Replacing the word very

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VERY is a good English word that’s why we use it a lot.  But when you use the same word over and over again, it becomes boring and you sound monotonous. MONO means “one”, TONOUS means “tone”. So if it’s only one tone all throughout, people lose interest in listening to you.

Native speakers use a variety of terms to describe something or someone. So, today this is a vocabulary lesson where we will see that other than using VERY to describe the degree of something, we actually have several choices of words that will make us become a more effective speaker. Using these words in our writing will also make our work stand out and catch more attention.

Basic usages of VERY

So first, let’s understand what is VERY. It is an adverb of degree that tells us about the intensity of something. This is usually placed before the adjective, verb, or another adverb. Other examples of adverb of degree are enough, too, more and extremely.

You can see or hear these words frequently used this way:

I have enough water.

There’s not enough light in here.

My father works too hard.

Ben’s wife is too young.

The tests are getting extremely difficult.

This bag is extremely heavy!

The other garden is more beautiful than this one.

People in rural areas are more welcoming than people in big cities.

The horse is running very fast.

The old man walked very slowly.

Avoid using VERY too many times

As you can see, the underlined words modify or show us the intensity of the words (adjectives and adverbs) that come after them. So, VERY is one of the most common ones that we hear every day. For example in this very short composition, it is being used a lot.

“Hi! I’m Laura. My family is not very rich, but we are not very poor either. We don’t live in a very big house. But my parents, my brother and I enjoy a very peaceful and happy life. My parents work diligently and honestly. They face very hard problems every now and then, but I do my best in school to make them feel proud. My brother and I are careful about keeping our rooms and clothes very clean so that our parents don’t get a headache from the mess. They are very kind parents and that is why we always do our best to help them in our own small ways.”

Let’s try this again by using new vocabulary other than VERY + Adjective.

“Hi! I’m Laura. My family is not wealthy, but we are not destitute either. We don’t live in a humongous house. But my parents, my brother and I enjoy a tranquil and happy life. My parents work diligently and honestly. They face difficult problems every now and then, but I do my best in school to make them feel proud. My brother and I are careful about keeping our rooms and clothes spotless so that our parents don’t get a headache from the mess. They are good-hearted parents and that is why we always do our best to help them in our own small ways.”

You don’t want to say VERY too many times or else you’d sound monotonous, just like in the first composition above. Comparing the two, the second one is more interesting to read. And this would also show your level of fluency because the more vocabulary you use to express your thoughts, the more fluent you are in a language. 

Alternative ways to say VERY

Let’s look at these common collocations for the word VERY.

*Very hot = scalding or scorching. These two are similar and talk about something that’s hot, but they are not the same. Scalding is for liquid, while scorching is for temperature like the heat during summer.

I love summertime but sometimes I don’t want to get out in the scorching sun.

You may want to bring a bottle of cold water. It’s scorching outside.

You don’t want to dip your hand in the pot, it’s scalding. You’d burn yourself.

The tea is scalding! I burned my tongue.

*Very cold = freezing

It’s freezing outside! You better wear thick socks.

*Very boring = dull

The theatrical play we watched last night was dull.

*Very good = superb. The phrase “very good” is actually quite overused. Here are examples:

The movie was very good.

It was a very good dinner.

Our trip to Turkey this year was very good.

The service in that restaurant is very good.

The wine they serve is very good.

And on and on we go. But to show class and some variety, we can use SUPERB or even EXCELLENT! See how these sentences look better?

The food is superb!

The wine they serve is excellent.

Your sister looks superb.

*Very hungry = famished or ravenous

We hiked all day. I’m famished!

I’m ravenous about reading.

*Very slow = sluggish

I am sluggish when I wake up in the morning. I need coffee to make me fully awake.

The project took longer to finish because the workers are sluggish.

*Very fast = rapid or rapidly (adverb)

Busy people walk at a rapid pace.

People from New York speak rapidly compared to people from Texas.

*Very tired = exhausted

I’m exhausted! I’m just about ready to crash.

*Very poor = destitute. Destitute means poor as poor can get. When someone destitute, he is so poor he has barely anything to eat or wear.

I’m looking for a job. I’m destitute.

Churches and charities organize programs to offer help to the destitute.

*Very rich = wealthy. Rich is fine but wealthy is even better. Wealthy is several notches higher than being rich. Take a look at the difference here:

I want to learn English so I get a promotion at work. I want to earn more and be rich!

