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very

VE-ree/ˈvɛɹi/

Adjectiveverier, veriest

6 meanings of very

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  1. 1
    highlyadverb
    Before an adjective or adverb, or alone in replies, to a great extent or degree.

    It was a very long day.

    He drives very carefully.

    UsageUse very with adjectives and adverbs; with verbs say very much. Not very softens: not very good means rather poor.

    Similarextremely, really, exceedingly, terribly

    Oppositeslightly

    Note

    Behind this everyday intensifier lies the word's first meaning, 'true': the 'truly' adverb weakened into 'greatly', much as truly itself can.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

  2. 2
    adverb
    Used before a superlative or a word such as own, first, or last to stress that nothing surpasses it.

    We sat in the very front row.

    It was the very last train of the night.

    UsageUsually comes after the or a possessive, before a superlative or first, last, own: the very best, my very own.

    Note

    With a superlative there is no degree left to add, because best cannot get any better. So very insists rather than intensifies: the very best means the best, and no exception. It works the same way with own, first and last, where it marks the limit. My very own adds pride of possession, ownership with nothing shared.

  3. 3
    adjective
    The same or identical; that precise one.

    She was born in this very house.

    Those were his very words.

    UsageComes after the, this, that or a possessive: this very house, his very words.

    Similarexact, same, precise, actual

    Note

    Here the truth of the older meaning narrows to identity: the very table is that table and no other. Jefferies writes that very night in 1879, fixing a moment rather than an object. Its close neighbor is the 'mere' meaning, which uses the same slot but says the thing alone suffices.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    just the ideaadjective
    Mere, stressing that the bare idea, thought, or mention of something is enough in itself.

    The very mention of his name silenced the room.

    The very sight of blood makes him faint.

    UsageMost often the very thought, idea or sight of something. The very idea! on its own expresses indignation.

    Similarmere

    Note

    Limiting rather than identifying: the very idea means the idea alone, with nothing added, is enough to set off the reaction. Florio's 1603 Montaigne shows a pattern without the article: in very children, meaning 'even in children', the youngest and least likely case.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • John Florio's translation of Montaigne's Essays was first published in 1603. celm.folger.edu
    • Florio's translation contains 'in very children' without an article, with the contextual sense 'even in children'. hyperessays.net
  2. 5
    true exampleadjectiveliterary
    True, real, or actual.

    Similartrue, real, veritable

    Note

    A very woman is a true woman, everything the name promises. This is the meaning the word brought from Old French verai, 'true', and ultimately from Latin vērus. It even has the forms verier and veriest, though it usually stays uncompared. In phrases like the very end or his very best, 'true' shades toward 'exact': the end itself, nothing short of it.

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

    • Very came through Middle English from Old French verai, meaning ‘true’. en.wiktionary.org
    • Very ultimately derives from Latin vērus. en.wiktionary.org
    • The adjective has comparative verier and superlative veriest, but is not generally compared. en.wiktionary.org
  3. 6
    adverbobsolete
    Truly, actually, in conformity with fact or rule ('very' as 'verily'); long replaced by the intensifier.

    Similartruly, actually, authentically

    Note

    Here the Latin root's sense of truth applies to a statement or an action: what is done very is done truly, actually, authentically. The intensifier, the 'greatly' adverb, grew out of this meaning. Because very before an adjective now sounds like 'greatly', this reading is hard to recognize, and a modern writer should reach for truly or actually instead.

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

    • The historical adverb meant ‘truly, really’ and subsequently developed an intensive meaning. srhee.net
    • Very also retains other meanings, including ‘same’ or ‘identical’, as in ‘the very table where they first met’. en.wiktionary.org

Practice

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Origin

It comes from Middle English verray, from Old French verai ("true"), which traces back through Medieval and Classical Latin (vērāgus, vērāx) to Latin vērus ("true"), and ultimately to Proto-Indo-European. It is distantly related to Old English wǣr ("true") and over time replaced several Germanic words meaning "very."

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 6 facts