Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.

Very

Definition: Very

Very

Adjective

1. Precisely as stated; "the very center of town".

2. Being the exact same one; not any other:; "this is the identical room we stayed in before"; "the themes of his stories are one and the same"; "saw the selfsame quotation in two newspapers"; "on this very spot"; "the very thing he said yesterday"; "the very man I want to see".

3. Used to give emphasis to the relevance of the thing modified; "his very name struck terror"; "caught in the very act".

4. Used to give emphasis; "the very essence of artistic expression is invention"- Irving R. Kaufman; "the very back of the room".

Adverb

1. Intensifiers; "she was very gifted"; "he played very well"; "a really enjoyable evening"; (`real' is sometimes used informally for `really' as in "I'm real sorry about it"; `rattling' is informal as in "a rattling good yarn").

2. Precisely so; "on the very next page"; "he expected the very opposite".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "very" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references)

 

Specialty Definition: Very

DomainDefinition

Multilingual Slang

Alemannic (Elends- ), Hungarian (tök). (references)

Tips from 1870

Usage: Most, Almost, Very. Sometimes incorrectly used for almost, as "He writes to me most every week."
It is often loosely used in the sense of very, as "This is a most interesting book." Aim to use most only as the superlative of much, or many. Do not use the indefinite article before it, as "This is a most beautiful picture." We may say "This is the most beautiful picture," for here comparison is implied.
Usage: Pretty, Very. Pretty is often incorrectly used in the sense of very or moderately, as "He was pretty badly hurt," "He is a pretty good scholar," "She is pretty wealthy," "Thomas is pretty ugly." So common is this provincialism in some localities that the incongruity of such an expression as the last would pass undiscovered. Source: Slips of Speech.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Abbreviations & Acronyms: Very

The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted.
EntrySourceExpressionField
VEGEnglishVery Evil GrinComputer - (slang, Usenet, IRC)

Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

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Synonyms: Very

Synonyms: identical (adj), one and the same(p) (adj), selfsame(a) (adj), very(a) (adj), rattling (adv), real (adv), really (adv). (additional references)

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Synonyms within Context: Very

ContextSynonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus).

Greatness

Greatly; Adjective: much, muckle, well, indeed, very, very much, a deal, no end of, most, not a little; pretty, pretty well; enough, in a great measure, richly; to a large extent, to a great extent, to a gigantic extent; on a large scale; so; never so, ever so; ever so dole; scrap, shred, tag, splinter, rag, much; by wholesale; mighty, powerfully; with a witness, ultra, in the extreme, extremely, exceedingly, intensely, exquisitely, acutely, indefinitely, immeasurably; beyond compare, beyond comparison, beyond measure, beyond all bounds; incalculably, infinitely.

Identity

Facsimile; (copy); homoousia: alter ego; (similar); ipsissima verba; (exactness); same; self, very, one and the same; very thing, actual thing; real McCoy; no other; one and only; in the flesh.

Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus.

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Crosswords: Very

English words defined with "very": not very likelyVery light, very loudly, very much, very softly. (references)
Specialty definitions using "very": Very high bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line, Very Large Database, Very Large Memory, Very Large Scale Integration, Very low-calorie diet, Very much of, Very pleased, very seriously ill, Very Small Aperture Terminal, very toxic. (references)
Etymologies containing "very": Warlock. (references)

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Modern Usage: Very

DomainUsage

Screenplays

Oh, yes. Very well (Fletch; writing credit: Andrew Bergman. Based on the novel by Gregory McDonald.)

To deny our own impulses is to deny the very thing that makes us human (The Matrix; writing credit: Andy Wachowski; Larry Wachowski)

Claudia, you have been a very, very naughty little girl (Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles; writing credit: Anne Rice)

I have a feeling they're very slow (Notorious; writing credit: Ben Hecht)

Yes, we were, very. Oh, don't be so impatient, Comrade Engineer (Doctor Zhivago; writing credit: Boris Pasternak; Robert Bolt)

Lyrics

this very moment (This Very Moment; performing artist: K-Ci & JoJo)

Never seem to get me very far (Duck And Run; performing artist: 3 Doors Down)

They didn't last very long and they've been pretty scarce (Lay All Your Love On Me; performing artist: Abba)

For last night, I made love for the very (Can't Stop; performing artist: After 7)

Together during a very tumultuous time (Unsent; performing artist: Alanis Morissette)

Clever

When angry, count four! when very angry, swear. (references; author: Mark Twain)

The gap between advice and help is very wide. (references; author: unknown)

A man who thinks he is smarter than his wife has a very smart wife! (references; author: unknown)

Having your lawyer pay for lunch will be very expensive in the end. (references; author: unknown)

Life lesson: There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness. (references; author: unknown)

Tongue Twisters

Vincent vowed vengence very vehemently. (references; author: unknown)

Movie/TV Titles

A Very Natural Thing (1974)

Very Remby (1974)

A Very Merry Cricket (1973)

Haunts of the Very Rich (1972)

A Very Missing Person (1972)

Song Titles

You’ve Made Me So Very Happy (performing artist: Sweat and Tears Blood)

Once In A Very Blue Moon (performing artist: Nanci Griffith)

A Very Cellular Song (performing artist: The Incredible String Band)

This Very Moment (performing artist: K-Ci & JoJo)

So Very Hard To Go (performing artist: Tower of Power)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Commercial Usage: Very

DomainTitle

References

  

Books

  • Living with God in my heart : a meditation : simple reflections on a very beautiful, consoling, sanctifying, and amazing, yet oft-forgotten grace given to us in baptism (reference)

  • A Very Large Consulate (reference)

  • A Very Thin Line: The Iran-Contra Affairs (reference)

  • The Lobster Chronicles: Life on a Very Small Island (reference)

  • Baby Names Now: From Classic to Cool, the Very Last Word on First Names (reference)

    (more book examples)

  

Periodicals

  

Theater & Movies

  • Disney's Sing Along Songs - Very Merry Christmas Songs (reference)

  • The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Stories (reference)

  • Winnie the Pooh - A Very Merry Pooh Year (reference)

    (more DVD examples; more video examples)

  

Music

  

Consumer Goods

  • OXO Good Grips Uplift Teakettle, Very White (reference)

  • DeWalt DW3940 #2/0 Skip Tooth Scroll Saw Blades - Very Fine Fret Work (12-Pack) (reference)

  • DeWalt DW3949 #5 Precision Ground Scroll Saw Blades - Very Fine Fret Work (6-Pack) (reference)

    (more baby examples; more wireless phone examples; more garden examples; more kitchen examples; more tool examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Image Slideshow: Very

Photos:
Very

More pictures...

