Very

adj, adv, name

adj, adv, name ·2 syllables ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    True, real, actual. literary, not-comparable, usually

    "The fierce hatred of a very woman."

  2. 2
    The same; identical. not-comparable, usually

    "He proposed marriage in the same restaurant, at the very table where they first met."

  3. 3
    With limiting effect: mere. not-comparable, usually

    "The very idea of climbing the ladder brings me out in a sweat. The very idea/thought!"

Adjective
  1. 1
    precisely as stated wordnet
  2. 2
    being the exact same one; not any other: wordnet
Adverb
  1. 1
    To a great extent or degree. not-comparable

    "That dress is very you."

  2. 2
    Conforming to fact, reality or rule; true. not-comparable
  3. 3
    Used to firmly establish that nothing else surpasses in some respect. not-comparable

    "He was the very best runner there."

Adverb
  1. 1
    used to give emphasis wordnet
  2. 2
    precisely so wordnet
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname, variant of Verey.

Synonyms

All synonyms
precisereallyselfsametrulya bita little

Example

More examples

"My mom doesn't speak English very well."

Etymology

From Middle English verray, from Old French verai (“true”), from Early Medieval Latin vērāgus, from Classical Latin vērāx, derived from vērus, from Proto-Italic *wēros, from Proto-Indo-European *weh₁ros. Distantly cognate with the Old English wǣr (“true”). Over time displaced the use of a number of Germanic words or prefixes to convey the sense 'very' such as fele, full-, mægen, sore, sin-, swith, (partially) wel.

Related phrases

Very ReverendVery ReverendVery lightVery pistolall very wellat the very leastat the very mostfor very shame's sakefuck you very muchhow very dare youin very deedmy very easy method just speeds up naming planets

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Alternatives to "Very": Stronger Adjectives by Context

Replace weak intensifiers with precise words for formal, creative, and persuasive writing.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.