But wealthy is different.

I want to learn English and partner with many businessmen from different countries around the world. I want to become a wealthy man!

*Very rude. You can instead say “vulgar”. Vulgar means not right or inappropriate.

Kids today seem to be more aggressive and vulgar compared to kids in their grandparents’ time.

*Very short. Use “brief” instead.

The professor gave a brief lecture on the life cycle of elephants.

Here are other examples of collocations for VERY and the alternative words you can use:

1. Very big = humongous

2. Very important = crucial / essential

3. Very busy= swamped

4. Very smart = intelligent

5. Very peaceful = tranquil

6. Very colorful = vibrant

7. Very skillful = seasoned / veteran

8. Very hard = challenging / difficult

9. Very kind = tender-hearted / good-hearted

10. Very sad = depressed / sorrowful

11. Very bad = awful

12. Very worried = anxious

13. Very confused = perplexed

14. Very dirty = squalid

15. Very clean = spotless

If you can throw in these words to your speech, you’d sound quite eloquent and interesting to hear. People will like listening to you more. Your work in writing will be guaranteed top notch as well! It’s always rewarding to expand your English vocabulary.

Related Articles:

• When to use “S” at the End of a Word?
• What’s the Difference between Active and Passive Voice in English Writing?
• How to Use Quotation Marks Properly
• The Proper Use of “Unless” in Everyday English
• What’s the Difference between ‘Whether’ and ‘If’?

• Adjectives
• Adverbs
• High Intermediate
• Intermediate
• Vocabulary

Using the same words over and over can make your writing sound dull. To avoid this problem, it is important to have a good selection of synonyms to use in place of the word “very”.

This article will provide readers with a list of alternatives for this common word, as well as advice on how to use them effectively. We will look at examples of different kinds of words that can replace “very,” such as adverbs, adjectives, and even nouns.