Illustrations:
Very

More pictures...

Computer Images:
Very

More pictures...

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Photo Album: Very

ThumbnailDescription & CreditThumbnailDescription & Credit

Pictured is a breast cancer cell, photographed by a scanning electron microscope, which produces a 3-dimensional images. This picture shows the overall shape of the cell's surface at a very high magnification. Cancer cells are best identified by internal details, but research with a scanning electron microscope can show how cells respond in changing environments and can show mapping distribution of binding sites of hormones and other biological molecules. Credit: Unknown photographer/artist.

Francisella tularensis is a poorly staining, very tiny gram-negative coccobacillus (0.2-0.7 µm), seen mostly as single cells. Bipolar staining is not a distinctive feature. Credit: CDC.

These very slow growing tumors usually originate from enterochromaffin cells of the small intestine, and are very rare. One quarter of the time they develop in the lungs. Credit: CDC.

"Asterias" by Rainer Wonisch. Very high resolution; might take a few seconds to generate.

"Blume12" by Rainer Wonisch. Very high resolution; might take a few seconds to generate.

Exciting Hubble telescope images of more than a dozen very distant colliding galaxies indicate ... Credit: NASA.

The deepest views of the cosmos from the Hubble Space Telescope yield clues that the very ... Credit: NASA.

Overhead view of Hurricane Andrew on 25 August 1992 at 20:20 UT.The cloud data are from GOES-7 (Geostationary OperationalEnvironmental Satellite), while the vegetation is derived from AVHRR(Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometers). Credit: NASA.

The Parana River delta is a huge forested marshland about 32km northeast of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The area is a very popular tour destination. Guided boat tours can be taken into this vast labyrinth of marsh and trees. The Parana River delta is one of the world's greatest bird-watching destinations. This image highlights the striking contrast between dense forest and wetland marshes, and the deep blue ribbon of the Parana River. Credit: NASA.

Polar bear - Ursus maritimus - hunting near large group of walrus. Polar bear normally won't attack walrus unless walrus is sick or very young. Credit: NOAA's Ark (Animals).

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

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Digital Photo Gallery: Very
 

"A very old wood table" by Dino Gracio
Commentary: "Clicked (1972) in a centenary house in a very small city in Goias, Brasil."
"Very little pony with his moth" by Remco Oostlander
Commentary: "Very little pony with his mother eating some grass."

Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers.

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Sounds Captioned with "Very".

PlayCaptionPlayCaption
A minor etude very characteristic of Chopin.A very 1960's style folk guitar strumming pattern.
Very Michael MacDonald sounding tune from the mid-1980's.Very pervasive rhythmic excerpt typical of an adventure television show. .
A very Mozart-sounding piano excerpt.Very quick supporting melody and repetitive piano melody with environmental sounds.
A bamboo flute playing a slow minor melody very rubato.An excerpt very reflective of the compositional style of Chopin.
Quick shuffle rhythm with very stiff melodic material.Very active synthesizer with creeping sounds and synthesized flutes and strings.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Familiar Quotations: Very

AuthorQuotation

Denis Diderot

Good music is very close to primitive language.

Henry David Thoreau

All good things are cheap: all bad are very dear.

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

When ideas fail, words come in very handy.

Jonathan Swift

'Tis very warm weather when one's in bed.

Lord Quintin Hogg Hailsham

Abuse is the very hallmark of liberty.

Ovid

Envy aims very high.

Robert Browning

How very hard it is to be a Christian!

Voltaire

The superfluous is very necessary.

William James

Events are influenced by our very great desires.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Historic Usage: Very

AuthorDateQuotation

Magna Carta

1215

In the first place we have granted to God, and by this our present charter confirmed for us and our heirs forever that the English Church shall be free, and shall have her rights entire, and her liberties inviolate; and we will that it be thus observed; which is apparent from this that the freedom of elections, which is reckoned most important and very essential to the English Church, we, of our pure and unconstrained will, did grant, and did by our charter confirm and did obtain the ratification of the same from our lord, Pope Innocent III, before the quarrel arose between us and our barons: and this we will observe, and our will is that it be observed in good faith by our heirs forever. (reference)

John Locke

1690

And he certainly can have no absolute power over the whole family, who has but a very limited one over every individual in it. (Second Treatise of Government)

Marbury v. Madison

1803

This is of the very essence of judicial duty. (reference)

Communist Manifesto

1848

The development of Modern Industry, therefore, cuts from under its feet the very foundation on which the bourgeoisie produces and appropriates products. (reference)

Winston S. Churchill

1946

That I feel is an open cause of policy of very great importance . ("Iron Curtain" Speech)

Brown v. Board of Education

1954

It is the very foundation of good citizenship. (reference)

John F. Kennedy

1961

The world is very different now. (reference)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Use in Literature: Very

TitleAuthorQuote

Emma

Austen, Jane

Now, however, I see nothing in it but a very natural and consistent degree of discretion

Through the Looking-Glass

Carroll, Lewis

Alice took a piece to taste, but it was very dry.

A Christmas Carol

Dickens, Charles

Very.

