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)

Multilingual Slang

Tips from 1870

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

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

Synonyms: Very

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.

Crosswords: Very

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)

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)

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)

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

A Very Natural Thing (1974)

Very Remby (1974)

A Very Merry Cricket (1973)

Haunts of the Very Rich (1972)

A Very Missing Person (1972)

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.

References

• The 2003-2008 World Outlook for Very Low-fat Yogurts (reference)

  (more reference examples)

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

• Very Magazine (reference)

  (more periodical examples)

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

• Romantica: The Very Best Of Luciano Pavarotti (reference)

• The Very Best of The Irish Tenors (reference)

• Very Best of (reference)

• Very Best of [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] (reference)

• Very Special [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

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.

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.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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)

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)

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

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

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

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

The world is very different now. (reference)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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

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

Very.

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

He was very pale, though dripping with sweat

Very cool and mollifying

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

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

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

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.

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)

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

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

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

A very great mass

A very fat or plentiful vale

Very secret

Is very hot

Very earthy

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.

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.

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