Avoiding the word very

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   Opt for an emphatic adjective to describe how your day went. Try not to use boring, bland terms to sum up your day overall. While “very good” can work when you’re making small talk, try selecting words that give a more well-rounded perspective. Use words like “excellent” or “brilliant” to describe a positive day, and terms like “tedious” or “miserable” to describe a bad day.^{[1]
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   • If your day wasn’t particularly negative or positive, you can use words like “mediocre” instead of “very uneventful.”

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   Select specific words to describe the size of an object. While phrases like “very small” or “very big” can give a rough idea of size, you can’t get a sense of the full picture. Instead, opt for words like “giant,” “immense,” or “colossal” to describe large items, and “tiny,” “minuscule,” or “miniature” to label small things. If an object isn’t especially big or small, you can remove the “very” altogether and use basic adjectives to describe it.^[3]
   

   • For instance, a mountain or other natural landmark could be called “colossal,” while a car could be described as “large” or “big.”

   Tip: Use comparisons to describe the size of an object. For instance, you could describe a pick-up truck as “bigger than a sedan.”

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   Describe the weather with specific adjectives. You don’t have to give your friends, family members, and acquaintances an exact temperature to describe the weather, but using terms like “very hot” and “very cold” aren’t very informative. If it’s incredibly chilly outside, opt for words like “frigid” or “freezing” to describe the weather. If it’s hot and sunny, use “scorching” or “blazing” to describe your surroundings. ^[4]
   

   • For example, 90 to 100 °F (32 to 38 °C) weather could be described as scorching, while 60 to 70 °F (16 to 21 °C) may be referred to as pleasant.

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   Reveal your current mood with specific descriptors. Choose words that match the exact state of your mood, like “thrilled,” “ecstatic,” “depressed,” “miserable,” or “livid.” If you use a phrase like “very upset” to describe your mood, listeners may not know if you’re sad, angry, or a mixture of both emotions. Instead, choose a word that caters to the severity of your mood, whether it’s positive or negative.^[5]
   

   • For instance, you could say “I’m feeling joyful” if you’re having a great day instead of saying “I’m feeling very happy.” Similarly, saying “I’m feeling livid” carries more weight in a conversation than “I’m feeling very angry.”

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   Tell someone that they’re beautiful instead of very pretty. While there’s no exact right way to compliment someone, you can make someone’s day even brighter by using specific words to describe their appearance, as opposed to “very pretty” or “very nice.” Instead of using vague terms or descriptors, use specific adjectives like “gorgeous,” “brilliant,” or “stunning” to comment on a person’s striking features.^[6]
   

   • For example, saying “Your eyes are such a vibrant, beautiful green shade” or “Your whole outfit looks gorgeous” will carry a lot more weight than “You look very pretty.”

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   Compliment someone’s home by calling it “spotless.” When you’re a guest at someone’s home, make your small talk meaningful by pointing out how lovely their home looks. Use terms like “spotless,” “gleaming,” or “immaculate” in your compliments, or opt for words like “elegant,” “orderly,” “tidy,” or “bright.”^[7]
   

   • For instance, you could say something like: “I absolutely love your home! Your living room looks immaculate, and your throw pillows match the rug perfectly.”

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   Choose adjectives like “exhilarating” to describe a new experience. Avoid using terms like “very fun” or “very interesting” when talking about a recent trip, adventure, or new experience that you’ve been on. Instead, try to describe exactly how “fun” or “interesting” your experience was. Use terms like “exhilarating,” “thrilling,” “rejuvenating,” or “mentally stimulating” to describe a positive experience, and words like “unbearable,” “mind-numbing,” “insufferable,” or “unendurable” to describe a negative one.^[8]
   

   • For instance, if you went on an island vacation, you could say something like: “My vacation was so rejuvenating! I had a fantastic time snorkeling and relaxing on the beach.”
   • If you had a less enjoyable experience, you could say something like: “I hate the new pizza restaurant that opened up in town. The food was disgusting, and the wait staff were rude and unbearable.”
   • As you look for a better adjective, imagine yourself going one level of detail deeper and thinking of related words the way an online search engine would.^[9]
     

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   Say that a pet or small child is “adorable” instead of “very cute.” Try to avoid cliches when complimenting a small child, animal, or something else that’s cute. “Adorable” is a great replacement for “very cute,” though you can make your kind statement even more meaningful with especially detailed adjectives. When commenting on a pet, use words like “charming,” “fluffy,” or “beautiful” to describe the animal. If you’re complimenting a baby or small child, terms like “darling,” “delightful,” or “precious” may be used.^[10]
   

   • For example, if you’re meeting your neighbor’s dog for the first time, you could say something like: “Your dog is such a darling! How old are they?”

