What are intensifiers? Meanings, examples and how to use them
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Intensifiers can help make your English sound stronger and more detailed. They show how much or how strongly you feel about something.
We use intensifiers, like 'really', 'absolutely', or 'truly' to make adjectives or adverbs stronger.
- good: really good
- brilliant: absolutely brilliant
- well: really well
- brilliantly: absolutely brilliantly
We use some intensifiers in formal situations (extremely, highly) and others in informal situations or everyday speech (really, super, totally).
- It is extremely unlikely that the results will change after the meeting. (formal)
- I thought the ending of the film was super cool. (informal)
Be careful not to use intensifiers too much. Sometimes it's better style to use a stronger adjective instead.
- The film was really, really good: The film was excellent.
Some adjectives need specific intensifiers, which we'll talk about below.
Table of contents
Common intensifiers with examples
The most common intensifiers in English are 'really', 'very', 'so', 'too', and 'extremely'. Here are some examples of how they can make the meaning of a sentence stronger.
- The film was good. (neutral sentence)
- The film was really good. (stronger meaning)
- She was tired after work. (neutral sentence)
- She was so tired after work. (stronger meaning)
- The meeting was long. (neutral sentence)
- The meeting was too long. (stronger meaning)
- The coffee was hot. (neutral sentence)
- The coffee was extremely hot. (stronger meaning)
How and when do we use intensifiers?
Intensifiers show how strongly the speaker feels about something. It changes the strength of the adjective or adverb.
To make a word a little bit stronger, we can use words like 'a little', 'slightly', or 'somewhat'. To make a word a lot stronger, we can use words like 'very', 'extremely', or 'absolutely'.
- She is tired. (states a fact)
- She is a little tired. (shows a small change in strength)
- She is extremely tired. (shows a big change in strength)
Here are some intensifiers that we can use to make a word a little bit stronger.
| somewhat | She's somewhat interested in the idea. |
| fairly | The directions were fairly easy to follow. |
| slightly | I'm slightly disappointed in my team. |
| quite | The book was quite interesting. |
| a little | The soup is a little spicy. |
| a bit | I'm a bit tired. |
Here are some intensifiers that we can use to make a word a lot stronger.
| extremely | She's extremely good at solving problems. |
| highly | He's highly skilled at repairing cars. |
| utterly | It was an utterly unforgettable trip. |
| truly | She's truly passionate about teaching. |
| really | Her speech was really interesting. |
| so | The view from the mountain was so beautiful! |
| totally | That's totally unfair! |
| very | The soup is very spicy. |
| completely | The streets are completely empty. |
| absolutely | I'm absolutely sure I locked the door. |
| incredibly | His speech was incredibly inspiring. |
We can also use intensifiers to be more specific.
| particularly | I'm particularly proud of this project. |
| especially | He's especially talented at playing the piano. |
When to use intensifiers?
Some intensifiers are more common in formal situations, and others are more common in informal situations.
- The feedback we've received has been super positive. (This is informal and so it might not be appropriate for a formal business meeting.)
- The shopping centre was exceptionally busy today. (This is formal and so it might sound a little strange in a conversation between friends.)
Here are some examples of formal and informal intensifiers. Some are neutral and fine to use in both situations.
| Intensifier | Formal | Informal | Example |
| extremely | ✓ | This meeting is extremely important. | |
| highly | ✓ | This course is highly recommended. | |
| exceptionally | ✓ | She did an exceptionally good job. | |
| truly | ✓ | We're truly sorry that you didn't enjoy your stay. | |
| somewhat | ✓ | The results were somewhat disappointing. | |
| really | ✓ | That film was really funny. | |
| super | ✓ | The food was super tasty. | |
| totally | ✓ | I'm totally exhausted after that workout. | |
| so | ✓ | It was so cold last night! | |
| pretty | ✓ | The hotel was pretty cute. | |
| a bit | ✓ | I'm a bit nervous about my interview today. | |
| utterly | ✓ | ✓ | The proposal was utterly unrealistic. |
| fairly | ✓ | ✓ | He did a fairly good job. |
| slightly | ✓ | ✓ | I'm slightly worried about the exam. |
| quite | ✓ | ✓ | It's quite hot today. |
| absolutely | ✓ | ✓ | That's absolutely right. |
| incredibly | ✓ | ✓ | It was incredibly cold yesterday. |
| very | ✓ | ✓ | He's very friendly. |
How do we know which intensifier to use with which adjective?
