veriest

[ ver-ee-ist ]

/ ˈvɛr i ɪst /

adjective

utmost; most complete: the veriest stupidity.

superlative of very.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

verglas, verhaeren, veridian, veridical, veridically, veriest, verifiability principle, verifiable, verification, verification principle, verified

Origin of veriest

very + -est¹

Definition for veriest (2 of 2)

very

[ ver-ee ]

/ ˈvɛr i /

adverb

in a high degree; extremely; exceedingly: A giant is very tall.

(used as an intensive emphasizing superlatives or stressing identity or oppositeness): the very best thing; in the very same place as before.

adjective, (Obsolete) ver·i·er, ver·i·est.

precise; particular: That is the very item we want.

mere: The very thought of it is distressing.

sheer; utter: He wept from the very joy of knowing he was safe.

actual: He was caught in the very act of stealing.

being such in the true or fullest sense of the term; extreme: the very heart of the matter.

true; genuine; worthy of being called such: the very God; a very fool.

rightful or legitimate.

Origin of very

1200–50; Middle English < Anglo-French; Old French verai (French vrai) < Vulgar Latin *vērācus, for Latin vērāx truthful, equivalent to vēr(us) true (cognate with Old English wǣr, German wahr true, correct) + -āx adj. suffix

SYNONYMS FOR very

5 pure, simple, plain.

Can be confusedmuch very (see usage note at the current entry)

Usage note

Past participles that have become established as adjectives can, like most English adjectives, be modified by the adverb very : a very driven person; We were very concerned for your safety. Very does not modify past participles that are clearly verbal; for example, The lid was very sealed is not an idiomatic construction, while The lid was very tightly sealed is. Sometimes confusion arises over whether a given past participle is adjectival and thus able to be modified by very without an intervening adverb. However, there is rarely any objection to the use of this intervening adverb, no matter how the past participle is functioning. Such use often occurs in edited writing: We were very much relieved to find the children asleep. They were very greatly excited by the news. I feel very badly cheated.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for veriest

We have Pezizæ with a subiculum in the section Tapesia, but the veriest tyro would not confound them with species of Parmelia.
Fungi: Their Nature and Uses|Mordecai Cubitt Cooke
She appeared the veriest little savage that ever lived so close to wealth and civilization.
The Camp Fire Girls in After Years|Margaret Vandercook
It is so simple that the veriest tyro can thus graft grapes.
Manual of American Grape-Growing|U. P. Hedrick
One ought to despise nothing nowadays: the veriest straw of talent may be that which is to break the camel's back.'
The Uncollected Writings of Thomas de Quincey, Vol. 2|Thomas de Quincey

Opinions were unseen, but marching soldiers were visible to the veriest street urchin.
History of the United States|Charles A. Beard and Mary R. Beard

British Dictionary definitions for veriest (1 of 2)

veriest

/ (ˈvɛrɪɪst) /

adjective

archaic (intensifier)the veriest coward

British Dictionary definitions for veriest (2 of 2)

very

/ (ˈvɛrɪ) /

adverb

(intensifier) used to add emphasis to adjectives that are able to be gradedvery good; very tall

adjective (prenominal)

(intensifier) used with nouns preceded by a definite article or possessive determiner, in order to give emphasis to the significance, appropriateness or relevance of a noun in a particular context, or to give exaggerated intensity to certain nounsthe very man I want to see; his very name struck terror; the very back of the room

(intensifier) used in metaphors to emphasize the applicability of the image to the situation describedhe was a very lion in the fight

archaic

real or true; genuinethe very living God
lawfulthe very vengeance of the gods

Word Origin for very

C13: from Old French verai true, from Latin vērax true, from vērus true

usage

In strict usage adverbs of degree such as very, too, quite, really, and extremely are used only to qualify adjectives: he is very happy; she is too sad. By this rule, these words should not be used to qualify past participles that follow the verb to be, since they would then be technically qualifying verbs. With the exception of certain participles, such as tired or disappointed, that have come to be regarded as adjectives, all other past participles are qualified by adverbs such as much, greatly, seriously, or excessively: he has been much (not very) inconvenienced; she has been excessively (not too) criticized

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for veriest

very

adj.

mid-13c., verray "true, real, genuine," later "actual, sheer" (late 14c.), from Anglo-French verrai, Old French verai "true," from Vulgar Latin *veracus, from Latin verax (genitive veracis) "truthful," from verus "true," from PIE *weros- (cf. Old English wær "a compact," Old Dutch, Old High German war, Dutch waar, German wahr "true;" Welsh gwyr, Old Irish fir "true;" Old Church Slavonic vera "faith"). Meaning "greatly, extremely" is first recorded mid-15c. Used as a pure intensive since Middle English.

Idioms and Phrases with veriest

very

In addition to the idioms beginning with very

very thing, the
very well

also see:

all very well
what's the (the very) idea