I’m always searching for ways to help my private students improve their communication skills. Learning the OUS suffix meaning and some common words with the suffix OUS is a great way to increase your English vocabulary.
The English suffix OUS is added to the end of nouns and verbs to change them into adjectives. The new adjectives will have the nature or quality of the root word.
| root word | suffix | adjective | ~OUS adjective meaning |
| danger (noun) | ~ous | dangerous | likely to injure or harm somebody |
| envy (verb) | ~ous | envious | wanting something that somebody else has |
Increase your vocabulary by learning words with the suffix OUS. Turn nouns and verbs that you already know into adjectives by adding the suffix OUS to the end of the word.
Watch my OUS Suffix Meaning Video!
OUS Suffix – News Story
A few years ago I read a story about some dangerous ants that were found in a seaport in Tokyo. These ants are called ‘fire ants’ and they are poisonous.
I thought this story would be a great way to introduce the English suffix – OUS to my students, and now I want to help the English students around the world who read my blog.
ant [noun] a small insect that lives in highly organized groups.
port [noun] a place where ships load and unload goods or shelter from storms
From this news story, we used 2 adjectives with the suffix ~ous. Dangerous and poisonous.
dangerous – likely to injure or harm somebody, or to damage or destroy something
poisonous – causing death or illness if swallowed or absorbed into the body
(All definitions in this post come from Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries)
OUS Suffix – Meaning
-ous suffix (in adjectives)
having the nature or quality of
-ous suffix Oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com
A simple way to think of these 2 adjectives is to look at the root word, this means the part of the word that comes before the suffix ous.
danger (ous) If a situation has danger it is dangerous.
poison (ous) If something has poison it is poisonous.
Suffix OUS – spelling guide
If the base word ends with the letter Y, the letter Y will change the letter I before adding the suffix or OUS.
| Root Noun | New Adjective |
|---|---|
| glory becomes | glorious |
| harmony becomes | harmonious |
| industry becomes | industrious |
| mystery becomes | mysterious |
| victory becomes | victorious |
*Note the noun TREACHERY is an exception. It simply drops the Y to become the adjective TREACHEROUS.
Suffix OUS – pronunciation
The suffix sounds just like the pronoun ‘US’.
- My wife and I didn’t get many gifts at our wedding. Most people just gave us cash.
More Words With The Suffix OUS
Adjectives with the suffix ~ous have this basic meaning – having the nature or quality of
advantageous (from the noun advantage) good or useful in a particular situation
- Having a college degree it’s not necessary for finding a good job but it is definitely advantageous.
adventurous – (of a person) willing to take risks and try new ideas; enjoying being in new, exciting situations ~ ready for adventure
- For the more adventurous tourists, there are trips into the mountains with a local guide.
cautious (from the noun caution) (of a person) careful to avoid potential problems or dangers (of an action) characterized by the desire to avoid potential problems or dangers
- Rebecca has always been a cautious driver. She has been driving for 8 years without an accident.
courageous (from the noun courage) showing courage
- I’m proud of my brother, he made a courageous decision to start his own business.
disastrous (from the noun disaster) causing great damage OR highly unsuccessful
- The team had a disastrous start this year. They have a lot of work to do for the rest of the season.
famous – known about by many people ~ A famous person is someone who has fame.
- After years of hard work, she became a famous actress.
FAMOUS – variations
world-famous – known throughout the world.
- The wedding cake was made by a world-famous baker. It cost $3500.00!
infamous well known for some bad quality or deed
- The dealer and other poker players are watching him closely. He is an infamous cheater.
ferocious (from the noun ferocity) very aggressive or violent; very strong
- A ferocious winter storm blew in from the East last weekend.
furious (from the noun fury) extremely angry
- Ethan was furious when he learned that Mike was promoted instead of him.
glamorous (from the noun glamour) especially attractive and exciting, and different from ordinary things or people
- I work an honest job but it’s not very glamorous.
glorious (from the noun Glory) having, worthy of, or bringing fame or admiration OR having a striking beauty or splendor
- Today is such a glorious Spring day. We should have a picnic!
gracious (from the noun grace) kind, polite and generous, especially to somebody of a lower social position
- I enjoy having dinner with Alex, he’s a very gracious host.
