Definition & Meaning of "postpositive adjective"

What is a "postpositive adjective"?

A postpositive adjective is an adjective that appears after the noun it modifies, rather than before it. This structure is less common in English but often occurs in specific phrases, especially with certain adjectives. For example, in the phrase "the president elect," the adjective "elect" follows the noun "president." Another example is "something unusual," where "unusual" comes after "something." Postpositive adjectives can also be found in fixed expressions or formal language. Understanding postpositive adjectives is important for recognizing variations in adjective placement and enhancing sentence structure.