Stop Using "very" And Improve Your Vocabulary

The Irritating question that comes to your mind is “why do I have to avoid the word very when it is widely used in books and daily conversation and why does it sound useless?”

The answer is you have all the right to use “very”. It adds emphasis. But wait, the problem is not about using it but rather about “overusing” it when there are alternative words that will make you look smarter, creative, more precise, and professional.

Here at the Lingwist, we share other adjectives to avoid using “very”, be interesting, and finally express yourself easily in English.

Very + Adjective	Use instead	Example of adjectives in a sentence
afraid	terrified	She was terrified by the thought of him leaving her
angry	furious	There seemed to be no way to escape the anger of this furious man
beautiful	exquisite	She has an exquisite face
big	immense	With immense relief I stopped running
bad	atrocious	The troops suffered atrocious conditions in bitterly cold winters, with temperatures down to minus 30C.
bright	dazzling	He shielded his eyes against the dazzling declining sun
capable	accomplished	He was also an accomplished pianist
clean	spotless	Each morning cleaners make sure everything is spotless
clever	brilliant	Her brilliant performance had earned her two awards
cold	freezing	She stood trembling in the freezing air, hugging the shadows of the Berlin night.
conventional	conservative	It is essentially a narrow and conservative approach to child care.
dirty	squalid	He followed her up a rickety staircase to a squalid bedsit
dry	parched	The clouds gathered and showers poured down upon the parched earth.
eager	keen	He’s a very keen student and works very hard.
fast	quick	You’ll have to be quick. The flight leaves in about three hours.
fierce	ferocious	The police had had to deal with some of the most ferocious violence ever seen on the streets of London
good	superb	The waters are crystal clear and offer a superb opportunity for swimming.
happy	jubilant	Ferdinand was jubilant after making an impressive comeback from a month on the injured list.
hot	scalding	tried to sip the tea but it was scalding.
hungry	ravenous	She realized that she had eaten nothing since leaving home, and she was ravenous.
large	colossal	There has been a colossal waste of public money.
lively	vivacious	She’s beautiful, vivacious, and charming
neat	immaculate	Her front room was kept immaculate
old	ancient	They believed ancient Greece and Rome were vital sources of learning.
poor	destitute	A woman answered the knock at her door and found a destitute man.
risky	perilous	The road grew even steeper and more perilous.
roomy	spacious	The house has a spacious kitchen and dining area.
rude	vulgar	He was a vulgar old man, but he never swore in front of a woman.
serious	solemn	His solemn little face broke into smiles.
small	tiny	The living room is tiny.
strong	unyielding	The authorities proved unyielding on one crucial opposition demand.
stupid	idiotic	It was an idiotic thing to do, not wear a seat belt.
thin	gaunt	Looking gaunt and tired, he denied there was anything to worry about.
tired	drained	I was emotionally drained, hemmed in by my divorce lawyers.
Tiring	grueling	He had complained of exhaustion after his grueling schedule over the past week.
ugly	hideous	She saw a hideous face at the window and screamed.
valuable	precious	A family break allows you to spend precious time together.
weak	feeble	He told them he was old and feeble and was not able to walk so far.
wet	soaked	I have to check my tent–it got soaked last night in the storm.
wicked	villainous	She had a villainous friend.
wise	sagacious	Step by step, with sagacious and patient accuracy, he advanced to the great discovery which has immortalized his name.
worried	anxious	The miners were anxious to avoid a strike.