Scarlet Letter

Hawthorne, Nathaniel

Now, why the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale considered it so very fortunate, we hesitate to reveal

Les Miserables

Hugo, Victor

He was very pale, though dripping with sweat

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Joyce, James

Very cool and mollifying

King Richard III

Shakespeare, William

Write to me very shortly, And you shall understand from me her mind

Grapes of Wrath

Steinbeck, John

He smiled, and his teeth were very white against his brown skin

Gulliver's Travels

Swift, Jonathan

I soon fell into some acquaintance, and was very hospitably received

Walden

Thoreau, Henry David

Undoubtedly the very tedium and ennui which presume to have exhausted the variety and the joys of life are as old as Adam

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Non-Fiction Usage: Very

SubjectTopicQuote

Health

Autism is very complex. (references)

This is a very rare occurrence. (references)

GVHD can be mild or very severe. (references)

Business

Market segmentation is very important. (references)

Also very important is market promotion. (references)

Generally, sales have been very encouraging. (references)

Children

Laos

The level of support for education is very low. (references)

Gambia

The participation of girls in education is very low. (references)

Solomon Islands

School fees are very expensive in terms of local incomes; all students must pay. (references)

Civil Liberties

Romania

The Greek Catholic Church has very few places of worship. (references)

Malaysia

Approvals for such permits sometimes were granted very slowly. (references)

Korea

Only members of a very small elite have vehicles for personal use. (references)

Discrimination

Korea

Ethnic minorities are very small in number and face both legal and societal discrimination. (references)

Economic History

Burkina Faso

March-June can be very hot. (references)

Nigeria

Tax evasion is very common. (references)

Human Rights

Morocco

The case remains very visible. (references)

Kenya

Very few can afford attorneys. (references)

Barbados

Prison conditions are very inadequate. (references)

Indigenous People

El Salvador

In reality, very few persons speak the indigenous language of Nahuatl. (references)

Guatemala

For this reason, indigenous men constitute a very high percentage of the military's ranks. (references)

Guatemala

The culture of another very small ethnic group, the Xinca of southeastern Guatemala, was also in danger of extinction. (references)

Minorities

Greece

Ethnic Greeks tend to link religious affiliation very closely to ethnicity. (references)

Yugoslavia

Very few ethnic Albanians are employed by municipal governments in the region. (references)

Slovenia

Some have lived in the country for hundreds of years, while others are very recent migrants. (references)

Political Economy

ALGERIA

This program is very ambitious. (references)

SWITZERLAND

Enforcement is generally very good. (references)

Bolivia

U.S.-Bolivian relations are very good. (references)

Political Rights

Eritrea

Authority within the Government is held very narrowly among a small group of former fighters. (references)

Syria

The President and his senior aides, particularly those in the military and security services, ultimately make most basic decisions in political and economic life, with a very limited degree of public accountability. (references)

Moldova

The Braghis Alliance (a very loose coalition of mainly centrist political figures, government members, and independent Deputies under the nominal leadership of then-Prime Minister Dumitru Braghis) received 13.4 percent of the vote. (references)

Trade

Pakistan

IFC is very active in Pakistan. (references)

Venezuela

Venezuelan mail is very unreliable. (references)

Israel

Israel maintains very few export controls. (references)

Travel

Hong Kong

Rents for housing are very high. (references)

Ghana

Very clean and bright atmosphere. (references)

Senegal

Cellular telephones are very popular. (references)

Women

Mali

Women have very limited access to legal services. (references)

Lesotho

Polygyny was practiced by a very small percentage of the population. (references)

Greece

In all four cases, the courts reportedly imposed very lenient civil sentences. (references)

Worker Rights

Thailand

Also, begging gangs in Bangkok use very young children. (references)

Lesotho

The labor and trade union movement was very weak and fragmented. (references)

Romania

A very small number of local NGO's dealt with trafficking issues. (references)

Lexicography

Devil's Dictionary

HADES, n. The lower world; the residence of departed spirits; the place where the dead live. Among the ancients the idea of Hades was not synonymous with our Hell, many of the most respectable men of antiquity residing there in a very comfortable kind of way. Indeed, the Elysian Fields themselves were a part of Hades, though they have since been removed to Paris. When the Jacobean version of the New Testament was in process of evolution the pious and learned men engaged in the work insisted by a majority vote on translating the Greek word "Aides" as "Hell"; but a conscientious minority member secretly possessed himself of the record and struck out the objectional word wherever he could find it. At the next meeting, the Bishop of Salisbury, looking over the work, suddenly sprang to his feet and said with considerable excitement: "Gentlemen, somebody has been razing 'Hell' here!" Years afterward the good prelate's death was made sweet by the reflection that he had been the means (under Providence) of making an important, serviceable and immortal addition to the phraseology of the English tongue.

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

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Spoken Usage: Very

SpeakerPhrase(s)

Dennis Miller

Fast food is not only delicious to the taste, but also very soothing to the psyche.

Gene Wilder

Whatever anyone might have read in the book, that was only the start. It got much worse after that. It was very difficult.

Jim Jeffords

It's gone very well. I was very well received and nothing but praise and the book sales are going rapidly.

Julia Child

If I'm perfectly at ease with what I've done, I'm delighted, and if I'm not very much at ease, then I'm nervous a bit.

Liza Minnelli

What I'm saying is that I tried very hard to give them my reality and my reality is kind of interesting.

Paul Harvey

So I put that in my pocket and went on about my own willful ways, and it was very tardy in my own life, I'm sorry to say.

Regis Philbin

People by and large, my friends, seemed to be very happy for me. They knew how long I'd been around.

Rod Steiger

Israel has been very nice to me. They invited me back for the three thousandth birthday of Jerusalem.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Speeches: Very

SpeakerTermPhrase(s)

George Washington

1789-1797As a very important source of strength and security, cherish public credit.

Thomas Jefferson

1801-1809To former violations of maritime rights another is now added of very extensive effect.

