race two minutes ahead of the field.
• That company moved to a high-rise office on the fourteenth floor of the tower.
• Campers pitched their tent on a flat-ground campsite beside the river.
• A cold-blooded reptile basked on the stone wall.
• In the lobby, the landlord installed a real-time energy meter for every tenant to read.
• By Thursday, the warehouse had switched to a wholesale pricing model for bulk orders.

Number + Noun Compound Adjectives in Sentences

Near a Tokyo campus, a three-bedroom apartment; in Boston, a twelve-week training programme; and over the river, a four-lane highway show that a number paired with a noun stays singular and takes a hyphen.

• Mr Alvarez signed the lease on a three-bedroom apartment near the university campus.
• For homework, the teacher assigned a ten-page report on renewable energy sources.
• Our family celebrated at a five-star restaurant overlooking the harbour at sunset.
• Because of a two-hour delay at Heathrow, we missed the connecting flight to Rome.
• The carpenter built a six-foot bookcase from reclaimed walnut planks.
• Athletes on the squad followed a twelve-week training programme before the national trials.
• Grandpa told a hundred-year-old story about the village well every Christmas Eve.
• Stretching from bank to bank, the bridge is a four-lane highway that crosses the river at its widest point.
• A nine-to-five schedule left no time for afternoon errands during the working week.
• In the rare-books room, the librarian shelved a first-edition copy of the novel behind the reference desk.
• On Saturday the bakery offered a three-course brunch for twelve euros per person.
• The nurse measured a ten-centimetre wound on the patient’s forearm before stitching.
• A twenty-storey tower is rising beside the old town hall on Market Street.
• From the studio came a two-part documentary about coral reef restoration in the Pacific.

Adverb + Participle Compound Adjectives in Sentences

At a gallery opening, well-dressed guests, on the highway a fast-moving storm, and after a drought a much-needed rain pair a non-ly adverb with a participle to build one modifier before the noun.

• At the gallery opening, well-dressed guests arrived with printed invitations in hand.
• A fast-moving wildfire forced three neighbourhoods to evacuate before midnight.
• Our teacher returned a well-written essay with only two minor corrections in the margin.
• Mr Torres ran a hard-working crew of grape pickers from dawn to dusk.
• A best-selling novel by the Korean author won three international literary awards and was translated into twenty-four languages within a single year.
• After retirement, Ernesto became a well-travelled lecturer on three continents.
• On the playground bench, the children left a half-eaten sandwich during recess.
• Housepainters recommended a long-lasting sealant for the exposed wooden deck.
• That senator introduced a far-reaching bill on vehicle emissions in the coastal zone.
• An ever-growing population is putting pressure on the city’s drinking water supply.
• Farmers along the coast welcomed the much-needed rain after eight dry weeks.
• Behind the community arts centre, a half-finished mural covered the east wall.
• For the Friday holiday departure, the airline sold over-priced tickets at the counter.
• Next door, our neighbours praised the well-mannered dog that never barked after nine at night.
• The biography exposed the worst-kept secret in the singer’s forty-year career.
• An ill-fitting jacket made the groom look uncomfortable in every wedding photograph.

Noun + Participle Compound Adjectives in Sentences

On a Roman pizza, sun-dried tomatoes, at a Kyoto workshop, handmade pottery, and in a grandmother’s notebook, time-tested recipes fuse a noun with a participle to name the method or the cause behind the description.

• At the trattoria, the chef served a salad topped with sun-dried tomatoes and crumbled feta cheese.
• Ayumi displayed her handmade ceramic bowls at the weekend craft fair in the park.
• A time-tested recipe for sourdough bread passed through four generations of bakers.
• Along the footpath, the storm left a row of wind-blown fences leaning toward the school.
• Conservators repaired a moth-eaten wool hanging dating from the fifteenth century.
• Children decorated hand-painted lanterns for the autumn harvest festival at school.
• On Saturday morning, the mechanic installed a custom-built exhaust system on the vintage motorcycle.
• An insurance adjuster inspected a storm-damaged roof after the Tuesday hailstorm.
• A blood-curdling scream echoed through the haunted house ride at the county fairground.
• The journalist published a record-breaking investigation into industrial water pollution that prompted two government agencies to revise their testing standards.
• That thought-provoking lecture on ocean plastic left the audience silent for a full minute.
• Beneath the glass-bottomed walkway, a jaw-dropping view of the canyon stretched into the distance.
• The company launched an energy-saving refrigerator that uses thirty percent less power.
• Lina baked a mouth-watering chocolate cake for the Friday office celebration.

Hyphenated and Unhyphenated Compound Adjectives in Sentences

Before a noun, a compound adjective takes a hyphen ("an ice-cold drink"), but after a linking verb the same pair drops it ("the drink was ice cold"). Each paired sentence shows the shift.

• We ordered an ice-cold smoothie from the cafe. / The smoothie was ice cold by the time we sat down.
• A well-known journalist covered the trial. / The journalist was well known for her investigative reports.
• At the checkout, the shop sold sugar-free gum. / Every flavour on that shelf was sugar free.
• On Monday the mechanic fixed a brand-new engine for the delivery van. / That engine was brand new and still under warranty.
• A good-looking candidate walked into the interview room. / Everyone agreed the candidate was good looking.
• Lena packed a light-blue dress for the Saturday wedding. / The dress she packed was light blue with white trim.
• The museum displayed a world-famous painting by the Dutch master. / That painting was world famous long before the restoration.
• Students sat for a two-hour exam on Friday morning. / The exam lasted two hours and ended at noon.
• The crew sailed on a state-of-the-art vessel across the strait. / Their vessel was state of the art and launched last spring.
• Yesterday a middle-aged man jogged past the fountain in the park. / The man who jogged past was middle aged and wore a red cap.
• Near the dairy aisle, the grocer stacked fat-free yoghurt on the top shelf. / Every tub of yoghurt on that shelf was fat free.
• Amira submitted a well-researched essay before the deadline. / Her essay was well researched and earned full marks from the panel.

