Adverbs of degree || Definition, key points, and the list

In this post, we learn what adverbs of degree are, and how to use them in a sentence.

What are adverbs of degree?

Definition: an adverb of degree modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb by telling to what degree they are true. When it modifies a verb, it indicates the degree to which the action takes place or is true. It talks about the intensity of the action. When an adverb of degree modifies an adjective and an adverb, they Indicate “to what degree” they are true.

Adverbs of degree intensify (strengthens or weakens) the meaning of the word they modify. Let’s look at the list of adverbs of degree.

A list of adverbs of degree

• Very
• Extremely
• Almost
• Nearly
• Completely
• Scarcely
• Enough
• Just
• Nearly
• Badly
• Deeply
• Hardly
• Entirely
• Fairly
• Fully
• Greatly
• Highly
• How
• Utterly
• Incredibly
• Less
• Perfectly
• Positively
• Pretty
• Too
• Quite
• Really
• Scarcely
• Simply
• So
• Somewhat
• Totally
• A little
• Much
• Insanely
• Amazingly

Examples:-

• It is extremely hot in here.

(The adverb ‘extremely‘ is modifying the adjective ‘hot‘ and indicating its degree (to what extent it’s hot). Here, the adverb is strengthening the meaning of the adjective.)

• It is quite hot in here.

(Here, ‘quite‘ is the adverb of degree’ that’s modifying the adjective ‘hot’, and telling us how hot it is: pretty. It’s not overly intensifying (positively) the meaning of the degree; it’s giving a neutral tone: it’s not too much or too less hot.)

• It is somewhat hot in here.

(‘Somewhat‘ is the adverb of degree here, and it’s not showing a very strong degree. If something is somewhat hot, it’s not very hot, but it’s hot.)

• He completely changed my career.

(‘Completely‘ is the adverb of degree here that’s modifying the verb ‘changed‘ and telling us ‘to what degree the action was true’. An action can be true to different extents. For example, he might have had a big part (let’s say 70%) or a small part (for say 30%) in changing my career. But the reality is that he had 100% part in changing my career. The action is true to the maximum degree. So, the adverb is positively intensifying the meaning of the verb.’

Imagine there is a meter that shows different level for something to be true. An adverb of degree works as a point in the meter; it shows the level to which something is true.

More examples:-

• She runs quite fast.
• He hit me with an extremely hard punch.
• The patient almost died in the ambulance.
• We nearly missed the flight.
• How can you completely disregard our work?
• When the marriage fell apart, it badly affected her.
• Sonia deeply cares about you.
• Doing this assignment without my help is nearly impossible.
• I hardly knew anyone when I moved here.
• You could stay here. It’s perfectly fine with us.
• We should meditate daily. It really helps.
• Jon is so smart as a fighter.
• You can simply leave if you don’t enjoy doing the work.
• The water was very cold.
• I totally agree with my parents.

Adverbs of degree (intensifying strongly...more than 💯%)

• Very
• Extremely
• So
• Badly
• Amazingly
• Incredibly
• Insanely

Examples:

• You did very well.
• The burger was so tasty that I licked the remaining off my fingers.
• His house is insanely huge.
• Jon was badly hurt in his last fight.

Adverbs of degree (intensifying fairly… close to💯%)

• Fairly
• Entirely
• Really
• Completely
• Simply
• Positively
• Fully
• Totally
• Enough
• Simply

Examples:

• The food here is fairly good compared to where we always eat.
• It is hot enough to drink.
• I was completely satisfied with the results.
• His role is entirely fictitious in the movie.

Adverbs of degree (intensifying but not strongly, not even 💯%)

• Somewhat
• Quite
• Rather
• Pretty
• Almost
• Nearly
• Just
• A little

Examples:

• His part is somewhat exciting.
• We were quite satisfied with the final results.
• She looked pretty beautiful.
• The interview was just fine.
• Conor looked a little sloppy in the fight.

Adverbs of degree	Meaning	Modifying verbs (degree)	Modifying adjectives	Modifying adverbs
Very	to a high degree	Not used	• Your brother was very helpful.	• He runs very fast.
Extremely	to a very high degree	Not used	• You look extremely beautiful in a saree.	• He runs extremely fast.
Much	To a great extent	Not used	• The drink was much hot.	Not used
Nearly	Almost, close to being true	• I nearly missed the train.	• The show was nearly over when we reached.	• The cake was nearly as tasted as the brownie.
Completely	to the totality/in every way	• We completely loved the show.	• His plan was completely stupid.	Not used
Scarcely	almost not	• Riya could scarcely walk after the accident.	• His story about the incident was scarcely true.	Not used
Enough	To a degree that satisfies the speaker	Not used	• Is the water enough hot?	• You are good enough for this job.
Almost	very nearly	• They almost made me join the gym.	• I was almost broke when I moved to the city.	Not used
Deeply	to a great extent, extremely	• The news of Jim’s death shocked us deeply.	• We are deeply grateful for you.	Not used
Hardly	scarcely	• I had hardly woken up when my friend Monu called.	• She was hardly ready to give the speech.	Not used
Badly	to a great degree	• We badly needed a break.	• I was badly hurt last night.	Not used
Entirely	to the full extent	• He relies entirely on his parents.	• Sam’s story is entirely different from yours.	Not used
Fairly	to a moderate degree (less than very and more than average)	• We haven’t won the game fairly, and it makes it feel terrible.	• The car we are using is fairly new.	• We get on fairly well.
Fully	To a full/great extent	• We fully support the people who are protesting at the Red Fort.	• His car is fully automatic.	Not used
Greatly	To a great degree	• We greatly decreased the debt rate.	• Max was greatly touched by our gift.	Not used
Highly	To a high degree	Not used	• Going there can be highly dangerous for us.	Not used
Utterly	to a great extent	Not used	• Jon was utterly sad when he lost his dream job.	Not used
Incredibly	to a great degree, completely	Not used	• We are incredibly proud of what you have done.	• He sings incredibly well.
Less	to a small extent	Not used	• Can you be less annoying today?	Not used
Perfectly	To a great extent (like perfect)	Not used	• We are perfectly fine with the food.	• The interview went perfectly well.
Positively	to a fair degree	She positively changed the working system here.	• The interviewer was positively hostile with me.	Not used
Pretty	To a decent/fair degree but not very high	Not used	• You seem pretty happy today.	• We played pretty well in today’s match.
Too	To a great degree/very	Not used	• It’s too crowed in here.	• You run too fast.
Quite	To a complete degree…not very strong though	Not used	• The paper is quite easy.	• He speaks quite fluently.
Really	to a good extent	• My English teacher Mohini really changed my life.	• We have been working really hard on this project.	• Jane sings really well.
Simply	To a complete extent	• We simply love working here.	• You look simply beautiful in this dress.	Not used
So	To a great extent	Not used	• The party was so good.	• You speak so fast.
Somewhat	To a fair extent but not great	• You somewhat changed my life.	• His recent book was somewhat boring.	• Rahul was behaving somewhat carelessly at the event.
Totally	To the extreme degree, completely	• The new manager has completely changed the policies regarding leaves.	• The shopkeeper was totally right about the legal rights of a customer.	Not used
A little	to a small extent	Not used	• She looks a little upset about something.	Not used
Insanely	to a great extent	• I insanely fell in love with teaching.	• His standup was insanely good.	• He raps insanely fast.
Amazingly	to a high degree	Not used	• The soup is amazingly tasty.	• He speaks Chinese amazingly well.