Abraham Lincoln

1861-1865There is some difference of opinion whether this clause should be enforced by national or by State authority, but surely that difference is not a very material one.

Herbert C. Hoover

1929-1933From one of them we derive our very language and from many of them much of the genius of our institutions.

Harry S. Truman

1945-1953Then the very restricted wartime controls were lifted too quickly, and as a result prices and rents moved more rapidly upward.

Dwight Eisenhower

1953-1961Yet the promise of this life is imperiled by the very genius that has made it possible.

Richard Nixon

1969-1974Fifty years ago, in this room and at this very desk, President Woodrow Wilson spoke words which caught the imagination of a war-weary world.

Ronald Reagan

1981-1989Of course, at my age, every night's a very special night.

George Bush

1989-1993President Yeltsin's early response has been very positive, and I expect our talks at Camp David to be fruitful.

Bill Clinton

1993-2001America is very proud of you.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Usage Frequency: Very

"Very" is generally used as an adverb (general) -- approximately 95.87% of the time. "Very" is used about 116,217 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted)
Parts of SpeechPercentUsage per
100 Million Words
Rank in English
Adverb (general)95.87%111,42087
Adjective (general or positive)4.12%4,7912,046
                    Total100.00%116,217N/A

Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Derived & Related Names: Very

The following table summarizes names derived from the word "very".
 
NameGenderLanguageMeaning
EdreiN/ABiblical

A very great mass

GethsemaneN/ABiblical

A very fat or plentiful vale

NahbiN/ABiblical

Very secret

PaphosN/ABiblical

Is very hot

PergaN/ABiblical

Very earthy

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

 

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Expressions: Very

Expressions using "very": a very apt child a very clear hand a very important matter a very secondary matter applaud to the very echo at the very bottom at the very latest at the very least at the very most at this very moment be on very good terms with smb. be very arrogant be very busy be very close with be very dear to all of us be very discouraging be very fond of be very friendly be very good at be very happy be very hungry be very near be very observant of forms be very particular about one's food be very taken with be very tightlipped cheer to the very echo cherish smb. very dearly cut in very small pieces down to the very last feel very down for a very good reason for that very reason from the very beginning get a very bad deal grow very lazy have a very bad cold he has a very accurate eye he is doing very well he is very fussy about he took it very hard he was very unrestrained he's not very nice he's very glib he's very healthy he's very promiscuous how very annoying! how very sorry we are that you must go how very unfortunate for you i am very sorry! i am your very humble servant i love you very much i'm very hungry in the very act in the very prime of the day in very deed it is very kind of you! it is very wrong of you to support him it's under your very nose! it's very easy it's very limit! it's very urgent like very much love very much my very own not very not very likely not very much not very salubrious pitch one's aims very high play the very devil among read very attentively she looks very matronly she's very chummy with him she's very promiscuous sit at the very edge ta very much! thank you very much indeed! thank you very much! that is very kind of you that is very surprising that was very unhelpful of you that's very sweet of you! the very the very first the very idea! the very last the very man the very next the very opposite the very thing the very truth this very this very day to the very last to the very minute under one's very nose under smb.'s very nose very angry very bad very badly. Additional references.

Hyphenated Usage

Beginning with "very": very-blue, very-deep, very-distant, very-hard-to-please, very-high-density, very-high-impedance, very-large-scale, very-long-baseline, very-low-fat, very-low-frequency, very-nearly, very-nicely-thank-you, very-quickly, very-real, very-small-tree.

Ending with "very": dawn-very, next-very, not-so-very, promising-very, v-very, v-v-very.

Containing "very": not-very-good.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Frequency of Internet Keywords: Very

The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com.
 
ExpressionFrequency
per Day
ExpressionFrequency
per Day

very young

343

very bad things

62

very young girl

340

very young nudists

62

very young pussy

153

pregnant very

61

very early sign of pregnancy

141

very big tit

58

the very hungry caterpillar

122

very sexy

56

very early pregnancy symptom

122

moment this very

56

very tall woman

111

funny pic very

56

very

110

very cheap airline ticket

53

very short hair style

99

hairy pubic very woman

52

very young boy

95

very funny

52

very young sex

94

very young gay boy

51

very young teen

90

very funny picture

50

very koi

85

very funny joke

49

active brain brain occur very wave when

83

very old

48

sorry very

83

hairy very

47

very young porn

79

koi.net very

45

very hairy pussy

77

clitorises large very

45

very short skirt

75

diary secret very

44

very young nude

73

model very young

43

a very old man with enormous wings

67

cut hair short very

42
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Modern Translation: Very

Language Translations for "very"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.

Afrikaans

  

baie (a lot, a lot of, many, much, plenty, plenty of, quite, very much). (various references)

   

Albanian

  

shumë (amount, awful, awfully, badly, confoundedly, considerably, consumedly, damnably, dearly, deep, deuced, devilish, ever so, far, far and away, good few, greatly, heap, heartily, highly, jolly, largely, like mad, lot, lots of, lump, many, million, most, much, no end of, not a few, notedly, number, oodles, passing, passingly, Peck, poly-, precious, price, proceeds, quantum, quite, really, remarkably, scrip, so, sorely, sum, summation, thumping, too, tot, total, totality, umpteen, vastly, very much, widely). (various references)

   

Arabic 

  

‏نفس (toke, wind), ‏حقيقي (actual, authentic, effective, essential, factual, genuine, intrinsic, intrinsical, positive, proper, real, realistic, right, substantial, substantive, tangible, true, veritable), ‏تماما (all, all right, alright, altogether, completely, decidedly, diametrically, enough, entirely, exactly, fairly, fully, in full, just, ok, okay, okey, perfectly, plumb, precisely, properly, quite, quite so, right, sharp, simply, smack, so far so good, stark, stock, thoroughly, through and through, totally, utterly, well, wholly, wide), ‏جدا (considerably, enormously, exceedingly, extremely, greatly, highly, immensely, much, quite, so, tremendously, very much indeed), ‏إلى حد بعيد (closely, deadly, deucedly, devilishly, exceedingly, mightily, more, most, so, that, well, widely), ‏بالذات (exactly so, just). (various references)

