Definition of VERY

very

Adjective Satellite

  • precisely as stated
    • "the very center of town"
  • being the exact same one; not any other:
    • "on this very spot"
    • "the very thing he said yesterday"
    • "the very man I want to see"

Adverb

  • used as intensifiers; `real' is sometimes used informally for `really'; `rattling' is informal
    • "she was very gifted"
    • "he played very well"
  • precisely so
    • "on the very next page"
    • "he expected the very opposite"

Adj

  • True, real, actual.
  • The same; identical.
  • With limiting effect: mere.

Adv

  • To a great extent or degree.
  • Conforming to fact, reality or rule; true.
  • Used to firmly establish that nothing else surpasses in some respect.

Adjective

  • Actual; real; used for emphasis.

Examples

  • He proposed marriage in the same restaurant, at the very table where they first met.
  • He tried his very best.
  • He was the very best runner there.
  • In the end, the tickets didn't turn out so very expensive.
  • Look, these tablets are the very thing for your cold.
  • Not very many (of them) had been damaged.
  • She's so very similar to her mother.
  • That dress is very you.
  • That was the VERY last tile needed to complete his winning bingo.
  • That's the very tool that I need.
  • The fierce hatred of a very woman.
  • The very blood and bone of our grammar.
  • The very idea of climbing the ladder brings me out in a sweat. The very idea/thought!
  • The very man I wanted to see!
  • This is my very own treehouse.
  • We're approaching the very end of the trip.
  • ‘Is she busy?’ ― ‘Not very.’

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English verray, from Old French verai (“true”), from Early Medieval Latin vērāgus, from Classical Latin vērāx, derived from vērus, from Proto-Italic *wēros, from Proto-Indo-European *weh₁ros.
Distantly cognate with the Old English wǣr (“true”). Over time displaced the use of a number of Germanic words or prefixes to convey the sense 'very' such as fele, full-, mægen, sore, sin-, swith, (partially) wel.

Antonyms

almost, mostly, slightly

Scrabble Score: 10

very: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
very: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
very: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 10

very: valid Words With Friends Word