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very

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adjective

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as in same
being one and not another we stayed in the very hotel my parents stayed in for their honeymoon

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word very different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of very are equal, equivalent, identical, same, and selfsame. While all these words mean "not different or not differing from one another," very, like selfsame, may imply identity, or, like same may imply likeness in kind.

the very point I was trying to make

When is equal a more appropriate choice than very?

The words equal and very can be used in similar contexts, but equal implies being identical in value, magnitude, or some specified quality.

equal shares in the business

When might equivalent be a better fit than very?

In some situations, the words equivalent and very are roughly equivalent. However, equivalent implies amounting to the same thing in worth or significance.

two houses equivalent in market value

In what contexts can identical take the place of very?

The words identical and very are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, identical may imply selfsameness or suggest absolute agreement in all details.

identical results

How are the words same and selfsame related as synonyms of very?

Same may imply and selfsame always implies that the things under consideration are one thing and not two or more things.

took the same route
derived from the selfsame source

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of very
Adverb
Or at the very least, at the center of a lot of conversations that have brought back up older controversies. Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 6 Aug. 2025 This is a very dense and layered film that fans are going to freeze-frame. Gary Graff, Billboard, 6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
And McClintock, who started with the company in 1992, was there at the very beginning. Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2025 Fargo’s most haunting image comes at the very end of Season 3, written around the time of the 2016 election. Judy Berman, Time, 5 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for very
Recent Examples of Synonyms for very
Adverb
  • Any other entity, whether at the state, federal, or local level, should be extremely cautious in construing this new law as a ready-to-go template.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025
  • But the box-office failure of Long Shot, his extremely charming 2018 team-up with Charlize Theron, coincided with the business as a whole backing away from the genre.
    Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 6 Aug. 2025
Adverb
  • So to go out to Detroit and have an unpleasant experience really frustrated me.
    Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • How much is new management really going to invest in Paramount+ and streaming going forward.
    Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • This same notion applies to Josh Hoover (TCU quarterback and number 14 on the list).
    Nathan Goldman, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
  • Brown faced this same Red Sox lineup Aug. 1 and threw 45 four-seamers.
    Chandler Rome, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • In 2020 and 2016, Wisconsin was decided by 20,000 votes — roughly 1% of the vote and a mere fraction of the more than 160,000 four-year students attending University of Wisconsin System campuses and Marquette University at the start of the 2024-25 academic year.
    Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 4 Aug. 2025
  • After all, Tycho formed a mere 108 million years ago, while other lunar craters have been estimated to be 3.9 billion years of age.
    Anthony Wood, Space.com, 2 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • That clear difference of opinion represents an opportunity for Putin to portray the Ukrainians and the Europeans – not Russia – as the real obstacle to peace, potentially undermining Trump’s already shaky support for the Ukrainian war effort.
    Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2025
  • She is next slated to appear in the boxing drama Christy, based on the life of real professional pugilist Christy Martin.
    Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • But it was intended to be a simple, three-course meal, the documents showed.
    Chiara Eisner, NPR, 16 Aug. 2025
  • In North Carolina, Republicans are a few votes shy of a supermajority in one chamber but still control the redistricting process because the state’s congressional maps are not subject to veto and therefore can be passed by a simple majority in the legislature.
    Elena Shao, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2025
Adverb
  • However, Boone was incredibly complimentary of Rice’s catching skills on Monday and Tuesday.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2025
  • Twitch recently banned her, with people citing that cheating on stream is against its TOS, but then early today she was unbanned, making that duration incredibly short.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Adverb
  • The way the show is resonating feels truly special—all of the comments, the conversations, the connection… my cup runneth over.
    DeMicia Inman, VIBE.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • Still, perhaps its end was always baked in — not because of some flaw in the format but because the format itself was never truly built.
    Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 7 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Very.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/very. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.

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