VERY

very

(adjective) precisely as stated; “the very center of town”

identical, selfsame, very

(adjective) 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”

very, really, real, rattling

(adverb) used as intensifiers; ‘real’ is sometimes used informally for ‘really’; ‘rattling’ is informal; “she was very gifted”; “he played very well”; “a really enjoyable evening”; “I’m real sorry about it”; “a rattling good yarn”

very

(adverb) precisely so; “on the very next page”; “he expected the very opposite”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Adjective

very (not generally comparable, comparative verier, superlative veriest)

True, real, actual.

The same; identical.

With limiting effect: mere.

Usage notes

• very is used exclusively attributively and never predicatively.

Synonyms

• ilk, selfsame

Adverb

very (not comparable)

To a great extent or degree.

Synonyms: greatly, drastically, extremely

Conforming to fact, reality or rule; true.

Synonyms: truly, actually, authentically

(with superlatives) Used to firmly establish that nothing else surpasses in some respect.

Usage notes

• When used in their senses as degree adverbs, "very" and "too" never modify verbs (except in some dialects influenced by Chinese: see citations).

Synonyms

• (to a great extent): ever so, main (dialectal), mighty, sore (archaic), swith (dialectal), way too, eminently

Anagrams

• ev'ry

Source: Wiktionary

Ver"y, a. [Compar. Verier; superl. Veriest.] Etym: [OE. verai, verray, OF. verai, vrai, F. vrai, (assumed) LL. veracus, for L. verax true, veracious, fr. verus true; akin to OHG. & OS. war, G. wahr, D. waar; perhaps originally, that is or exists, and akin to E. was. Cf. Aver, v. t., Veracious, Verdict, Verity.]

Definition: True; real; actual; veritable. Whether thou be my very son Esau or not. Gen. xxvii. 21. He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends. Prov. xvii. 9. The very essence of truth is plainness and brightness. Milton. I looked on the consideration of public service or public ornament to be real and very justice. Burke.

Note: Very is sometimes used to make the word with which it is connected emphatic, and may then be paraphrased by same, self-same, itself, and the like. "The very hand, the very words." Shak. "The very rats instinctively have quit it." Shak. "Yea, there where very desolation dwells." Milton. Very is used occasionally in the comparative degree, and more frequently in the superlative. "Was not my lord the verier wag of the two" Shak. "The veriest hermit in the nation." Pope. "He had spoken the very truth, and transformed it into the veriest falsehood." Hawthorne. Very Reverend. See the Note under Reverend.

Ver"y, adv.

Definition: In a high degree; to no small extent; exceedingly; excessively; extremely; as, a very great mountain; a very bright sum; a very cold day; the river flows very rapidly; he was very much hurt.

LIGHT SIGNALS Ver"y's, or Ver"y, night signals . [After Lieut. Samuel W. Very, who invented the system in 1877.] (Naut.)

Definition: A system of signaling in which balls of red and green fire are fired from a pistol, the arrangement in groups denoting numbers having a code significance.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

VERY

Etymology

Adjective

Usage notes

Synonyms

Adverb

Usage notes

Synonyms

Anagrams

Recent Word Finds

Word of the Day

THEORETICAL

Coffee Trivia