Using “very” frequently in writing can make your language feel repetitive and imprecise. Opting for a more specific word in place of “very” helps make your sentences more engaging and refined. Here’s a quick list of 50 powerful words to use instead of very to help you create more vivid and professional writing.
50 Words to Use Instead of Very
- Very good – Excellent
- Very bad – Atrocious
- Very big – Enormous
- Very small – Minuscule
- Very strong – Unyielding
- Very weak – Feeble
- Very bright – Luminous
- Very dark – Pitch-black
- Very hot – Scorching
- Very cold – Freezing
- Very noisy – Deafening
- Very quiet – Hushed
- Very happy – Elated
- Very sad – Heartbroken
- Very tired – Exhausted
- Very clean – Spotless
- Very dirty – Filthy
- Very fast – Swift
- Very slow – Sluggish
- Very old – Ancient
- Very new – Brand-new
- Very important – Crucial
- Very interesting – Fascinating
- Very boring – Monotonous
- Very beautiful – Gorgeous
- Very ugly – Hideous
- Very angry – Furious
- Very calm – Serene
- Very smart – Intelligent
- Very stupid – Idiotic
- Very expensive – Costly
- Very cheap – Inexpensive
- Very hungry – Famished
- Very thirsty – Parched
- Very dangerous – Perilous
- Very safe – Secure
- Very easy – Effortless
- Very hard – Arduous
- Very poor – Destitute
- Very rich – Wealthy
- Very busy – Swamped
- Very lucky – Fortunate
- Very unlucky – Cursed
- Very sharp – Keen
- Very soft – Downy
- Very hardworking – Diligent
- Very friendly – Amiable
- Very caring – Compassionate
- Very talented – Gifted
- Very accurate – Precise
Examples of Replacing Very with Stronger Words
1. Very Good → Excellent
- Example: The presentation was very good. → The presentation was excellent.
2. Very Bad → Atrocious
- Example: The service was very bad. → The service was atrocious.
3. Very Big → Enormous
- Example: Their house was very big. → Their house was enormous.
4. Very Small → Minuscule
- Example: The writing was very small. → The writing was minuscule.
5. Very Strong → Unyielding
- Example: Her beliefs were very strong. → Her beliefs were unyielding.
6. Very Weak → Feeble
- Example: The excuse was very weak. → The excuse was feeble.
7. Very Bright → Luminous
- Example: The stars were very bright. → The stars were luminous.
8. Very Dark → Pitch-black
- Example: The room was very dark. → The room was pitch-black.
9. Very Hot → Scorching
- Example: The desert was very hot. → The desert was scorching.
10. Very Cold → Freezing
- Example: The lake was very cold. → The lake was freezing.
11. Very Noisy → Deafening
- Example: The music was very noisy. → The music was deafening.
12. Very Quiet → Hushed
- Example: The room was very quiet. → The room was hushed.
13. Very Happy → Elated
- Example: She was very happy with the results. → She was elated with the results.
14. Very Sad → Heartbroken
- Example: He was very sad about the loss. → He was heartbroken.
15. Very Tired → Exhausted
- Example: They were very tired after the hike. → They were exhausted after the hike.
16. Very Clean → Spotless
- Example: The kitchen was very clean. → The kitchen was spotless.
17. Very Dirty → Filthy
- Example: The floor was very dirty. → The floor was filthy.
18. Very Fast → Swift
- Example: The athlete ran very fast. → The athlete ran swiftly.
19. Very Slow → Sluggish
- Example: The progress was very slow. → The progress was sluggish.
20. Very Old → Ancient
- Example: The ruins were very old. → The ruins were ancient.
21. Very New → Brand-new
- Example: His car was very new. → His car was brand-new.
22. Very Important → Crucial
- Example: This meeting is very important. → This meeting is crucial.
23. Very Interesting → Fascinating
- Example: The topic was very interesting. → The topic was fascinating.
24. Very Boring → Monotonous
- Example: The class was very boring. → The class was monotonous.
25. Very Beautiful → Gorgeous
- Example: The view was very beautiful. → The view was gorgeous.
26. Very Ugly → Hideous
- Example: The creature was very ugly. → The creature was hideous.
27. Very Angry → Furious
- Example: She was very angry. → She was furious.
28. Very Calm → Serene
- Example: The lake was very calm. → The lake was serene.
29. Very Smart → Intelligent
- Example: He is very smart. → He is intelligent.
30. Very Stupid → Idiotic
- Example: That mistake was very stupid. → That mistake was idiotic.
31. Very Expensive → Costly
- Example: The item was very expensive. → The item was costly.
32. Very Cheap → Inexpensive
- Example: The meal was very cheap. → The meal was inexpensive.
33. Very Hungry → Famished
- Example: I’m very hungry. → I’m famished.
34. Very Thirsty → Parched
- Example: I’m very thirsty. → I’m parched.
35. Very Dangerous → Perilous
- Example: The climb was very dangerous. → The climb was perilous.
36. Very Safe → Secure
- Example: This method is very safe. → This method is secure.
37. Very Easy → Effortless
- Example: The exam was very easy. → The exam was effortless.
38. Very Hard → Arduous
- Example: The journey was very hard. → The journey was arduous.
39. Very Poor → Destitute
- Example: The community was very poor. → The community was destitute.
40. Very Rich → Wealthy
- Example: The man was very rich. → The man was wealthy.
41. Very Busy → Swamped
- Example: I am very busy. → I am swamped.
42. Very Lucky → Fortunate
- Example: She is very lucky. → She is fortunate.
43. Very Unlucky → Cursed
- Example: He felt very unlucky. → He felt cursed.
44. Very Sharp → Keen
- Example: She has a very sharp mind. → She has a keen mind.
45. Very Soft → Downy
- Example: The pillow was very soft. → The pillow was downy.
46. Very Hardworking → Diligent
- Example: She’s very hardworking. → She’s diligent.
47. Very Friendly → Amiable
- Example: The host was very friendly. → The host was amiable.
48. Very Caring → Compassionate
- Example: She is very caring. → She is compassionate.
49. Very Talented → Gifted
- Example: He is very talented. → He is gifted.
50. Very Accurate → Precise
- Example: His aim was very accurate. → His aim was precise.
Use these alternatives for “very” in your writing to bring depth, precision, and clarity to your descriptions, strengthening the impact of your message.