Using intensifiers with collocations
Not every intensifier works well with every adjective. Some combinations sound natural because we usually use particular words together. We call these combinations of words 'collocations'.
If you use the wrong collocation, people will understand you, but it sounds a little strange.
For example, we DON'T usually say:
- NOT:
Extremely freezing - NOT:
Completely starving - NOT:
Absolutely silent - NOT:
Truly huge - NOT:
Completely beautiful - NOT:
Absolutely wrong
On the other hand, here are some collocations which are very natural and common.
| absolutely + brilliant, fantastic, amazing | The food was absolutely fantastic. |
| completely + wrong, silent, different | The room was completely silent. |
| very + tired, happy, cold | She felt very tired after the run. |
| highly + recommended, skilled, unlikely | This book is highly recommended. |
| really + boring, interesting, nice | The lecture was really interesting. |
| extremely + important, difficult, rare | It's extremely important to study for the exam. |
| totally + amazing, unacceptable, different | Her behaviour was totally unacceptable. |
Gradable and ungradable adjectives
When we choose an intensifier, we also need to think about if the adjective is gradable or ungradable.
Most adjectives are gradable. This means the adjective can be stronger or weaker and we can talk about different levels of meaning. It's also natural to make comparatives and superlatives with gradable adjectives.
'Hot' is a gradable adjective. We have levels of hot.
- It's hot.
- It's slightly hot.
- It's very hot.
- It's extremely hot.
- Spain is hotter than the UK.
- Today is the hottest day of the year.
But a few adjectives can't be used in this way. The adjective is either true or not true.
'Boiling' is an ungradable adjective. Something is either boiling or not boiling. There aren't different levels of boiling.
- It's boiling!
- NOT:
It's slightly boiling. - NOT:
It's very boiling. - NOT:
It's extremely boiling.
However, we can use some intensifiers with ungradable adjectives, for very strong emphasis.
These intensifers are: absolutely, totally, completely, truly.
| Boiling | It was absolutely boiling in the car. |
| Delicious | The meal was absolutely delicious. |
| Devastated | He was completely devastated when he lost his job. |
| Enormous | The house is absolutely enormous. |
| Excellent | This work is truly excellent. |
| Exhausted | She was absolutely exhausted. |
| Fascinating | This book is completely fascinating. |
| Furious | She was completely furious. |
| Terrible | What an absolutely terrible day! |
Try an exercise about gradable and ungradable adjectives here.
Common mistakes with intensifiers
Overusing intensifiers
It's easy to use intensifiers like 'really' too much. It's fine to say 'really good' occasionally, but sometimes it's better style to choose a stronger adjective instead.
| The service was really bad. (maybe repetitive) | The service was atrocious. (more interesting) |
| I received really good feedback from my manager. (maybe repetitive) | I received exceptional feedback from my manager. (more interesting) |
| Many people consider online learning to be very good. (maybe repetitive) | Many people consider online learning to be superb. (more interesting) |
| Instead of 'very small' | tiny, miniature, compact, little |
| Instead of 'very good' | excellent, fantastic, wonderful, brilliant |
| Instead of 'very happy' | delighted, thrilled, pleased, overjoyed |
| Instead of 'very big' | huge, enormous, massive, gigantic |
| Instead of 'very tired' | exhausted, worn out, drained, shattered |
| Instead of 'very sad' | miserable, heartbroken, gloomy, devastated |
| Instead of 'very bad' | awful, terrible, dreadful, atrocious |
| Instead of 'very cold' | freezing, icy, glacial, cutting |
| Instead of 'very hot' | scorching, boiling, sweltering, roasting |
| Instead of 'very interesting' | fascinating, engaging, captivating, gripping |
Conclusion
Intensifiers help make your English more interesting by making the meaning of adjectives and adverbs stronger.
Remember to:
- Choose the right intensifier for the situation (formal or informal).
- Use natural collocations (e.g. absolutely amazing, highly recommended).
- Don't use 'very' and 'really' too much. Sometimes a stronger adjective is better.
Click here for an exercise on formal and informal intensifiers.
Click here for an exercise on intensifier and adjective collocations.
Click here for an exercise on gradable and ungradable adjectives.
Click here for an exercise on replacing overused intensifiers.
Click here for our complete programme to perfect your English grammar.