How to Build a Great Vocabulary 'Very' Quickly

Photo by Amador Loureiro on Unsplash

Building a vocabulary is hard. You have to read a lot. We mean a lot. Read. Read. Read. However, when you are faced with standardized tests, like the ACT, SAT, GRE, GMAT, HSPT, ISEE, SSAT, LSAT, etc. you don't have much time to build a great vocabulary, if you already don't have one.

Here is a handy tip to quickly build a great one if you are pressed for time.

Replace the word 'very' with a new word!

1. parched instead of "very dry"
2. squalid instead of "very dirty"
3. ​terrified instead of "very afraid"
4. furious instead of "very angry"
5. exquisite instead of "very beautiful"
6. ​hideous instead of "very ugly"
7. vivacious instead of "very lively"
8. immense instead of "very big"
9. tiny instead of "very small"
10. spacious instead of "very roomy"
11. precious instead of "very valuable"​
12. mindful instead of "very aware"
13. precise instead of "very accurate"​
14. rudimentary instead of "very basic"​
15. meticulous instead of "very careful"​
16. rotten instead of "very bad"​
17. courteous instead of "very civil"​
18. vivid instead of "very colorful"​
19. brilliant instead of "very clever"​
20. meticulous instead of "very clean"​
21. fascinating instead of "very interesting"​
22. envious instead of "very jealous"​
23. scorching instead of "very hot"​
24. imminent instead of "very likely"​
25. perilous instead of "very dangerous"
26. filthy instead of "very dirty"
27. arduous instead of "very difficult"
28. tenacious instead of "very determined"
29. fervent instead of "very eager"
30. effortless instead of "very easy"
31. skeptical instead of "very dubious"
    
32. swift instead of "very fast"
33. renowned instead of "very famous"
34. ferocious instead of "very fierce"
35. doting instead of "very fond"
36. lithe instead of "very graceful"
    
37. exasperating instead of "very frustrating"
38. ponderous instead of "very heavy"
39. hirsute instead of "very hairy"
40. famished instead of "very hungry"
41. infirm instead of "very ill"
    
42. peerless instead of "very rare"
43. conscientious instead of "very responsible"
44. pristine instead of "very pure"
    
45. depraved instead of "very immoral"
46. humongous instead of "very large"
47. opulent instead of "very lavish"
48. forlorn instead of "very lonely"
49. novel instead of "very new"
    
50. precise instead of "very specific"
51. acerbic instead of "very sour"
52. remorseful instead of "very sorry"
53. stern instead of "very strict"
54. vacuous instead of "very stupid"
    
55. hideous instead of "very ugly"
56. unjust instead of "very unfair"
57. improbable instead of "very unlikey"
58. extraordinary instead of "very unusual"
59. precious instead of "very valuable"
    
60. abusive instead of "very violent"
61. sage instead of "very wise"
62. fledgling instead of "very young"
63. untamed instead of "very wild"
64. expansive instead of "very wide"
    
65. hale instead of "very healthy"
66. vital instead of "very important"
67. succulent instead of "very juicy"
68. adored instead of "very loved"
69. blessed instead of "very lucky"
    
70. furious instead of "very angry"
71. fretful instead of "very anxious"
72. tedious instead of "very boring"
73. stunning instead of "very beautiful"
74. poised instead of "very confident"
    
75. frigid instead of "very cold"
76. baffled instead of "very confused"
77. inquisitive instead of "very curious"
78. contorted instead of "very deformed"
79. fragile instead of "very delicate"
    
80. temperamental instead of "very emotional"
81. melodramatic instead of "very dramatic"
82. obese instead of "very fat"
83. gregarious instead of "very friendly"
84. ecstatic instead of "very happy"
    
85. frank instead of "very honest"
86. gifted instead of "very intelligent"
87. infantile instead of "very childish"
88. casual instead of "very informal"
89. severe instead of "very intense"
    
90. pessimistic instead of "very negative"
91. apparent instead of "very obvious"
92. destitute instead of "very poor"
93. germane instead of "very relevant"
94. boisterous instead of "very rowdy"
95. optimistic instead of "very positive"
96. crooked instead of "very corrupt"
97. precarious instead of "very risky"
98. unyielding instead of "very firm"
99. exorbitant instead of "very expensive"
100. ebullient instead of "very enthusiastic"

As a bonus, below is a list of the top 100 words on the SAT.