   

Basque

  

oso, asko (many, much). (various references)

   

Breton

  

plijet-bras (very pleased), mat-tre (very well), gaer (very nice). (various references)

   

Bulgarian 

  

същински (arrant, positive, proper, pure, rank, real, regular, sheer, simple, veritable), същ (same), съвършен (consummate, finished, full, ideal, indefectible, masterly, out and out, outright, perfect, right-down, spheral, thoroughgoing, thorough-paced, transcendent, unexceptionable), самият (itself, self, yourself), не се превежда (off, on, only, out, over, suppose, that, worse), много (almighty, amain, awfully, bally, deep, dozens, ever so, good deal, great deal, greatly, heartily, high, highly, hundreds, immensely, jolly, loads of, lot, lots of, many, mint, much, nice and, only too, passing, plenty, power, quantities, quantity, real, right, sight, simply, sopping, sorely, terrifically, thumping, to a large degree, to death, unco, unusually, vastly, very many, very much indeed), пълен (absolute, alive, all out, ample, beefy, clear, compendious, complete, corpulent, dead, entire, exhaustive, explicit, fat, fleshy, fraught, full, grand, implicit, intact, integral, integrate, lousy, murky, out and out, outright, overall, overblown, perfect, plenary, portly, profound, pursy, radical, rank, replenished, replete, riddle, right, round, sheer, stark, stout, substantial, teetotal, thoroughgoing, thorough-paced, total, unabbreviated, universal, unmitigated, unqualified, unreserved, utter, vast, well fed, whole, whole-footed, whole-hog), истински (actual, authentic, authentically, bona fide, factual, for real, genuine, genuinely, good, honest, mere, natural, par excellence, positive, precious, proper, pucka, pukka, pure, real, regular, regularly, right, right-down, sheer, simon-pure, thorough, thoroughgoing, thorough-paced, true, true blue, true born, truly, truthful, unadulterated, unfeigned, veridical, veritable, virtual). (various references)

   

Catalan

  

molt (quite, very much). (various references)

   

Chinese 

  

非常 (exceptional, extraordinary, extreme, unusual). (various references)

   

Croatian

  

vrlo. (various references)

   

Czech

  

velmi (all, deeply, ever so, extremely, greatly, grossly, most, nearly). (various references)

   

Danish

  

særlig (particular, quite, special, specific, very much), meget (much, quite, very much). (various references)

   

Dutch

  

heel (absolute, at all, complete, completely, entire, entirely, fully, integer, integral, overall, quite, through, unbroken, very much, whole, wholly), erg (important, quite, serious, very much). (various references)

   

Esperanto

  

tre (quite, very much). (various references)

   

Estonian

  

väga (very much), hästi (fine, well). (various references)

   

Faeroese

  

stak (quite, very much), sera (quite, very much), nógv (extremely, quite, very much), avbera (quite, very much). (various references)

   

Farsi 

  

فعلی (Verbal), فراوان (Abundant, Affluent, Ample, Bounteous, Copious, Exuberant, Galore, Plenty, Profuse, Prolific, Rampant, Rife, Superabundant, Unsparing), همان (Same), چندان (Fold, So), واقعی (Actual, Essential, Genuine, Lifelike, Literal, Real, Right, Sterling, True, Unfeigned, Veracious, Veritable, Virtual), حتمی (Categorical, Cocksure, Cretain, Emergence, Emergency, Imminent, Imperative, Indispensable), زیاد (Copious, Extortionary, Far, Generous, Great, Heavy, High, Immoderate, Intense, Late, Liberal, Manifold, Many, Much, Populous, Rife, Superabundant, Thick, Too, Vast, Wide), عینا (Exact, Just, Plumb, Slapdash, Smackdab), خیلی (Copious, Damn, Extra, Far, Jolly, Many, So, Ten), خودن , بسیار (Abundant, All, Damn, Extra, Far, Galore, Lot, Manifold, Many, Much, Multifarious, Plenty, Precious, Somush, Sopping, Sorely), بسی (Adequacy, Much, Often). (various references)

   

Finnish

  

sangen (quite, very much). (various references)

   

Flemish

  

zeer. (various references)

   

French

  

très (very much), tout (very much), bien (very much, very well). (various references)

   

French Canadian

  

très. (various references)

   

Frisian

  

tige (considerably, quite, very much), rju (quite, very much), gâns (entire, integral, overall, quite, very much, whole), fleande (quite, very much), bot (impolite, quite, rude, very much), bjuster (quite, very much), ûnhuerich (dismal, dreary, horrible, nasty, quite, very much). (various references)

   

German

  

sehr (a lot, greatly, highly, keenly, much, quite, right, screamingly, so, sorely, unco, very much). (various references)

   

Greek 

  

πολύ (a great deal, confoundedly, considerableably, deucedly, greatly, loads of, much, too). (various references)

   

Guarani

  

voiete (very soon), surubi (very tastybig river fish commonly fished and prepared in Paraguay), roryete (very glad), porãmba (very fine), porãitereíma (already very well), porãite (very nice), neporãva (that is very good), ka'aruetépe (in the very afternoon), iporãitereíva (that is very good), ikanguekuete (its very bones), heterei (very delicious), haimete (very nearly), añembyasyete (I feel very sorry). (various references)

   

Haitian Creole

  

trè (vVery), tou, anpil (very much). (various references)

   

Hawaiian

  

shumë (quite, very much). (various references)

   

Hebrew 

  

