very

1 of 2

adverb

ˈver-ē 

ˈve-rē

1

: to a high degree : exceedingly

very hot

didn't hurt very much

2

: in actual fact : truly

the very best store in town

told the very same story

very

2 of 2

adjective

verier; veriest

1

a

: exact, precise

the very heart of the city

b

: exactly suitable or necessary

the very thing for the purpose

2

a

: unqualified, sheer

the very shame of it

b

: absolute, utter

the veriest fool alive

3

—used as an intensive especially to emphasize identity

before my very eyes

4

: mere, bare

the very thought terrified him

5

: being the same one : selfsame

the very man I saw

6

: special, particular

the very essence of truth is plainness and brightness

—John Milton

7

a

: properly entitled to the name or designation : true

the fierce hatred of a very woman

—J. M. Barrie

b

: actual, real

the very blood and bone of our grammar

—H. L. Smith †1972

c

: simple, plain

in very truth

Synonyms

Adverb

• extremely
• incredibly
• terribly
• highly
• too
• so
• damn
• damned
• badly
• really
• far
• super
• severely
• desperately
• seriously
• intensely
• most

Adjective

• same

Choose the Right Synonym for very

same, selfsame, very, identical, equivalent, equal mean not different or not differing from one another.

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

very, like selfsame, may imply identity, or, like same may imply likeness in kind.

the very point I was trying to make

identical may imply selfsameness or suggest absolute agreement in all details.

identical results

equivalent implies amounting to the same thing in worth or significance.

two houses equivalent in market value

equal implies being identical in value, magnitude, or some specified quality.

equal shares in the business

Examples of very in a Sentence

Adverb

that was a very brave thing to do

the very same thing happened to me

Adjective

we stayed in the very hotel my parents stayed in for their honeymoon

the very thought of having to go through that again is scary

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Embarking on the journey of franchising a business can be a very daunting step, but taking time to identify a franchising style that works for you and your business and to build a model that is authentic to you should make that journey a much easier one. —Fiona Simpson, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025

Don’t overdo it; a very small amount of concealer is more than enough. —Laura Solla, Vogue, 1 July 2025

Adjective

In fact, many clinicians have voluntarily migrated to direct-to-patient care models, such as direct primary care and direct specialty care, for these very reasons. —Ge Bai, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025

To answer these questions, NPR interviewed top vaccine researchers — including some tasked with looking at the very issue raised by this study about the safety of the DTP vaccine. —Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 1 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English verray, verry, from Anglo-French verai, from Vulgar Latin *veracus, alteration of Latin verac-, verax truthful, from verus true; akin to Old English wǣr true, Old High German wāra trust, care, Greek ēra (accusative) favor

First Known Use

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 7a

Phrases Containing very

• all very well
• at the (very) least
• at this very moment
• in (very) bad/poor taste
• of one's very own
• one's very own
• very good
• very hard
• very high frequency
• very little love lost
• very low density lipoprotein
• very low frequency
• very much
• very much so
• very occasionally
• very same
• very well

Rhymes for very

• aerie
• airy
• arie
• barre
• cherry
• clary
• dairy
• eyrie
• faerie
• faery
• fairy
• ferry

Kids Definition

very

1 of 2 adjective

ˈver-ē 

verier; veriest

1

: being actual or real

2

a

: exact entry 2 sense 1, precise

the very heart of the city

b

: exactly suitable or necessary

the very thing for the purpose

3

: mere entry 2, bare

the very thought terrified them

4

: exactly the same

the very one I saw yesterday

very

2 of 2 adverb

1

: in actual fact : truly

told the very same story

2

: to a great degree : extremely

a very hot day

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English verray, verry "true, real," from early French verai (same meaning), derived from Latin verus "true" — related to verdict, verify