Compound Adjective Example Sentences for Kids

At home, at school, and at the zoo, a seven-year-old already meets curly-haired dolls, chocolate-covered strawberries, and four-legged pets before learning the grammar name for them.

• My friend the curly-haired girl drew a picture of her cat on the whiteboard.
• Grandma served chocolate-covered strawberries after the birthday dinner.
• A four-legged puppy chased the ball across the backyard all morning.
• Our kind-hearted teacher gave everyone a gold sticker at the end of the week.
• We packed a home-made lunch for the school field trip on Thursday.
• The red-cheeked clown juggled three balls at the circus show.
• A long-haired rabbit lived in a cage beside the window in our classroom.
• My brother wore his bright-green raincoat to school on the rainy morning.
• In the garden, the two-storey treehouse had a rope ladder and a tiny flag on top.
• On sports day, bare-foot children raced across the freshly cut grass.
• That hard-boiled egg rolled off the plate and onto the kitchen floor.
• From the storybook, a one-eyed pirate searched for treasure on a sandy island.
• Before nap time, the librarian read a well-loved storybook to the whole class.
• After the art lesson, paint-splattered aprons hung on the hooks by the door.
• The zookeeper fed a sharp-toothed crocodile two fish before the morning tour.

Compound Adjective Example Sentences for Students

Across the campus, a well-organized thesis on a professor’s desk, a peer-reviewed journal in the library, and a time-limited exam in the lecture hall bring compound adjectives into academic writing and exam practice.

• Our professor returned a well-organized thesis with minor formatting corrections.
• A peer-reviewed study confirmed the findings of the original experiment.
• Students completed a time-limited essay under exam conditions in the main hall.
• In the lab, the supervisor required a step-by-step description of the titration procedure.
• A thought-provoking seminar on media ethics attracted students from four departments.
• The scholarship committee reviewed high-scoring applications from three different provinces.
• Sana presented a data-driven argument in her economics dissertation last semester.
• For the assignment, the tutor requested a two-thousand-word reflection on the summer placement.
• A cross-cultural research project paired students from Seoul with counterparts in Madrid.
• On Monday, the department published a long-awaited handbook on academic referencing and citation.
• Open-ended questions tested reasoning over recall.
• By Friday every student had submitted a double-spaced draft to the course portal.
• The supervisor praised a well-crafted abstract that summarised the entire study in one paragraph.
• Every multiple-choice test on cell biology opened the Tuesday morning lecture.
• During the Friday workshop on academic writing, the instructor distributed a ready-made template for research proposals and told the first-year students to adapt it for their own dissertations.

Compound Adjectives and Compound Nouns in the Same Sentence

Both sunflower as a compound noun and sun-dried as a compound adjective join two roots, and brand-new beside classroom and custom-built beside bookshelf repeat the same pairing across settings. More compound noun sentences explore the naming side.

• Brand-new posters covered the classroom walls before the first day of school.
• Nadia ordered a custom-built bookshelf that stretched across the living room wall.
• A high-speed railway connected the two cities in under ninety minutes.
• The full-time football coach trained the squad from September to the end of the season and travelled with them to every away match in the district.
• Time-consuming homework assignments left the students with no free evenings on weeknights.
• A last-minute birthday card arrived just one hour before the party started.
• The airport terminal displayed a round-trip fare to Madrid for the holiday weekend.
• Sun-dried tomatoes and fresh sunflower seeds added colour and crunch to the green salad.
• He tossed a worn-out toothbrush into the bin.
• Down the lane, a well-kept farmhouse stood at the end of a gravel road.

Sentences Rewritten With the Correct Compound Adjective

Adding -s to "three-years contract," dropping the hyphen from "well known author," and keeping the hyphen after "is" in "is well-known" are three errors a learner catches with a one-rule check.

• A well-known author signed the book at the fair ✅, wrong as A well known author signed the book at the fair ❌.
• HR offered a three-year contract to the new engineer ✅, wrong as HR offered a three-years contract to the new engineer ❌.
• She handed in a ten-page report on Monday morning ✅, wrong as She handed in a ten page report on Monday morning ❌.
• We stayed at a five-star hotel near the coast ✅, wrong as We stayed at a five-stars hotel near the coast ❌.
• Our high-speed train departed at noon ✅, wrong as Our high speed train departed at noon ❌.
• The author is well known for her travel writing ✅, wrong as The author is well-known for her travel writing ❌.
• Grandma wound the old-fashioned clock every Sunday ✅, wrong as Grandma wound the old fashioned clock every Sunday ❌.
• Both parties signed a six-month lease on the flat ✅, wrong as Both parties signed a six-months lease on the flat ❌.
• She got a full-time job ✅, wrong as She got a full time job ❌.
• The city unveiled a newly built bridge over the river ✅, wrong as The city unveiled a newly-built bridge over the river ❌.

Related

• Parts of Speech Example Sentences
• Comparative Adjective Example Sentences
• Predicate Adjective Example Sentences

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