ממש (concreteness, importance, reality, really, substance), מאוד (extremely, greatly, highly, much, quite, so, sorely, stiff, super, surpassingly), אותו עצמו, אותו (him, same, selfsame, that, the same), גמור (absolute, complete, completion, concluded, conclusion, end, ended, entire, finish, finished, finishing, out and out, outright, perfect, sheer, stark, termination, thorough, thoroughgoing, through, total, utter), בלבד (just, merely, only, solely). (various references)

   

Hungarian

  

nagyon (badly, bally, bloody, covetous, ever so much, exceedingly, greatly, have one's nerves on edge, heavily, highly, immensely, jolly, jolly well, like hell, like mad, mightily, most, much, much to be desired, passing, pretty, quite, real, right, severely, sorely, thundering, to be broke for sg, to be down with a cold, to be in a fine way about sg, to be rejoiced at sg, to be rejoiced by sg, to feel used up, to get to look very slack, to take pains to do sg, to think the world of sy, to want sg badly, too, very much, very much indeed, wondrous), igen (ay, aye, greatly, high, I don't mind, mightily, mighty, passing, quite, the odds are that, very much, yea, yeah, yep, yes), igazi (actual, practical, proper, pucka, pukka, pure, quite the thing, real, right, simon-pure, some, tangible, veritable). (various references)

   

Icelandic

  

mjög (quite, very much). (various references)

   

Indonesian

  

terlalu (exceedingly, extremely, so, too), terama-amat (awful), sangat (immensely, shockingly, too, transcend), nian (really), beeng (extremely), amat (exceedingly, so). (various references)

   

Irish

  

ana (quite). (various references)

   

Italian

  

molto (a great deal of, a great many, a great quantity of, a lot of, deep, extremely, far, far off, great, greatly, hard, heavily, highly, jolly, long, lots of, many, mighty, much, plenty, pretty, quite, sight, sorely, strongly, very much, widely), assai (a lot of, enough, extremely, far, far away, heartily, heavily, highly, many, much, quite, very much). (various references)

   

Japanese Kanji 

  

甚だ (exceedingly, greatly). (various references)

   

Japanese Katakana 

  

さほど (much, not particularly, not so, not that much), はなはだ (exceedingly, greatly), よほど (greatly, much, quite, to a large extent), よっぽど (greatly, much, quite, to a large extent), よくよく (exceedingly, prudent, the one after next, very careful), めっぽう (absurd, extraordinary, in chaos, incoherent), とても (awfully, exceedingly), どうも (how, much, no matter how hard one may try, quite, really, somehow, thanks), たいして (for, in regard to, much, per), ひじょうに (exceedingly, extremely), しごく (exceedingly, extremely, to draw through one's hand, to stroke, to work someone hard), そういう (like that, such, that sort of), なかなか (by no means, considerably, easily, fairly, highly, quite, rather, readily), おおいに (greatly, much), たいへん (awful, dreadful, opposite side, terrible), ごく (phrases, quite, words). (various references)

   

Korean 

  

아주 (Very's). (various references)

   

Luganda

  

nnyo. (various references)

   

Luxembourgish

  

ganz. (various references)

   

Malagasy

  

tena (very + myself). (various references)

   

Manx

  

keddin (same, selfsame), hene (actual, even, own, self), feer (authentic, correct, exceptionally, extremely, pure, real, regular, sheer, sincere, true, truthful, veritable), cheddin (ditto, identical, same). (various references)

   

Norwegian

  

meget (quite, very much). (various references)

   

Occitan

  

quite, meteis (same), fòrça (much), belcòp (much). (various references)

   

Papiamen

  

mashá (quite, very much), marsha (quite, very much), hopi (a lot of, much, plenty of, quite, very much), altamente (quite, very much). (various references)

   

Pidgin English

  

well (alright, clearly, well). (various references)

   

Pig Latin

  

eryvay.(various references)

   

Polish

  

nader (quite, very much), bardzo (extremely, quite, very much). (various references)

   

Portuguese

  

muito (a good deal, a great deal of, a lot, a lot of, awfully, deadly, exceedingly, greatly, highly, jolly, mighty, much, passing, plaguy, plenty, precious, quite, rare, ripping, sight, so, too, too much, very much). (various references)

   

Portuguese Brazilian

  

muito (much). (various references)

   

Quechua

  

sumaqta (very well, well), kusikuni (I am happy, I am pleased, I am very pleased), kusapuni (very good), ikita (very nice), anchatapuni (very very much), anchata (very much). (various references)

   

Romanian

  

foarte (awfully, ever so, exceedingly, greatly, highly, immortally, indeed, jolly, most, much, notably, plenty, quite, too, very much), prea (much, quite, to a fault, too, very much). (various references)

   

Russian 

  

очень (anxiously, awful, awfully, badly, damnably, dooms, enormously, ever so, exceedingly, extremely, greatly, highly, hugely, immensely, jolly, miserably, most, much, overwhelmingly, particularly, passing, pretty much, quite, real, screamingly, so, thumping, to a degree, too, vastly, very much, very much indeed, well). (various references)

   

Scottish

  

glé (pretty often, quite, very much). (various references)

   

Serbo-Croatian

  

vrlo (badly, extremely, intensely, jolly, most, passing, right, strongly, true, uncommonly, whopping, wide), veoma (badly, downright, greatly, highly, mighty, most, passing, plumb, real, right, terribly, vastly), taj (that, yon), sam (alone, by himself, mere, mono-, myself, oneself, self, yourself), mnogo (deal: a good deal, deal: a great deal, deal: a great deal of, great, lot, lot: a lot of, lots of, many, much, multi, plenty, plenty of, quite a few, vastly), jako (deeply, intensely, severely, soundly, strong, strongly, substantially), baš (bang, even, just, right, too). (various references)

   

Slovene

  

zelo, izredno. (various references)

   

Somali

  

aad (too). (various references)

   

Sotho

  

se (already, do not, should not), haholo. (various references)

   

