Improve Your English Vocabulary - Stop Saying Very - 50 Alternative Words

The word ‘very’ is used to  emphasise or exaggerate an  

adjective but it’s often overused  and can become very boring. Listen:

Person 1: What’s your new boyfriend like? 

Person 2: He’s very nice and very handsome  and very kind and very sweet and very clever  

and very tall and very interesting  and very creative and very perfect.

Instead of using very all the time you  could show off your vocabulary with more  

precise adjectives. Right now, I’m going to  give you 50 incredibly useful adjectives,  

so grab your notebook and pen, LIKE  and subscribe, and let’s get started.

1. Instead of saying ‘very accurate’, try ‘exact’.  
‘Exact’ means ‘precise’ or ‘not approximated’.  


“Scientists must be exact in their work.”
 2. Instead of saying ‘very afraid’,  

try ‘terrified’. 
To be ‘terrified’  means to feel extreme fear. 
“My  

mother is terrified of mice, and so am I.”
 3. Instead of saying ‘very angry’, try ‘furious’.  


“My manager was furious when I  arrived late for work this morning.”
 

4. Instead of saying ‘very annoying’, try  ‘exasperating’.
 To ‘exasperate’ someone  

means to irritate them intensely. 
“The constant  noise from the neighbours is exasperating.”
 

5. Instead of ‘very bad’, try ‘terrible’. 
“I have  a terrible headache. I may have to lie down.”
 

6. Instead of ‘very beautiful’, try  ‘gorgeous’.
“My girlfriend is gorgeous.”
 

7. Instead of ‘very big’, try  ‘massive’. 
“The cruise ship  

is massive. You could get lost on there, easily.”
 8. Instead of ‘very boring’, try ‘dull’.  


‘Dull’ means lacking interest or excitement.
“I  am sorry to say that the presentation was dull.”
 

9. Instead of saying ‘very calm’, try ‘serene’. 
‘Serene’  means calm, peaceful and untroubled.


“The sound of the sea makes me feel serene.”
 

10. Instead of saying ‘very clean’, try ‘spotless’. 
If  something is ‘spotless’, then it is immaculately  

clean, without a spot.
 “The kitchen was  spotless…before I started cooking.”
 

11. Instead of saying ‘very clear’, try ‘obvious’.  
‘Obvious’ means easily perceived or  

understood.
 “The answer to his transport issue  is obvious, he needs to buy a car.”

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Now back to the lesson.
 12. Instead of ‘very cold’, try ‘freezing’.  


If something is ‘freezing’, it literally means  it has reached freezing temperature of below zero,  

but we colloquially use it as an adjective to  mean extremely cold, even if you’re not quite  

literally freezing. 
“Don’t forget your  coat, it’s freezing outside!”
 

13. Instead of saying ‘very creative’,  try ‘innovative’. 
‘Innovative’  

means new, advanced and original.
 “Walt Disney  is famous for his innovative work in animation.”
 

14. Instead of saying ‘very cute’, try ‘adorable’.  
‘Adorable’ means inspiring great  

affection. 
“Amber’s new puppy is adorable.”

15. Instead of saying ‘very dangerous’, try ‘perilous’.

“The journey to the  top of the mountain was perilous.”

16. Instead of saying ‘very dear’, try ‘cherished’.  
To ‘cherish’ something means to protect and  

care for it lovingly.
 “Grandma is cherished  by all of her children and grandchildren.”
 

17. Instead of saying ‘very detailed’,  try ‘thorough’. 
‘Thorough’  

means completed carefully and meticulously. 
“Right, I  have written a thorough set of instructions.”
 

18. Instead of saying ‘very dull’, try ‘tedious’.  
If something is ‘tedious’, then it is long,  

slow and boring to an extent where  it feels tiresome or monotonous.  

“Being stuck in this traffic is tedious.”

19. Instead of saying ‘very easy’, try ‘effortless’.

If something is described as  ‘effortless’, it is achieved with ease or without much effort.

“I love baking cakes, I’ve been  doing it for years and now it is effortless.”

20. Instead of saying ‘very excited’, try ‘thrilled’.

To be ‘thrilled’ means to feel sudden excitement.


“I’m thrilled that my friend is  coming to visit from America.”
 

21. Instead of saying ‘very exciting’, try  ‘exhilarating’.

If something is ‘exhilarating’, it makes you feel very happy, animated or excited.

“The rollercoaster was exhilarating! Let's go again.”

22. Instead of saying ‘very expensive’, try ‘costly’.

“I am afraid that the renovation will be costly.”

23. Instead of saying ‘very fast’, try  ‘swift’.

‘Swift’ means happening quickly.

“Did you notice that when Michael  arrived, Jane was swift to leave.”

24. Instead of ‘very fancy’, try ‘lavish’.

‘Lavish’ means rich, elaborate or luxurious.

“The party will be lavish so I need a new dress.”

25. Instead of ‘very frightened’, try ‘alarmed’.

To be ‘alarmed’ means to feel  frightened or in danger.

