Extreme Adjectives: Strong Words to Use Instead of Very
Extreme adjectives (also called strong adjectives) already contain the idea of “very”: freezing means very cold, enormous means very big, exhausted means very tired and delicious means very tasty. Because the “very” is built in, we normally don’t put very in front of them. We say absolutely freezing or really exhausted, not very freezing.
Below is a list of common base adjectives and their extreme partners, the rules for which intensifiers go with which, the mistakes learners make most, and practice with answers. Extreme adjectives are a type of non-gradable adjective; the wider grammar is on our page about gradable and non-gradable adjectives.
List of extreme adjectives
| Base adjective | Extreme adjective(s) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| angry | furious, livid | She was furious when the flight was cancelled. |
| bad | awful, terrible, dreadful, horrendous | The traffic was awful. |
| beautiful | gorgeous, stunning | The view from the top is stunning. |
| big | enormous, huge, gigantic, massive, vast | They live in an enormous house. |
| bright | dazzling | The snow was dazzling in the sun. |
| clean | spotless | The kitchen was spotless. |
| clever | brilliant, genius (informal) | What a brilliant idea! |
| cold | freezing, icy | Close the window — it’s freezing. |
| crowded | packed | The train was packed. |
| dirty | filthy | His boots were filthy. |
| difficult | impossible | The last question was impossible. |
| funny | hilarious | The film was hilarious. |
| good | excellent, fantastic, wonderful, superb, amazing, brilliant (UK) | The food was fantastic. |
| happy | delighted, ecstatic, thrilled | We’re delighted with the result. |
| hot | boiling, scorching, baking | It’s boiling in here. |
| hungry | starving, ravenous | I’m starving — what’s for dinner? |
| important | essential, crucial, vital | Water is essential for life. |
| interesting | fascinating | Her talk was fascinating. |
| loud | deafening | The music was deafening. |
| old | ancient | That laptop is ancient. |
| pretty | gorgeous, beautiful | What a gorgeous dress. |
| quiet | silent | The library was silent. |
| sad | heartbroken, devastated, miserable | He was heartbroken when the dog died. |
| scared | terrified, petrified | She’s terrified of spiders. |
| small | tiny, minute, microscopic | The flat has a tiny kitchen. |
| sure | certain, positive | Are you positive you locked the door? |
| surprised | amazed, astonished, astounded | I was astonished by the price. |
| tasty | delicious, mouth-watering | This soup is delicious. |
| tired | exhausted, shattered (UK, informal) | After the hike we were exhausted. |
| ugly | hideous | That sofa is hideous. |
| wet | soaking, soaked, drenched | I’m soaked — I forgot my umbrella. |
| worried | frantic, desperate | Her parents were frantic when she didn’t come home. |
Which intensifiers go with extreme adjectives?
This is the part tests and teachers check most. Ordinary (gradable) adjectives and extreme adjectives take different intensifiers:
| Intensifier | With a base adjective (cold) | With an extreme adjective (freezing) |
|---|---|---|
| very, extremely, a bit, slightly, fairly | ✔ very cold | ✘ very freezing |
| absolutely, totally, completely, utterly | ✘ absolutely cold | ✔ absolutely freezing |
| really | ✔ really cold | ✔ really freezing |
| so | ✔ so cold | ✔ so freezing (informal) |
| quite | ✔ quite cold = fairly cold (UK) | ✔ quite freezing = completely freezing |
| pretty | ✔ pretty cold | ✔ pretty amazing (informal) |
Two notes. Really is the safe choice: it works with both kinds. And quite changes meaning: with a normal adjective in British English it usually weakens it (“quite good” = fairly good), but with an extreme adjective it means “completely” (“quite brilliant”). In American English, “quite good” usually means “very good”.
Some extreme adjectives sit more naturally with particular words: utterly exhausted, totally exhausted, completely impossible, absolutely delicious, simply stunning.
Can extreme adjectives be compared?
In careful writing, extreme adjectives don’t usually take -er, more or most, because they already describe the top of the scale. In everyday speech, though, superlatives like the most amazing, the most delicious and the most hilarious are very common and are not mistakes; they are emphatic. What sounds wrong is a comparative of a true absolute: more freezing, more impossible. For how comparison works in general, see comparative and superlative adjectives.
Strong adjectives in your writing
Teachers often ask students to replace very + adjective with one strong word: very big → enormous, very tired → exhausted. That works because one exact word is lighter and more confident than two vague ones. But two cautions:
- Don’t inflate everything. If every meal is amazing and every problem horrendous, the words stop meaning anything. Save extreme adjectives for what is genuinely extreme. Our page on intensifiers that weaken explains why stacking emphasis backfires.
- Check the meaning, not just the strength. Ancient is “very old”, but calling your grandmother ancient is rude; filthy means very dirty, and “filthy rich” is something else. An extreme word carries its own tone.
Common mistakes
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The film was very hilarious. | The film was absolutely hilarious. / The film was very funny. | Hilarious already means “very funny”. |
| I’m absolutely tired. | I’m absolutely exhausted. / I’m very tired. | Absolutely goes with extreme adjectives. |
| This box is more enormous than that one. | This box is much bigger than that one. | Compare with the base adjective. |
| It was a bit freezing. | It was a bit cold. | Downtoners like a bit don’t fit extreme adjectives. |
| The test was extremely impossible. | The test was completely impossible. | Impossible is all or nothing. |
Practice
A. Replace the words in bold with one extreme adjective.
- The stadium was very crowded.
- I was very scared during the storm.
- Their new puppy is very small.
- After the marathon I was very tired.
- Grandma’s cake was very tasty.
B. Choose the correct intensifier.
- The museum was (very / absolutely) fascinating.
- It’s (very / absolutely) warm today.
- The kids were (really / extremely) starving.
- That’s a (completely / very) brilliant idea.
Answers: 1 packed. 2 terrified (or petrified). 3 tiny. 4 exhausted. 5 delicious. 6 absolutely. 7 very. 8 really. 9 completely (“absolutely” is also good). More mixed practice is on our adjectives worksheet.
Quick answers
What are extreme adjectives? Adjectives that already mean “very + adjective”, such as freezing (very cold), huge (very big) and furious (very angry).
Are strong adjectives and extreme adjectives the same? Yes. Course books use both names for the same group.
Can you say “very delicious”? It is common in speech, but standard English prefers “absolutely delicious” or “really delicious”.
What adverbs go with extreme adjectives? Absolutely, totally, completely, utterly, really and (British) quite.
Is “amazing” an extreme adjective? Yes: it means very surprising or very good, so “absolutely amazing” is natural and “very amazing” is not.
New to adjectives? Start with what an adjective is.
Checked against Merriam-Webster, the Chicago Manual of Style and the AP Stylebook. Spotted an error? Tell us — see our editorial policy.