Spanish

  

muy (all over, awfully, greatly, hellish, highly, jolly, mighty, nice, precious, proper, quite, rattling, sorely, too, very much). (various references)

   

Sranan

  

sote (quite, very much), dorodoro (quite, sieve, sift, very much). (various references)

   

Swahili

  

sana (quite, very much), mno (quite, too, too much, very much). (various references)

   

Swedish

  

mycket (a lot of, far, greatly, heaps, jolly, loads, lot, major, mighty, most, much, not half, overmuch, quite, so, very much), ganska (enough, fairly, kind of, middling, plenty, pretty, quite, rather, reasonably, some, to a degree, tolerably), bra (all right, bonny, fine, funky, good, great, jolly, longish, nice, not badly, o.k., ok, okay, okeydokey, quite, right, useful, very much, well). (various references)

   

Tagalog

  

nápaka- (quite, very much). (various references)

   

Tahitian

  

mau (much). (various references)

   

Tswana

  

thata. (various references)

   

Turkish

  

pek (eminently, ever so, jolly, much, quite, rattling, so, spanking, very much), çok (a great number of, a lot, a whale of, a whale of a lot, abounding, abundant, acres and acres, affluent, ample, awfully, badly, big, bloody, countless, damned, darned, dead, deadly, deeply, enormously, ever so, exuberant, fair, fantastically, galore, good, greatly, heaps of, heartily, hearty, heavily, heavy, hell, hell of, helluva, highly, innumerable, jolly, largely, lavish, like hell, loads of, lot, lots of, many, molto, more, much, multi-, multitudinous, numerous, over, piping, plenteous, plentiful, plenty, plenty of, poly-, precious, pretty, prodigal, profuse, rank, rattling, revoltingly, sadly, so, some, sorely, spanking, strongly, such, thundering, tidy, too, umpteen, umpteenth, umptieth, vast, vastly, well, whaling, whopping). (various references)

   

Turkmen 

  

uзursyz, цte, цrдn, iссдn, дgirt (huge), biзak (extremely), artykmaз (extra). (various references)

   

Ukrainian

  

самий, справжній (active, actual, authentic, factual, genuine, honest, intrinsic, intrinsical, natural, operative, original, practical, pukka, real, sheer, simon-pure, sincere, true, true born, unadulterated, undoubted, unfeigned, veridic, veridical, veritable), той самий (identic, identical, one, same, selfsame, that one, what), граничний (critical, outside, supreme), дуже (anxiously, awfully, bang, bitter, bloody, clinking, curiously, deep, enormously, exceedingly, frightfully, full, gey, greatly, hard, heaps, highly, hugely, immensely, in great measure, jolly, mightily, mighty, miles, much, nervously, notably, particularly, passing, precious, purely, real, really, shocking, some, strong, super, thumping, too, very much, violently, well, widely), дещо (aught, some, something). (various references)

   

Vietnamese 

  

thực sự chính, thực (dinkum, net, really, sure-enough, true, truthful, veritable), rất (dogged, highly, immensely, mightily, mighty, thoroughly, thundering), ngay chỉ, ngay (direct, immediate, instanter, pronto), lắm (clinking, dogged, ever, gey, highly, jolly, lousy, mighty, precious, preciously), hơn hết chính, đúng (actually, apt, aptly, aright, correct, due, exact, fair, fitting, just, precise, precisely, proper, properly, right, rightly, true). (various references)

   

Welsh

  

iawn (all right, amends, atonement, quite, right, very much). (various references)

   

Wolof

  

lool (very much). (various references)

   

Xhosa

  

kancinci (A little bit, Very soft/a little bit), kakhulu (Very much), ekuseni (Early morning, Very earlyin the morning). (various references)

   

Yucatec

  

hach (quite, very much). (various references)

   

Zulu

  

kakhulu (quite, very much). (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

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Ancestral Language Translations: Very

LanguagePeriodTranslations
Latin500 BCE-Modern

admodum, antigerio, apprime, bene, benesed, magnopere magnus opere, maxime, melius, multo, multoque, multum, multumque, nimium, optime, per, plurimum, plus, valde. (various references)

Avestan200-600

aiwi. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Bible Trace: Very

LanguageDateSourceMatthew Chapter 5, Verse 26
Greek (transliterated)250 BCSeptuagintAmhn legw soi ou mh exelqhV ekeiqen ewV an apodwV ton escaton kodranthn
Latin405VulgateAmen dico tibi non exies inde donec reddas novissimum quadrantem
Old English990West SaxonSoðes ic segge þe ne gæst þu þanenær þu agylde þanne ytemeste ferþyng.
Middle English1395WyclifTreuli Y seie to thee, thou shalt not go out fro thennus, til thou yelde the last ferthing.
Renaissance English1526TyndaleI say vnto ye verely: thou shalt not come out thece till thou have payed ye utmost farthige.
Jacobean English1611King JamesVerily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
Victorian English1833WebsterVerily, I say to thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
Basic English1964OgdenTruly I say to you, You will not come out from there till you have made payment of the very last farthing.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Matched Bible Translations: Very

