Skip to main content
sorely

sorely

40 5.2
To a great degree
  • adverb
  • /ˈsɔrli/
translation icon : sumamente
  • You were sorely missed at the last club meeting.
  • sorely needed
  • sorely lacking
  • sorely missed

What is, is a feature that I sorely need for my setup.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Our patience has been sorely tried, depriving us of faith and all guidance.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • In addition, it is clear that social work intervention studies are sorely needed in this area.

    Academic text (2008)
  • And I feel like it's sorely needed right now.

  • His presence is sorely felt by everyone in the family.

  • Lewis, you will be sorely missed.

  • And in fact, it will, you know, I think in terms of near Earth operations, the shuttle will be sorely missed when we retire it.

  • His remarkable soldiering skills would be sorely missed by the Emperor in the challenging years that lay ahead.

  • First, concerted and coordinated intervention efforts are sorely needed within secondary schools.

    Academic text (2015)
  • A renewed and strengthened NATO could undertake a sorely needed "surge" in Afghanistan.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Her support during tough times is sorely appreciated by everyone in the team.

Synonyms

extremely
vssorely
1.0

To a very great degree

is equally extreme but often used in stronger contexts
highly
vssorely
922 1.0

To a very high degree, often about skill or rank

is an intensifier focusing on large degree not rank
strongly
vssorely
638 1.0

In a very forceful or certain way

expresses high degree without the sense of physical force
seriously
vssorely
606 1.6

To a very great degree

is about extreme degree generally rather than seriousness
badly
vssorely
456 1.0

To a great degree

is extreme in intensity regardless of positive or negative tone
greatly
vssorely
350 1.0

By a very large amount

is more extreme and stresses very great intensity
heavily
vssorely
320 1.0

To a large degree or too much

is intense in degree without suggesting heaviness
severely
vssorely
272 4.1

In a very bad or serious way

is extreme in degree without the harmful or strict focus
terribly
vssorely
230 1.4

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

is extreme but can be used more neutrally
tremendously
vssorely
129 3.1

To a very large degree

is extreme without implying positive reaction or admiration
enormously
vssorely
128 3.5

To a very large degree

is intense without stressing physical largeness
vastly
vssorely
103 3.0

By a very large amount

expresses great degree without implying comparative size
intensely
vssorely
88 3.1

In a very strong or focused way

refers to great degree generally rather than concentrated force
hugely
vssorely
84 2.1

To a very great degree

is extreme but more neutral in register
immensely
vssorely
70 3.5

To a very large degree

focuses on high degree without suggesting size or scale
exceedingly
vssorely
57 4.6

To a very great degree

is similar in force but more common in speech
massively
vssorely
47 3.4

To a great degree

is strong in degree without implying massiveness
supremely
vssorely
26 4.5

To a very high degree

is extreme but not necessarily the topmost level
dreadfully
vssorely
18 4.4

Shows that something is very bad, unpleasant, or extreme

is equally extreme but without the negative emotional tone
in spades
vssorely
  • Informal
14 8.0

To a very great degree

is the literal adverbial expression without the idiomatic tone
11 3.5

To a large degree

is stronger and implies a very great or extreme degree
direly
vssorely
1 7.5

In a very serious and urgent way

is extreme in degree without the urgency or danger aspect

Antonyms

885 1.0

A little, not very much

47 2.8

To some degree but not very much

How Strongly

sorely
40 5.2
considerably
144 3.4
fairly
895 1.0
somewhat
816 2.0
slightly
885 1.0

Surface Forms

sorely positive

Morphology

sorely = sore (semi-transparent) = sore + ly

Formed by the regular adverbial suffix -ly from 'sore', but the common sense 'extremely' is an intensifying extension rather than strictly 'in a painful way', so learners knowing only the physical sense may not infer it.

Etymology

Sorely comes from sore ('painful' or 'severe') plus the ending -ly, so it originally meant 'in a painful or severe way'. That's why we use sorely to say something is needed or felt very strongly — in other words, 'very' or 'extremely'.