harmonious (from the noun harmony) (of relationships, etc.) friendly, peaceful, and without any arguments OR arranged together in a way that is pleasant because each part goes well with the others OR (of sounds) very pleasant when played or sung together
- The museum is a harmonious blend of traditional and modern design.
humorous (from the noun humor) funny; showing a sense of humor
- The TV show is a humorous look at 6 friends living together in New York City.
industrious (from the noun industry) working hard; busy
- Yoshi is an industrious student and quickly learned to speak English at a high level.
joyous (from the noun joy) very happy; causing people to be happy
- The children’s birthday party was full of joyous laughter.
laborious (from the noun labor) taking a lot of time and effort
- We have a huge warehouse, counting and recording our inventory is a laborious task.
luxurious (from the noun luxury) very comfortable; containing expensive things that give pleasure
- My wife and I celebrated our 10th anniversary and stayed at a luxurious hotel for 4 nights.
malicious (from the noun malice) having or showing a desire to harm somebody or hurt their feelings, caused by a feeling of hate
- I never trusted Andrea. She was always spreading malicious rumors about her coworkers.
mischievous (from the noun mischief) enjoying playing tricks and annoying people
- I was a quiet child but my little sister was quite mischievous.
miraculous (from the noun miracle) like a miracle; completely unexpected and very lucky
- The fact that he survived the accident with no permanent injury is miraculous.
monstrous (from the noun monster) very large OR very large, ugly, and frightening
- I have a monstrous headache.
The camper saw a monstrous creature crawl out of the swamp.
mysterious (from the noun mystery) difficult or impossible to understand, explain, or identify
- The cause of the mysterious glass found in the desert may be from an ancient exploding comet.
nervous (from the noun nerve) easily agitated or alarmed
- Marcus always seems nervous for some reason.
nutritious (from the noun nutrition) (of food) very good for you; containing many of the substances which help the body to grow
- It’s important to start your day off right by eating a nutritious breakfast in the morning.
outrageous (from the noun outrage) offensive and unacceptable OR very unusual and intended to shock people slightly
- The president seems to often say some outrageous things.
rebellious (from the noun rebellion) showing a desire to resist authority, control, or convention
- Max was a very rebellious teenager. He never listened to anyone.
spacious (from the noun space) (of a room or building) large and with plenty of space for people to move around in
- The apartment has big windows facing South and a spacious living room.
superstitious (from the noun superstition) believing in superstitions
- People who are superstitious believe that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day. [LINK]
suspicious (from the noun suspicion) having or showing a cautious distrust of someone or something
- You said you “forgot” to pay for the drink when you left the store. That sounds suspicious.
synonymous (from the noun synonym) (of words or expressions) having the same, or nearly the same, meaning OR so closely connected with something that the two things appear to be the same
- Being rich is not always synonymous with being happy.
tortuous (from the noun torture) not simple and direct; long, complicated and difficult to understand
- After 18 months in court, the family finally saw an end on the long and tortuous road to justice.
treacherous (from the noun treachery) that cannot be trusted; intending to harm you OR dangerous, especially when seeming safe
- Ice and snow covered the roads making driving treacherous.
victorious (from the noun victory) having won a victory; that ends in victory
- After a long and difficult tournament, our team emerged victorious. Now we are the national champions.
vigorous (from the noun vigor) strong, healthy, and full of energy OR characterized by or involving physical strength, effort, or energy
- Denise does vigorous aerobic exercise every morning.
These words came from a list I found with 1000 words that end with ~OUS. Not all the words can easily fit with the noun/verb root word to make a new adjective. Some words are hard to find what the real root is, but they’re all still adjectives. You can find that list here.
Below are four examples of words whose meanings you can imagine but don’t clearly stem from the original root word.
curious (from Latin curiosus ‘careful’)
- having a strong desire to know about something
- After we moved, my dog was curious about his new home. He explored every room in the house.
delicious (from late Latin deliciosu)
- having a very pleasant taste or smell
- The food at the party was delicious.
horrendous (from the noun horror)?
- terrible or extremely unpleasant
- The conditions in prison are horrendous. You never want to spend time there.
luscious (from the noun lush)?