LanguageMatthew Chapter 5, Verse 26
CebuanoSa pagkatinuod, magaingon ako kanimo, nga dili ka na gayud unya makagowa gikan didto hangtud kabayran mo na ang katapusang sintabo.
CroatianZaita, kažem ti, neæeš iziæi odande dok ne isplatiš do posljednjeg novèiæa."
DanishSandelig, siger jeg dig, du skal ingenlunde komme ud derfra, førend du får betalt den sidste Hvid.
DutchVoorwaar, Ik zeg u: Gij zult daar geenszins uitkomen, totdat gij den laatsten penning zult betaald hebben.
FinnishTotisesti minä sanon sinulle: sieltä et pääse, ennenkuin maksat viimeisenkin rovon.
FrenchJe te le dis en vérité, tu ne sortiras pas de là que tu n`aies payé le dernier quadrant.
GermanIch sage dir wahrlich: Du wirst nicht von dannen herauskommen, bis du auch den letzten Heller bezahlest.
Haitian CreoleSa m'ap di ou la, se vre wi: ou p'ap soti nan prizon an toutotan ou pa peye dènye lajan yo mande ou la.
Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hariDan ingatlah: Pasti kalian tidak akan bisa keluar dari penjara itu, sebelum seluruh dendamu lunas sama sekali."
Indonesian-Terjemahan LamaDengan sesungguhnya Aku berkata kepadamu: Sekali-kali tiada engkau dapat keluar dari sana, selagi engkau belum menjelaskan utangmu sehabis-habisnya.
ItalianIn verità ti dico: non uscirai di là finché tu non abbia pagato fino all'ultimo spicciolo!
LatvianPatiesi es tev saku, ka no turienes tu neizkïûsi, kamçr nebûsi samaksâjis pçdçjo artavu.
Manx GaelicDy firrinagh ta mee gra rhyt, Nagh jig oo magh ass shen, derrey t'ou er n'eeck yn farling s'jerree.
MaoriHe pono taku e mea atu nei ki a koe, E kore rawa koe e puta i reira, kia utua ra ano te patene whakamutunga.
NorwegianSannelig sier jeg dig: Du skal ingenlunde komme ut derfra før du har betalt den siste øre.
PortugueseEm verdade te digo que de maneira nenhuma sairás dali enquanto não pagares o último ceitil.   
RumanianAdevqrat kyi spun cq nu vei iewi deacolo pknq nu vei plqti cel din urmq bqnuy.``
RussianЙУФЙООП ЗПЧПТА ФЕВЕ: ФЩ ОЕ ЧЩКДЕЫШ ПФФХДБ, РПЛБ ОЕ ПФДБЫШ ДП РПУМЕДОЕЗП ЛПДТБОФБ.
ShuarTura nekas tajai, nui enkemamka Ashí rearchisha akikmachkumka Jíinkishtatme' Tímiayi.
SpanishDe cierto te digo que jamás saldrás de allí hasta que pagues el último cuadrante.
SwahiliKweli nakwambia, hutatoka humo mpaka umemaliza kulipa senti ya mwisho.
SwedishSannerligen säger jag dig: Du skall icke slippa ut därifrån, förrän du har betalt den yttersta skärven.
UmaMpu'u-mpu'u ku'uli': uma-tapa tebahaka ngkai rala tarungku' ane da koo-ko'ia oti tabayari waya' -ta.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Derivations & Misspellings: Very

Derivations

Words ending with "very": antislavery, bravery, delivery, discovery, every, knavery, livery, nondelivery, postdelivery, predelivery, prediscovery, quavery, quivery, recovery, redelivery, rediscovery, revery, shivery, silvery, slavery, thievery, wavery. (additional references)

Words containing "very": deliveryman, deliverymen, everybody, everyday, everydayness, everydaynesses, everyman, everymen, everyone, everyplace, everything, everyway, everywhere, everywoman, everywomen, liveryman, liverymen. (additional references)


Misspellings

"Very" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: averi, evr, evry, gery, ivery, kery, qery, rery, revy, vaey, vard, varg, varie, varix, varl, varo, varpy, varr, varu, varys, varz, vaxy, vay, vayo, veary, veay, veerp, veey, vefr, vegr, vegry, vegy, veny, ver, veray, verby, vere, verfy, verg, veri, veria, verie, verim, verin, verio, verk, verl, verm, vern, vero, verr, verra, verre, Verrio, verry, versy, verty, verv, veryd, verz, vety, vexy, vey, veye, Veyrat, veys, vgry, vidy, vir, vird, virey, viri, virm, vivy, vor, vord, vorry, voy, vre, vred, vres, vret, Vri, vrie, vry, vury, zery. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

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Rhyming with "Very"

# of Phoneme MatchesPronunciationWord(s) rhyming with "very" (pronounced ve"rē)
4v e" r ēvary.
3-e" r ēairy, Barre, Berry, Bury, Canary, cherry, Clary, dairy, Derry, Jerry, Kerry, eyrie, fairy, ferry, Glengarry, hairy, Harry, marry, merry, nary, Parry, Perry, prairie, remarry, scary, sherry, skerry, Tarry, Terry, unwary, wary, wherry.

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

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Anagrams: Very

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

Words within the letters "e-r-v-y"

-1 letter: rev, rye.

-2 letters: er, re, ye.

 Words containing the letters "e-r-v-y"
 

+1 letter: every, nervy, veery.

 

+2 letters: curvey, garvey, jarvey, livery, livyer, overly, purvey, revery, survey, venery, verify, verily, verity, vestry, vinery, volery, voyeur, wavery, wyvern.

 

+3 letters: bravely, bravery, brevity, devilry, flyover, garveys, gravely, jarveys, knavery, layover, livyers, loverly, nervily, overbuy, overcoy, overdry, overdye, overfly, overjoy, overlay, overpay, overply, overtly, poverty, purveys, quavery, quivery, ravelly, replevy, revelry, shivery, silvery, slavery, surveys, variety, verbify, versify, viceroy, virelay, voyager, voyeurs, wyverns.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.

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INDEX

1. Definition
2. Synonyms
3. Crosswords
4. Usage: Modern
5. Usage: Commercial
6. Images: Slideshow
7. Images: Photo Album
8. Images: Digital Art
9. Sounds
10. Quotations: Familiar
11. Quotations: Historic
12. Quotations: Fiction
13. Quotations: Non-fiction
14. Quotations: Spoken
15. Quotations: Speeches
16. Usage Frequency
17. Names: Derived from
18. Expressions
19. Expressions: Internet
20. Translations: Modern
21. Translations: Ancient
22. Bible Trace
23. Abbreviations
24. Acronyms
25. Derivations
26. Rhymes
27. Anagrams
28. Bibliography


  

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