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   Describe a meal as “tasty” or “delicious” instead of “very good.” Whether you’re eating at a restaurant or enjoying a home-cooked dish, try to think of specific, positive adjectives that describe the food you’ve just eaten. For more general compliments, you could try “yummy,” “scrumptious,” or “mouth-watering.” If you’d like to be more specific, try using descriptors like “well-seasoned,” “savory,” or “aromatic.”^{[11]
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   • Don’t say, “This steak is very good!” Instead, try saying something like, “This steak is well-seasoned and delectable.”

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   State that a project will be “costly” instead of “very expensive.” If you’re creating a proposal, financial plan, or some other document that involves finances, try to remove any words or phrases that have a negative financial connotation. Instead of saying “very expensive,” use terms like “costly” or “premium” as descriptors.^[13]
   

   • For example, if you’re trying to get people to invest in a new project, don’t say “This project will be very expensive,” as this might discourage possible investors. Instead, say something like, “We have a set budget for this project and want to be sure that we can afford premium materials.”

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   Use terms like “brief” or “extended” to describe the length of a meeting. Don’t use a term like “very long” to describe the length of a gathering, as this may be off-putting to your co-workers and superiors. Instead, opt for language that gives a general sense of the meeting’s length without setting any negative expectations. Similarly, use language like “short,” “brief,” or “quick” when describing a meeting that you’d don’t expect to take long.^[14]
   

   • For instance, say something like: “Hey everyone! Please meet in the conference room for an extended meeting on our quarterly budget. As soon as we go through the agenda, you’ll all be free to go!”

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   Select tactful terms like “wealthy” instead of “very rich.” In professional correspondence and formal conversations, try to keep your audience in mind. If you use terms like “very rich” or “very poor” to describe certain members of your community, they may feel uncomfortable or a bit put off. Instead, use terms like “wealthy,” “well-established,” “impoverished,” or “low-income.”^[15]
   

   • For instance, try saying something like this: “The local community center is building a new park in the lower-income side of the town.

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   Use words like “ongoing” when discussing a timeline. Don’t use terms like “very long” to describe the estimated deadline for a project or renovation. Instead, try to make the timeline sound manageable. Strive to give an estimated deadline when you share this kind of information as well.^[16]
   

   • For example, you could something like this: “The renovations to the high school are ongoing, and we expect them to be finished by the end of the year.”
   • If you need to step away from a conversation to go to the bathroom, you could say something like: “I’ll be back shortly.”

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   Pick terms like “compact” when referring to size. Avoid using phrases like “very big” or “very small” to describe the size of a building or other object, as this is vague and unhelpful to the listener. Instead, think of words that describe the specifics of the property, like “expansive,” “compact,” “widespread,” “far-reaching,” or “compressed.”^[17]
   

   • For instance, saying “Your new office is compact” sounds a lot better than “Your new office is very small.”

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   Delete any instances of “very” from your writing. Read through your email, memo, academic paper, or other professional document that you plan on sending or submitting. Search your writing for any instances of “very,” and try to delete or replace the word whenever possible. If you use “very” too often, your message could appear juvenile or casual, and the recipient might not take you seriously.^[18]
   

   • If you’re working on a digital device, try using the “find” feature to highlight specific words in your text.
   • For instance, instead of saying “The research is very promising in the field of biology,” say something like “The research is intriguing to many biologists” instead.
   • If you were writing a professional email, you could say “I’m eager to work with you,” as opposed to “very excited.”

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   Don’t replace “very” with overly dramatic words. When removing or switching out “very” in a sentence, try not to use words that exaggerate or misinform the reader. Instead, choose a word that matches the emphasis that “very” would have added to the sentence.^[19]
   

   • For instance, if the original sentence was “The theory is very convincing,” don’t use “irrefutable” as a replacement word for “very convincing.” Instead, say that “The theory is convincing.”

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   Avoid replacing “very” with other intense qualifiers. Don’t switch out “very” with another word that serves the same purpose, like “especially” or “severely,” as these words will make your writing sound unprofessional and juvenile. Instead, replace “very” with a more descriptive word that fits better into the sentence.^[20]
   

   • For example, instead of saying, “The boat was especially large,” you could say, “The boat was enormous.”

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   Use “very” sparingly in your creative writing. As a general rule of thumb, try to remove and replace “very” in your creative drafts and use a more engaging adjective or adverb instead. If you use words like “very” too often in your writing, your text could come off as lazy or unengaging. Instead, choose words that help paint a clear picture for your reader.^{[21]
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   • For instance, instead of saying “The man was very tired after a long day of work,” you could say, “The man was exhausted after a long day of work.”
   • Avoid similar «dead words» like «good» and «bad.»^[23]
     
   • Dead words don’t give you a lot of detail or information.

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