Wordbay guide
Words to use instead of “very”, and when not to
“Very” plus a plain word can often become one precise word: very happy is elated, very hungry is famished, very careful is meticulous, very talkative is loquacious. But a stronger word is not just a louder one. Each carries its own shade of meaning, so pick the one that says what you mean, and keep “very” when it does the job.
Why “very” weakens writing
“Very” is the most common intensifier in English, and that is the problem. Because it goes with almost anything, it tells the reader almost nothing: very angry covers everything from mildly annoyed to shouting in the street. A single precise word draws a sharper picture in fewer words. My father was apoplectic is a different scene from my father was very angry.
Every word below is in Wordbay, and each links to its own page with how to say it, two example sentences and where it comes from. The third column matters as much as the second: these are not drop-in swaps.
Feelings
| Instead of | Try | Careful |
|---|---|---|
| very happy | elated, ebullient | Elated is happiness after something good happens; ebullient is a bubbly, energetic character or mood. |
| very angry | apoplectic, exasperated | Apoplectic is so furious you look ready to burst; exasperated is worn-out irritation at something that keeps happening. |
| very sad | disconsolate, despondent | Disconsolate means nothing can comfort you; despondent means you have lost hope. |
| very disappointed | crestfallen | Sudden disappointment, as when a hope is dashed. You can see it on a face. |
| very shocked | aghast | Sudden horror at something you see or hear, not mild surprise. |
| very confused | nonplussed | Traditionally, so surprised or confused you don’t know how to react. Many people now use it to mean calm and unbothered, so make the context clear. |
| very in love | besotted, smitten | Besotted is so infatuated you can think of little else (often a little foolish); smitten is suddenly and deeply charmed. |
| very keen | ardent | Passionate and enthusiastic: an ardent supporter, an ardent admirer. |
People and behaviour
| Instead of | Try | Careful |
|---|---|---|
| very careful | meticulous, punctilious | Meticulous is great care over every detail; punctilious is about correct behaviour and procedure, such as etiquette or rules. |
| very fussy | fastidious | Very concerned with accuracy and cleanliness, and hard to please. It can be praise or a complaint. |
| very bad-tempered | irascible | Quick to lose your temper: a lasting trait, not one bad day. |
| very hungry | famished, ravenous | Famished is extremely hungry; ravenous is so hungry you would eat almost anything, and often how you eat too. |
| very tired | lethargic | Sluggish and short of energy or enthusiasm, which is not quite the same as sleepy. |
Talking
| Instead of | Try | Careful |
|---|---|---|
| very talkative | loquacious, voluble | Loquacious is talking a great deal, easily and often; voluble is fluent and at length, often on one subject. |
| very wordy | verbose | Using more words than are needed. Always a criticism. |
| very brief | laconic | Using very few words, often in a dry, understated way. It describes a person or a reply, not a short document. |
Money
| Instead of | Try | Careful |
|---|---|---|
| very rich | affluent | Comfortably well off, often of a place or a group: an affluent suburb. Not the super-rich. |
| very poor | impecunious, indigent | Impecunious is having little or no money, often lightly or of students; indigent is lacking the basic necessities, and is serious and formal. |
| very mean with money | parsimonious | Extremely unwilling to spend money or use resources. Disapproving; frugal is the kind word. |
| very profitable | lucrative | Producing a lot of money: a lucrative contract. |
| very lavish | sumptuous | Splendid, rich and clearly expensive, especially of food, rooms or clothes. |
| very little money | a pittance | A noun: a very small or unfairly low amount, usually of pay. |
Time, weather and more
| Instead of | Try | Careful |
|---|---|---|
| very short-lived | ephemeral | Lasting only a very short time: fame, fashions, a mayfly. |
| very soon | imminent | About to happen. Not to be confused with eminent, which means distinguished. |
| very old-fashioned | antediluvian | Ridiculously old-fashioned, and usually said with a smile. Literally, from before the biblical Flood. |
| very heavy (rain) | torrential | Only of rain or something that pours like it: torrential rain, a torrential flow of words. |
| very boring | soporific | So dull it sends you to sleep. It also means literally causing sleep. |
| very smelly | noisome | Foul-smelling or harmful. It has nothing to do with noise. |
When to keep “very”
Swapping every “very” for a rarer word makes writing worse, not better. Keep the plain phrase when:
- The stronger word changes the meaning. Very poor and indigent are not the same: one is a description, the other a formal word for people without the basic necessities.
- Your reader may not know the word. In instructions, safety notes and anything read in a hurry, choose the word every reader knows: the point is to be understood.
- The tone would jump. apoplectic in a friendly email can read as a joke. That is fine if you mean it.
- You have already used a strong word nearby. One vivid word per sentence is plenty.
A good test: read the sentence aloud with each version. If the stronger word makes you sound like someone else, keep your own.
Questions
What can I say instead of very good?
It depends what is good. Food can be delectable or sumptuous, work meticulous, news a relief or a triumph, a performance superb. Name what makes it good and a precise word usually follows.
What is a stronger word for very happy?
Is it wrong to use the word very?
No. “Very” is a normal, useful word, and plain writing uses it often. The advice is only to notice when “very” plus a vague word could be one precise word that says more.
What is another word for very tired?
Exhausted is the everyday choice. Lethargic means sluggish and lacking energy or enthusiasm, which describes a heavy, slow kind of tiredness rather than sleepiness.