Top 100 words on the SAT

1. abate
   become less in amount or intensity
2. abdicate
   give up, such as power, as of monarchs and emperors
3. aberration
   a state or condition markedly different from the norm
4. abstain
   choose not to consume
5. adversity
   a state of misfortune or affliction
6. aesthetic
   characterized by an appreciation of beauty or good taste
7. amicable
   characterized by friendship and good will
8. anachronistic
   chronologically misplaced
9. arid
   lacking sufficient water or rainfall
10. asylum
    a shelter from danger or hardship
11. benevolent
    showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding
12. bias
    a partiality preventing objective consideration of an issue
13. boisterous
    full of rough and exuberant animal spirits
14. brazen
    unrestrained by convention or propriety
15. brusque
    marked by rude or peremptory shortness
16. camaraderie
    the quality of affording easy familiarity and sociability
17. canny
    showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
18. capacious
    large in the amount that can be contained
19. capitulate
    surrender under agreed conditions
20. clairvoyant
    someone who can perceive things not present to the senses
21. collaborate
    work together on a common enterprise or project
22. compassion
    a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering
23. compromise
    an accommodation in which both sides make concessions
24. condescending
    characteristic of those who treat others with arrogance
25. conditional
    imposing or depending on or containing an assumption
26. conformist
    someone who follows established standards of conduct
27. conundrum
    a difficult problem
28. convergence
    the act of coming closer
29. deleterious
    harmful to living things
30. demagogue
    a leader who seeks support by appealing to popular passions
31. digression
    a message that departs from the main subject
32. diligent
    quietly and steadily persevering in detail or exactness
33. discredit
    the state of being held in low esteem
34. disdain
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
35. divergent
    tending to move apart in different directions
36. empathy
    understanding and entering into another's feelings
37. emulate
    strive to equal or match, especially by imitating
38. enervating
    causing weakness or debilitation
39. ephemeral
    anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day
40. evanescent
    tending to vanish like vapor
41. exemplary
    worthy of imitation
42. extenuating
    partially excusing or justifying
43. florid
    elaborately or excessively ornamented
44. forbearance
    a delay in enforcing rights or claims or privileges
45. fortitude
    strength of mind that enables one to endure adversity
46. fortuitous
    occurring by happy chance
47. foster
    providing nurture though not related by blood or legal ties
48. fraught
    filled with or attended with
49. frugal
    avoiding waste
50. hackneyed
    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
51. haughty
    having or showing arrogant superiority
52. hedonist
    someone motivated by desires for sensual pleasures
53. hypothesis
    a tentative insight that is not yet verified or tested
54. impetuous
    characterized by undue haste and lack of thought
55. impute
    attribute or credit to
56. inconsequential
    lacking worth or importance
57. inevitable
    incapable of being avoided or prevented
58. intrepid
    invulnerable to fear or intimidation
59. intuitive
    spontaneously derived from or prompted by a natural tendency
60. jubilation
    a feeling of extreme joy
61. lobbyist
    someone who is employed to persuade how legislators vote
62. longevity
    the property of having lived for a considerable time
63. mundane
    found in the ordinary course of events
64. nonchalant
    marked by blithe unconcern
65. opulent
    rich and superior in quality
66. orator
    a person who delivers a speech
67. ostentatious
    intended to attract notice and impress others
68. parched
    dried out by heat or excessive exposure to sunlight
69. perfidious
    tending to betray
70. pragmatic
    concerned with practical matters
71. precocious
    characterized by exceptionally early development
72. pretentious
    creating an appearance of importance or distinction
73. procrastinate
    postpone doing what one should be doing
74. prosaic
    lacking wit or imagination
75. prosperity
    the condition of having good fortune
76. provocative
    serving or tending to excite or stimulate
77. prudent
    marked by sound judgment
78. querulous
    habitually complaining
79. rancorous
    showing deep-seated resentment
80. reclusive
    withdrawn from society; seeking solitude
81. reconciliation
    the reestablishment of cordial relations
82. renovation
    the act of improving by renewing and restoring
83. restrained
    under control
84. reverence
    a feeling of profound respect for someone or something
85. sagacity
    the ability to understand and discriminate between relations
86. scrutinize
    examine carefully for accuracy
87. spontaneous
    said or done without having been planned in advance
88. spurious
    plausible but false
89. submissive
    inclined or willing to give in to orders or wishes of others
90. substantiate
    establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts
91. subtle
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
92. superficial
    of, affecting, or being on or near the surface
93. superfluous
    more than is needed, desired, or required
94. surreptitious
    marked by quiet and caution and secrecy
95. tactful
    having a sense of what is considerate in dealing with others
96. tenacious
    stubbornly unyielding
97. transient
    lasting a very short time
98. venerable
    profoundly honored
99. vindicate
    show to be right by providing justification or proof
100. wary
     marked by keen caution and watchful prudence