Suffixes of German Adjectives - Meanings and Examples

Many German words can be converted into adjectives by adding suffixes. There are several options of suffixes that contribute to different meanings for adjectives. See below for ways that nouns can be changed into adjectives. See also Suffixes in German Adjectives II. Suffix Possible Meaning Example -haft to accentuate a specific trait Die Auffhrung war sagenhaft./ The performance was marvelous -los without Er ist schon seit Monaten arbeitslos./ Hes been unemployed for months. -ig in a certain way Dieser Mann ist schlfrig./ This man is sleepy. -isch of origin, belonging to; also added to some foreign words Ich bin italienisch; Der Junge ist autistisch/ I am italien; The boy is autistic. lich a characteristic, in the manner of Ich finde das herrlich; Herzliche Gre/ I find that wonderful; Heartfelt Greetings. -arm lacking in seelenarm/ low, poor in spirit -frei without arbeitsfrei / work-free -leer without luftleer / air-free -reich plenty vitaminreich/ vitamin-rich -voll plenty eimervoll/ bucketfull -fest something stable, solid wasserfest/ watertight