Speak Smart: Drop "Very" and Use These Words Instead! (D–L)

Do you want a subtle but effective way to demonstrate your English communicative skills? Refine your word choice. Instead of using the word “very” to emphasize the extremity of an adverb or adjective, use single-word adjectives that have the same meaning.

Don’t know what words to use in place of adding “very” before an adverb or adjective? This article can help you out. Below is a list of useful alternative adjectives. Practice integrating them into your speech and writings during your CELPIP Manila classes to enhance your test performance.

	What to use instead of “very”	Examples
very dirty	filthy, grimy	Why are your clothes very dirty? Why are your clothes filthy?
very dull	tedious, boring	The meeting was very dull and uneventful. The meeting was tedious and uneventful.
very evil	wicked, nasty	Due to his looks, few people believed he was capable of committing the very evil deeds. Due to his looks, few people believed he was capable of committing the wicked deeds.
very exciting	exhilarating, astonishing	The magic show was very exciting. The magic show was exhilarating.
very fancy	lavish, opulent, extravagant	Why didn’t you tell me the venue was very fancy? Now I feel underdressed. Why didn’t you tell me the venue was lavish? Now I feel underdressed.
very fast	swift, quick	He was very fast for a beginner. He was quick for a beginner.
very frightening	terrifying, alarming	The waters rose at a very frightening rate. The waters rose at an alarming rate.
very funny	hilarious, humorous	The look on her face when she found out about the prank was very funny. The look on her face when she found out about the prank was hilarious.
very glad/happy	overjoyed, ecstatic	He was very happy with his test results. He was ecstatic with his test results.
very good	excellent, exceptional	Fortunately, he found a very good CELPIP Manila review program. Fortunately, he found an excellent CELPIP Manila review program.
very hard	difficult, challenging	It is a very hard problem. It is a difficult problem.
very hard-to-find	rare, uncommon, singular	True friends are very hard-to-find. True friends are rare.
very hot	sweltering, torrid, scorching	The room was very hot due to the broken air conditioner. The room was sweltering due to the broken air conditioner.
very huge	colossal, gigantic	The sign is very huge. There’s no way you won’t notice it. The sign is gigantic. There’s no way you won’t notice it.
very hungry	starving, ravenous	I didn’t have breakfast. So, I’m very hungry. I didn’t have breakfast. So, I’m starving.
very important	crucial, essential, critical	You play a very important role in the play. You play a crucial role in the play.
very interesting	captivating, fascinating	The lecture is surprisingly very interesting. The lecture is surprisingly fascinating.
very kind	compassionate, considerate	He was very kind to his people. He was compassionate to his people.
very lazy	idle, indolent, apathetic	The manager told me that you’re all very lazy when it comes to paperwork. Is that true? The manager told me that you’re all idle when it comes to paperwork. Is that true?
very little	tiny, minuscule	The change is very little. The guests won’t notice it. The change is minuscule. The guests won’t notice it.

Show off your mastery of the language with on-point word choice. Drop the word “very” from your vocabulary and rely on these adjectives to convey extreme connotations. Want to learn more ways to supercharge your speech and writings for the high-stakes exam? Enroll in a JRooz CELPIP review center Philippines.

References:

Wong, Kristin. “This Infographic Lists 128 Words You Can Use Instead of “Very.” Life Hacker. June 29, 2016. Accessed October 16, 2018. http://lifehacker.com/this-infographic-lists-128-words-you-can-use-instead-of-1782748063

Frost, Jennifer. “147 Words to Use Instead of “Very” (Infographic).” Grammar Check. November 21, 2016. Accessed October 16, 2018. http://www.grammarcheck.net/very/

“128 Words to Use Instead of "Very".” Proof Reading Services. Accessed October 16, 2018. https://www.proofreadingservices.com/pages/very