- having a pleasingly rich, sweet taste OR (of cloth, colors, or music) soft and deep or heavy in a way that gives you pleasure to feel, look at or hear
- She wore luscious fire-red lipstick that caught the attention of all the men in the room.
OUS Meaning – FAQ
What is the difference between the adjectives INSTANT and INSTANTANEOUS?
Remember that instant has a noun and an adjective form. The word instantaneous is only an adjective. The two adjective forms have a very similar meeting. Here is the key difference.
- instant – happening immediately, without delay
- instantaneous – happening immediately, in a single moment
When native speakers use instantaneous, it tends to have a feeling that is faster than just instant. Instantaneous is often used in more formal or scientific English.
- Modern technology allows for nearly instantaneous communication.
Instantaneous is commonly used with adverbs like nearly or almost.
- Modern technology allows for almost instantaneous communication.
Of the two words, instant is more common. We often use this adjective to describe food that can be prepared and eaten very quickly like instant noodles or instant coffee.
- I eat instant oatmeal almost every morning.
The noun form is also common.
- The accident was over in an instant, everything happened so fast!
What does thunderous sound mean?
The adjective thunderous comes from adding the suffix -OUS to the noun thunder. It means very loud. SOURCE
Thunderous sound is used to talk about noises that are very loud.
- We felt the earth shake and heard a thunderous sound in the distance.
The adjective thunderous is often used with other nouns about sound. A very common combination is thunderous applause.
applause noun the noise made by a group of people clapping their hands and sometimes shouting to show their approval or pleasure SOURCE
- At the end of the performance, thunderous applause could be heard throughout the theater. The audience was grateful for an exciting show.
Suffix OUS – Story
The Secret of the Curious Tree House
In the heart of a peaceful neighborhood, in the middle of a mysterious forest, stood a curious tree house. The entrance to the house was a large wooden door with windows that looked like angry eyes. It made the door look ferocious.
There were numerous stories about its origins, some said it was the home of a mischievous spirit, others said it was a doorway to another world.
One sunny afternoon, a group of courageous children, including the curious Chris, the rebellious Risa, and the adventurous Alex, decided to unravel the mystery of the tree house. Their hearts were pounding with excitement, they approached the scary wooden door and opened it, they were nervous. Behind the door was a hidden staircase leading up to the inside of the tree house.
As they climbed the stairs, they were cautious. Finally, they reached the entrance and stepped inside. The interior was a spacious room full of natural wonders. Sunlight filtered through the leaves on the tall trees in the forest, lighting up the room filled with strange and wonderful objects.
There were rows of wooden shelves, each giving off a soft glow, and lined with jars containing curious mixtures of delicious-looking jams and jellies.
Finn was extremely curious, so he reached out and grabbed a jar of blueberry from the shelf. He opened the lid, stuck his finger inside, scooped some jam and brought it to his lips. A wave of delicious flavor exploded on his tongue. It was the most nutritious and flavorful jam he had ever tasted.
One by one, the children sampled the various other jams, each more delicious than the last. As they ate, they felt a surge of energy in their bodies, their senses got stronger, and their minds sharper.
As the sun began to set, casting long shadows through the trees, the children said good-bye to the mysterious tree house. They emerged from the forest, their minds buzzing with the memories of their wondrous adventure.
The tree house now holds a special meaning for Chris, Risa, and Alex. They had uncovered its secrets, tasted its magic, and will forever carry a memory of the glorious day they entered Mysterious Tree House.
*NOTE – This is a fun story only for made for learning.
DO NOT EAT MYSTERIOUS JAM THAT YOU FIND IN THE WOODS!
Story QUIZ
How many words with the OUS suffix can you find in the story? Do you know what they mean?
Now, whenever you read a word ending with OUS in a book or magazine, or hear a word ending with OUS in a song or movie/TV show, write it in your English notebook!
Ous Suffix Words PDF (free!)
Download your FREE, 8-page OUS Suffix Words vocab list from the link below. ↓
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- List of Common Negative Prefixes (200+ examples, Free PDF)
- Your complete guide to the Suffix -ISH (Quiz/worksheet)
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- The Suffix -DOM (21 Real Example sentences, PDF, Video)
Special thanks to SpellZone for giving me example ideas for this blog post.
https://www.spellzone.com/word_lists/list.cfm?wordlist=122