“I was alarmed to find that the front door was open.”

26. Instead of ‘very scary’, try

‘terrifying’.

If something is  ‘terrifying’, it causes extreme fear.

“Horror movies are terrifying.”

27. Another alternative to ‘very scary’,

you could try ‘chilling’.

If something is ‘chilling’, it  is horrifying or frightening to the extent where you makes you feel a chill or a shiver down your  spine.

“Tina told a chilling ghost story.”

28. Instead of ‘very funny’, try ‘hilarious’.

“I have a hilarious story to tell you.”

29. Instead of ‘very happy’, try ‘ecstatic’.

To be ‘ecstatic’ means to feel an overwhelming sense of happiness or joy.

“Joel was ecstatic when he scored 95% on his test.”

30. Instead of ‘very huge’,  try ‘colossal’. 


Now because ‘huge’ is already a non-gradable adjective,  it’s actually grammatically incorrect to use  

‘very’ as a modifier here.

You could emphasise  it by saying something is ‘absolutely huge’, or you could opt for another word altogether like  ‘colossal’.

“Whales are colossal creatures.”

31. Instead of ‘very important’, try ‘crucial’.

If something is ‘crucial’, then it is of great or critical importance.

“It is crucial that  you wear a life jacket while on the boat.”

32. Instead of ‘very interesting’, try  ‘captivating’.

If something is ‘captivating’, it attracts and holds your attention for a long time.

“The ballet performance was captivating.”

33. Instead of ‘very long’, try ‘extensive’.

‘Extensive’ means covering or affecting a large area, or in this case a long time.

“Becoming fluent in English is an extensive process."

34. Instead of ‘very mean’, try ‘cruel’.

To be ‘cruel’ means to intentionally cause pain or suffering, without feeling concern.

“School bullies can be cruel.”

35. Instead of ‘very necessary’, try ‘essential’.

If something is described as ‘essential’, then it is extremely important and you can’t be without it.

“Food is essential to survival.”

36. Instead of ‘very nervous’, try ‘apprehensive’.

To be ‘apprehensive’ means to feel anxious or worried that something bad will happen.

“Kyle is apprehensive about moving schools.”

37. Instead of ‘very noisy’, try ‘deafening’.

If a noise is ‘deafening’, it is so loud that it is impossible to hear anything else.

“The child’s crying was deafening.”

38. Instead of ‘very old’, try ‘ancient’.

‘Ancient’ means belonging to the very distant past.

“The museum is full of ancient artefacts.”

39. Instead of ‘very painful’, try ‘excruciating’.


If something is ‘excruciating’,  then it is intensely painful.


“Having a broken leg can be excruciating.”

40. Instead of ‘very perfect’, try ‘flawless’.


Again, ‘perfect’ is actually a non-gradable  adjective, although you might still hear it used  

with the word ‘very’ from time to time even  though it is grammatically incorrect.

Using a different, more unusual word like ‘flawless’ helps  you to stand out.
 If something is ‘flawless’,  

it means it is without flaws or imperfections.
“She gave  a flawless answer and got a perfect score."
 

41. Instead of ‘very quick’, try ‘rapid’.

“I got a rapid response to my email.”

42. Instead of ‘very short’, try ‘brief’.

If something is ‘brief’, it is of a short duration.

“We had a brief catch up.”

43. Instead of ‘very smelly’, try

‘pungent’.

If something is ‘pungent’, then it  has a sharply strong taste or smell.

“Wow! That cheese is pungent.”

44. Instead of ‘very special’, try

‘exceptional’. 
“Melissa has an exceptional  talent for playing the violin.”
 

45. Instead of ‘very strong’, try ‘forceful’.

If someone or something is ‘forceful’, then they are strong, assertive, vigorous and powerful.

“He has  a reputation for being forceful in his politics.”

46. Instead of ‘very stupid’, try ‘idiotic’.

The  dictionary definition of ‘idiotic’ is literally

‘very stupid’. 
“Going out on a hike in the snow  with no coat, no map and no phone is idiotic.”
 

47. Instead of ‘very tasty’, try ‘delicious’.  


If something is ‘delicious’, then  it is extremely pleasant to eat.  

“The strawberry shortcake was delicious!”

48. Instead of ‘very tired’, try ‘exhausted’.


If something is ‘exhausted’, it is completely  used up. Like if a battery runs out,  

it is ‘exhausted’. We also use this word  to speak about people who are incredibly  

tired.

“They were exhausted after a long day.”

49. Instead of ‘very upset’, try ‘distraught’.  
To be ‘distraught’ means to feel very worried,  

distressed or upset.

“The child was distraught  when she accidentally let go of the balloon.”

50. Lastly, instead of ‘very willing’, try  ‘eager’.

If you are ‘eager’ to do something, then you strongly want to do it.

“Mr Fox is always eager to read.”

So that’s the end of our list!

Did you learn any new words?

Please share any other examples you can  think of in the comments below. And I'll see you in the next class. Bye!