1
: to a high degree : exceedingly
very hot
didn't hurt very much
2
: in actual fact : truly
the very best store in town
told the very same story
verier; veriest
1
2
a
: unqualified, sheer
the very shame of it
3
—used as an intensive especially to emphasize identity
before my very eyes
5
: being the same one : selfsame
the very man I saw
6
: special, particular
the very essence of truth is plainness and brightness—
John Milton
John MiltonSynonyms
Adverb
- achingly
- almighty
- archly
- awful
- awfully
- badly
- beastly
- blisteringly
- bone
- colossally
- corking
- cracking
- damn
- damned
- dang
- deadly
- desperately
- eminently
- enormously
- especially
- ever
- exceedingly
- exceeding
- extra
- extremely
- fabulously
- fantastically
- far
- fiercely
- filthy
- frightfully
- full
- greatly
- heavily
- highly
- hugely
- immensely
- incredibly
- intensely
- jolly
- majorly
- mightily
- mighty
- monstrous [chiefly dialect]
- mortally
- most
- much
- particularly
- passing
- rattling
- real
- really
- right
- roaring
- roaringly
- seriously
- severely
- so
- sore
- sorely
- spanking
- specially
- stinking
- such
- super
- supremely
- surpassingly
- terribly
- that
- thumping
- too
- unco
- uncommonly
- vastly
- vitally
- way
- whacking
- wicked
- wildly
Adjective
Examples of very in a Sentence
Adverb
that was a very brave thing to do
the very same thing happened to me
Adjective
we stayed in the very hotel my parents stayed in for their honeymoon
the very thought of having to go through that again is scary
Recent Examples on the WebLars Brandle, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2024
Last week, Trump Media disclosed losing $58 million last year on very light revenue of just $4.1 million.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
Aron said the program has been very successful but didn’t provide numbers.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2024
The co-dependency is a very interesting dynamic, which can become unhealthy.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
By Belinda Luscombe April 9, 2024 7:00 AM EDT
Thanksgiving this year arrives three weeks after what's promising to be a very divisive election.
—Belinda Luscombe, TIME, 9 Apr. 2024
And what most concerns U.S. officials is that members of South American gangs, such as the Tren de Aragua and El Salvador’s MS-13, are normally very young and have no fear of the police.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
Country music fans and those seeking celestial wonder were converging in the Texas capital city as the CMT Awards were taking place downtown that night and the very next day, Austin stood to be in the path of totality for a total solar eclipse.
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2024
This cream blush has a very pigmented formula, so a little goes a long way.
—Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 9 Apr. 2024
Kriston Capps, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
Still, being contacted by family members could put you in an awkward position; strictly, the very existence of the therapeutic relationship is privileged.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
This generation now faces retirement decisions influenced not only by personal desires but also by those very shifts.
—Tim Fries, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
The Science of Siblings is a new series exploring the ways our siblings can influence us, from our money and our mental health all the way down to our very molecules.
—Jon Hamilton, NPR, 9 Apr. 2024
Aging happens throughout our lives, right from the very beginning.
—Jessica Dulong, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
When the story came out, politicians did indeed come under fire, not only for spending taxpayer dollars on an outmoded bunker but also for the very idea of saving Congress while ordinary citizens were left out in the cold.
—Emily Matchar, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Apr. 2024
Just over a decade ago, these same countries — looked down upon as spendthrift and less productive — were at the core of a debt crisis that called into question the currency’s very survival.
—Rodrigo Orihuela, Fortune Europe, 9 Apr. 2024
Green tech grows as economy slows China’s metamorphosis into clean tech giant was ordered from the very top.
—Christian Shepherd, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Adverb
Fallon is celebrating his own special moment, the 10-year milestone as host of his very own late night show.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2024
Last week, Trump Media disclosed losing $58 million last year on very light revenue of just $4.1 million.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
Aron said the program has been very successful but didn’t provide numbers.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2024
The co-dependency is a very interesting dynamic, which can become unhealthy.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
By Belinda Luscombe April 9, 2024 7:00 AM EDT
Thanksgiving this year arrives three weeks after what's promising to be a very divisive election.
—Belinda Luscombe, TIME, 9 Apr. 2024
And what most concerns U.S. officials is that members of South American gangs, such as the Tren de Aragua and El Salvador’s MS-13, are normally very young and have no fear of the police.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
Country music fans and those seeking celestial wonder were converging in the Texas capital city as the CMT Awards were taking place downtown that night and the very next day, Austin stood to be in the path of totality for a total solar eclipse.
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2024
This cream blush has a very pigmented formula, so a little goes a long way.
—Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 9 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Maybe the most surprising moment comes at the very beginning.
—Kriston Capps, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
Still, being contacted by family members could put you in an awkward position; strictly, the very existence of the therapeutic relationship is privileged.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
This generation now faces retirement decisions influenced not only by personal desires but also by those very shifts.
—Tim Fries, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
The Science of Siblings is a new series exploring the ways our siblings can influence us, from our money and our mental health all the way down to our very molecules.
—Jon Hamilton, NPR, 9 Apr. 2024
Aging happens throughout our lives, right from the very beginning.
—Jessica Dulong, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
When the story came out, politicians did indeed come under fire, not only for spending taxpayer dollars on an outmoded bunker but also for the very idea of saving Congress while ordinary citizens were left out in the cold.
—Emily Matchar, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Apr. 2024
Just over a decade ago, these same countries — looked down upon as spendthrift and less productive — were at the core of a debt crisis that called into question the currency’s very survival.
—Rodrigo Orihuela, Fortune Europe, 9 Apr. 2024
Green tech grows as economy slows China’s metamorphosis into clean tech giant was ordered from the very top.
—Christian Shepherd, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'very.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near very
Cite this Entry
“Very.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/very. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
very
1 of 2 adjective
verier; veriest
1
: being actual or real
2
a
: exact entry 2 sense 1, precise
the very heart of the city
b
: exactly suitable or necessary
the very thing for the purpose
3
: mere entry 2, bare
the very thought terrified them
4
: exactly the same
the very one I saw yesterday
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