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Glite Dictionary
✅ Actually ✨ Very
really

really

∞ 1.0
Shows how strong something is, for example very cold
  • adverb
  • /ˈrɪəli/
: muy
  • And she said that dad is really, really sick.
  • really good
  • really important
  • really like

And then I think they're really good gang bro.

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Examples

Synonyms

so
vsreally
∞ 1.0

To a very large degree

tends to feel more personal and emphatic in speech
very
vsreally
∞ 1.0

To a large degree

is more conversational and sometimes stronger when adding emphasis
real
vsreally
  • Informal
∞ 7.9

Very, used to make an adjective stronger

is similar but more widely used across formal and informal speech
incredibly
vsreally
855 2.3

To a very great degree

usually gives a stronger, more emotional emphasis than the key
terribly
vsreally
392 1.4

To a very great degree, often before words like cold or sad

is more neutral and flexible in positive or negative contexts
awfully
vsreally
340 1.4

To show strong feeling or degree

is similar but usually feels less negative or extreme
positively
vsreally
107 3.4

In a way that shows you are sure something is true

focuses on degree rather than absolute certainty or truth
ever so
vsreally
51 4.2

To make an adjective or adverb much stronger

is more neutral and used in everyday modern speech
muy
vsreally
32 9.9

In Spanish it makes an adjective or adverb stronger

is the regular intensifier used in neutral English speech
frakking
vsreally
  • NSFW
26 9.9

To make what you say sound stronger

is milder and more socially acceptable in most settings
supremely
vsreally
25 4.5

To a very high degree

is used more generally and less intensely than this extreme
mega
vsreally
  • Informal
19 4.7

Put before an adjective or adverb to mean very

is more standard and less slangy when adding emphasis
fantastically
vsreally
18 3.5

To a very great degree

is a more general intensifier without the praise nuance
tres
vsreally
  • Informal
13 9.9

An informal way to say very, like the French word très

is the common English intensifier without foreign styling
awesomely
vsreally
  • Informal
8 5.4

To make a describing word much stronger

can be used more neutrally without the strong excitement
rattling
vsreally
  • UK
2 8.2

Makes a describing word sound very strong

is more neutral and global in everyday emphasis
damnably
vsreally
  • NSFW
1 8.1

In a way that makes something very bad or annoying

is neutral and does not by itself suggest negativity
superlatively
vsreally
1 7.0

To a very high degree, showing excellent quality

is more common and less formal than this superlative tone
très
vsreally
1 9.9

A French word people use to mean very and sound stylish in English

is plainer and used broadly without foreign connotations
goshawfully
vsreally
  • Archaic
9.9

Shows that a describing word is very strong

is more modern and less jokey when used for emphasis

Antonyms

barely
∞ 1.0

Happens only by a very small amount

Idioms

oh really
182 7.4

Shows surprise or mild doubt about what someone just said

Compounds

really lame
  • Informal
9 7.5

A reason or explanation that is very weak and not believable

really sucky
  • Slang
1 8.4

Very bad and disappointing to experience

really yucky
  • Informal
1 7.4

Very unpleasant to see, smell, taste, or touch

How Emphatic

extremely
∞ 1.0
very
∞ 1.0
really
∞ 1.0
rather
∞ 1.0
a little
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

really positive

Morphology

really = real (semi-transparent) = real + ly

The adverbial form has extended pragmatically from 'in a real manner' to an intensifier meaning 'very', a shift learners may not fully predict from 'real'.

Etymology

The word really comes from real ('actual') and the ending -ly that makes an adverb. It first meant 'in reality', and that is why we now use really to mean 'very' when we want a strong description.