40 Ways to Strengthen Your Writing and Avoid a "Very" Weak Word

Writer's often hear a simple, yet vitally important, piece of advice:

Never use the word, ‘very.’ It is the weakest word in the English language; doesn’t mean anything. If you feel the urge of ‘very’ coming on, just write the word, ‘damn,’ in the place of ‘very.’ The editor will strike out the word, ‘damn,’ and you will have a good sentence.

- William Allen White

"Very" often serves as a go-to word for many, but it simply leaves writing flat. Good writing draws the reader in and creates the writer's world in the reader's imagination. People imagine things with various differences, but when an author really paints a perfect picture, it helps readers to better "see" what the author "saw" when drafting the novel or poem. Compare the following three descriptions of the same scene:

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1. Vibrant reds, yellows, and oranges blew very slowly across the sidewalk.

2. Vibrant reds, yellows, and oranges blew lazily across the sidewalk.

In this example, the idea is the same, but the presentation stands stronger because the word is stronger. As an intensifier, very is a modifier that provides no real meaning except to enhance or add force to the words that it modifies. Simply put, it's lazy filler. Admit it: it's easier to say something is very tall instead of thinking of a more descriptive word (such as towering) or thinking creatively (maybe using a metaphor or simile?). Shortcuts don't always breed success, however, and a good writer understands that readers desire substance, thought, and ingenuity.

The next time you find yourself writing that damn word very, sit back and reconsider. The English language overflows with synonyms for the simple word you chose. That's what makes writing so wonderful: the only limit is your imagination. Be creative! If you find yourself stuck, try one of the 50 very good  excellent replacements below.

very	bad	Awful	Atrocious
very	cold	Frigid	Freezing
very	wet	Drenched	Soggy
very	expensive	Costly	Pricey
very	sad	Depressed	Melancholy
very	fun	Entertaining	Delightful
very	happy	Ecstatic	Pleased
very	cute	Adorable	Precious
very	hot	Sizzling	Suffocating
very	painful	Agonizing	Excruiciating
very	tired	Exhausted	Pooped
very	comfortable	Cozy	Snug
very	boring	Monotonous	Tiresome
very	bright	Radiant	Vivid
very	dull	Dim	Witless
very	dark	Murky	Somber
very	clean	Immaculate	Unblemished
very	deep	Profound	Fathomless
very	young	Youthful	Juvenile
very	late	Belated	Delayed
very	tall	Lanky	Towering
very	short	Condensed	Abbreviated
very	small	Minuscule	Petite
very	big	Gigantic	Substantial
very	hairy	Fuzzy	Bewhiskered
very	shiny	Sparkling	Lustrous
very	calm	Harmonious	Serene
very	angry	Furious	Enraged
very	dry	Arid	Parched
very	long	Elongated	Stretched
very	gentle	Amiable	Tame
very	harsh	Bitter	Coarse
very	loud	Roaring	Boisterous
very	quiet	Muted	Hushed
very	nasty	Noxious	Vulgar
very	good	Favorable	Pleasing
very	smelly	Fetid	Rancid
very	bloody	Grisly	Crimson
very	thirsty	Parched	Droughty
very	hungry	Ravenous	Starved

A Beginning Poet's Assets

Poetry takes many different forms.  Meter, syllable count, rhythm, and literal shapes are combined in endless ways, or even avoided completely, to create poetic pieces.  Line breaks, organization, and white space can be used to change or create meaning in a poem.  Although my main goal is to write fiction, I find poetry writing a great exercise because it often heavily utilizes many literary devices that are beneficial to both forms.  During a recent poetry writing workshop with Southern New Hampshire University, I found the following resources most important to my writing process.


The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics
A full spectrum of poetry information sorted alphabetically for easy navigation.  From poetic movements to terminology, the site a great first resource for poetry knowledge.

Shadow Poetry - A Poet's Writing Resource
Shadow Poetry explores poetic figures of speech, forms, mechanics, and terms.  The site provides definitions and examples, a poetry guide, a poetry handbook, and a word challenge poetry competition.  The numerous forms of poetry discussed and explained will prove a great resource to a poet looking to stretch out of their comfort zone, challenge their abilities, or simply learn new forms by which to express their poetic ability.

Rhymer by WriteExpress
A free rhyming dictionary that allows you to search for rhyming words by beginning rhyme, end rhyme, first syllable rhyme, last syllable rhyme, and double rhyme.  The free online version is limited, but very helpful.

Thesaurus
Find synonyms and antonyms for words.  The search breaks words down by definition, part of speech, and the directly related synonyms and antonyms for each one.  A simple click of one word will bring you to the same break down for the selected word.  Sometimes in poetry you need to express things differently from your initial wording and a thesaurus is necessary to really explore your options unless, of course, you're a walking dictionary and thesaurus.

VirtualSalt: A Handbook of Rhetorical Devices
A list of 60 rhetorical devices to spice up your writing with definitions and examples for terms such as alliteration, anaphora, assonance, oxymoron, metaphor, personification, etc. 

How Many Syllables
Simple syllable counter for those words you aren't too sure about.