Better Words for "very"

“Very + adjective” is almost always a missed opportunity. English has a sharper single word waiting. The list below lets you replace one of the most common writing weaknesses in under a second.

One-word replacements for "very + adjective"

The fastest way to upgrade writing is to replace "very + adjective" pairs with a single stronger word.

WeakStronger
very tiredexhausted, spent, drained
very happyelated, thrilled, overjoyed
very angryfurious, livid, incensed
very smalltiny, miniature, minute
very bighuge, enormous, massive
very goodexcellent, outstanding, superb
very badterrible, dire, abysmal
very fastrapid, swift, instant
very slowsluggish, glacial, plodding
very smartbrilliant, sharp, astute
very dumbfoolish, dense, witless
very beautifulstunning, exquisite, breathtaking
very uglyhideous, grotesque, unsightly
very richwealthy, affluent, well-off
very poordestitute, impoverished, broke
very interestingfascinating, gripping, riveting
very boringtedious, dull, monotonous
very importantcrucial, vital, essential
very nicedelightful, charming, lovely
very busyswamped, slammed, overloaded
very tiredexhausted, depleted, spent
very afraidterrified, petrified, panicked
very sadheartbroken, devastated, somber
very easyeffortless, painless, simple
very hardgrueling, brutal, punishing
very cleanpristine, spotless, immaculate
very dirtyfilthy, grimy, soiled
very coldfreezing, frigid, arctic
very hotscorching, sweltering, blistering
very quietsilent, hushed, still
very louddeafening, thunderous, booming
very strongpowerful, robust, mighty
very weakfeeble, frail, flimsy
very oldancient, aged, elderly
very newbrand-new, fresh, novel
!

Common mistake

When in doubt, cut “very” entirely. Most sentences read better without it, even when no replacement comes to mind.

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