Words to Use Instead of Very

Very accurate	Exact
Very afraid	Terrified
Very afraid	Fearful
Very angry	Furious
Very bad	Atrocious
Very beautiful	Exquisite
Very big	Immense
Very boring	Dull
Very brave	Courageous
Very bright	Luminous
Very busy	Overloaded
Very calm	Serene
Very careful	Cautious
Very charmed	Mesmerized
Very cheap	Stingy
Very clean	Spotless
Very clever	Brilliant
Very cold	Freezing
Very colorful	Vibrant
Very compete	Comprehensive
Very competitive	Cutthroat
Very confused	Perplexed
Very conventional	Conservative
Very core	Gist
Very creative	Innovative
Very crowded	Bustling
Very cute	Adorable
Very dangerous	Threatening
Very dark	Lightless
Very dear	Cherished
Very deep	Profound
Very depressed	Despondent
Very detailed	Meticulous
Very different	Disparate
Very difficult	Challenging
Very disagreeable	Obnoxious
Very distressing	Dreadful
Very dry	Parched
Very dull	Tedious
Very eager	Keen
Very easy	Smooth
Very empty	Desolate
Very empty	Desolate
Very evil	Wicked
Very excited	Thrilled
Very exciting	Exhilarating
Very expensive	Costly
Very fancy	Lavish
Very far away	Distant
Very fast	Quick
Very fat	Obese
Very fierce	Relentless
Very fond	Attached
Very fortunate	Blessed
Very friendly	Affectionate
Very funny	Hilarious
Very glad	Overjoyed
Very good	Excellent
Very gracefully	Lithely
Very great	Terrific
Very greedy	Impatient
Very happy	Ecstatic
Very hard	Difficult
Very hard to find	Rare
Very high	Soaring
Very huge	Colossal
Very humble	Courteous
Very hungry	Starving
Very hurt	Battered/crushed
Very important	Crucial
Very inexpensive	Cheap
Very interesting	Fascinating
Very jolly	Carefree
Very kind	Considerate
Very large	Huge
Very lazy	Indolent
Very light	Luminous
Very limited	Finite
Very little	Tiny
Very lively	Animated
Very long	Extensive
Very long-term	Enduring
Very loose	Slack
Very loud	Deafening
Very loved	Adored
Very lovely	Stunning
Very mean	Cruel
Very messy	Slovenly
Very much	Enough
Very neat	Immaculate
Very necessary	Essential
Very nervous	Apprehensive
Very nice	Kind
Very noisy	Deafening
Very numerous	Diverse
Very often	Frequently
Very old	Ancient
Very open	Transparent
Very painful	Excruciating
Very pale	Ashen
Very perfect	Flawless
Very pleasant	Amiable
Very powerful	Compelling
Very pretty	Beautiful
Very protective	Defensive
Very proud	Honored
Very quick	Rapid
Very quiet	Silent
Very rainy	Pouring
Very rainy	Drizzly
Very realistic	Practical
Very rich	Wealthy
Very risky	Perilous
Very roomy	Spacious
Very sad	Sorrowful
Very scared	Petrified
Very serious	Grave
Very sharp	Keen
Very shiny	Gleaming
Very short	Brief
Very shy	Timid
Very simple	Basic
Very skinny	Skeletal
Very sleepy	Lethargic
Very slow	Sluggish
Very smart	Intelligent
Very smelly	Pungent
Very smooth	Sleek
Very soft	Downy
Very sorry	Apologetic
Very special	Exceptional
Very strong	Unyielding
Very stupid	Idiotic
Very sure	Certain
Very talented	Gifted
Very tall	Towering
Very tasty	Delicious
Very thin	Gaunt
Very tight	Constricting
Very tired	Exhausted
Very ugly	Hideous
Very unhappy	Miserable
Very upset	Distraught
Very valuable	Precious
Very warm	Hot
Very weak	Frail
Very well-to-do	Wealthy
Very wet	Soaked
Very wicked	Villainous
Very willing	Eager
Very windy	Blustery
Very wise	Sagacious
Very wise	Sage
Very worried	Distressed
Very accurate	Exact
Very afraid	Fearful
Very angry	Furious
Very bad	Awful
Very beautiful	Gorgeous
Very big	Massive
Very boring	Dull
Very bright	Luminous
Very busy	Swamped
Very calm	Serene
Very careful	Cautious
Very cheap	Stingy
Very clean	Spotless
Very clear	Obvious
Very clever	Intelligent
Very cold	Freezing
Very colorful	Vibrant
Very confused	Perplexed
Very creative	Innovative
Very crowded	Bustling
Very cute	Adorable
Very dear	Cherished
Very deep	Profound
Very difficult	Arduous
Very dirty	Filthy
Very dry	Arid
Very dull	Tedious
Very eager	Keen
Very easy	Effortless
Very empty	Desolate
Very evil	Wicked
Very excited	Thrilled
Very exciting	Exhilarating
Very expensive	Costly
Very fancy	Lavish
Very fast	Quick
Very fat	Obese
Very fierce	Ferocious
Very friendly	Amiable
Very funny	Hilarious
Very glad	Overjoyed
Very good	Excellent
Very great	Terrific
Very happy	Ecstatic
Very hard	Difficult
Very heavy	Leaden
Very huge	Colossal
Very hungry	Starving
Very hurt	Battered
Very large	Huge
Very lazy	Indolent
Very light	Luminous
Very little	Tiny
Very lively	Animated
Very long	Extensive
Very loose	Slack
Very lovely	Adorable
Very mean	Cruel
Very messy	Slovenly
Very nice	Kind
Very noisy	Deafening
Very often	Frequently
Very old	Ancient
Very open	Transparent
Very pale	Ashen
Very perfect	Flawless
Very poor	Destitute
Very powerful	Compelling
Very pretty	Beautiful
Very quick	Rapid
Very quiet	Hushed
Very rainy	Pouring
Very rich	Wealthy
Very sad	Sorrowful
Very scared	Petrified
Very scary	Chilling
Very serious	Grave
Very sharp	Keen
Very shiny	Gleaming
Very short	Brief
Very shy	Timid
Very simple	Basic
Very skinny	Skeletal
Very slow	Sluggish
Very small	Petite
Very smart	Intelligent
Very smooth	Sleek
Very soft	Downy
Very sorry	Apologetic
Very special	Exceptional
Very strong	Forceful
Very stupid	Idiotic
Very sure	Certain
Very sweet	Thoughtful
Very talented	Gifted
Very tall	Towering
Very tasty	Delicious
Very thirsty	Parched
Very tight	Constricting
Very tiny	Minuscule
Very tired	Exhausted
Very ugly	Hideous
Very upset	Distraught
Very warm	Hot
Very weak	Frail
Very wet	Soaked
Very wide	Expansive
Very willing	Eager
Very windy	Blustery
Very wise	Sage
Very worried	Distressed

Words Instead of Very – Video Lesson

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