Where Writers Win (writerswin.com) is one of my favorite web sites. It’s full of helpful writing and marketing advice. A case in point, the “very” helpful — no, invaluable — infographic created by Luke Palder, founder and CEO of ProofreadingServices.com called “128 Words to Use Instead of “Very,” which we can all agree is pretty shop worn. The list was so much fun I’ve captured a range of examples here:
very angry furious
very annoying exasperating
very beautiful gorgeous
very busy swamped
very calm serene
very careful cautious
very competitive cutthroat
very creative innovative
very detailed meticulous
very different disparate
very difficult arduous
very dull tedious
very easy effortless
very exciting exhilarating
very frightened alarmed
very glad overjoyed
very happy ecstatic
very hungry starving
very important crucial
very large huge
very lazy indolent
very loose slack
very messy slovenly
very noisy deafening
very painful excruciating
very pale ashen
very poor destitute
very quiet hushed
very sad sorrowful
very scared petrified
very serious grave
very sharp keen
very shy timid
very strong forceful
very talented gifted
very tall towering
very windy blustery
What a fun exercise — to banish “verys” as we all write on.