The Really + Adjective Plague

Really, like words such as very, quite, absolutely, extremely, too, and dozens more, is an adverb of degree.

Adverbs have earned a shady reputation, and really is an adverb to avoid. Not to eliminate.

If your work in progress is plagued by really + adjective phrasing, you’ve come to the right place.

Check this Example

I’m really convinced this is the best alternative.

Really?

Let’s look at the definition of convinced: absolutely certain

Can a person be any more certain than absolutely certain?

Certain is an absolute (non-gradable) adjective, which means it doesn’t require an adverb of degree.

The sentence would be better without really: I’m convinced this is the best alternative.

Analyze Your Writing

Search for all instances of really. Are they necessary?

If deletion doesn’t convey the meaning you want, leverage the following list as a tool for creating alternate phrasing that kicks really to the curb.

But remember that really exists for a reason. Sometimes it’s the only way to express an idea.

See also Options for Really + Verb Phrases and Ways to Avoid Very in Writing.

Really + Adjective Phrases: A to G

really able: adept, adroit, competent, proficient, skilled

really abrasive: brusque, disagreeable, harsh, obnoxious, rude

really abstracted: brooding, distracted, distrait, inattentive, preoccupied

really affordable: budget, cheap, economical, inexpensive, reasonable

really amazing: extraordinary, incredible, miraculous, remarkable, staggering

really baffling: bewildering, inexplicable, mystifying, perplexing, stunning

really baggy: ballooning, billowing, capacious, oversized, voluminous

really bored: apathetic, blasé, disinterested, inattentive, oblivious

really broke: bankrupt, insolvent, overdrawn, penniless, ruined

really calculating: cunning, devious, guileful, manipulative, scheming

really callous: cruel, heartless, insensitive, pitiless, uncaring

really calm: collected, composed, poised, serene, unruffled

really careless: inconsiderate, irresponsible, negligent, reckless, thoughtless

really dainty: delicate, ethereal, exquisite, fragile, graceful

really daunting: fearsome, formidable, intimidating, overwhelming, unnerving

really dazed: disoriented, overcome, shocked, stunned, stupefied

really deft: adroit, agile, dexterous, nimble, sprightly

really delicious: ambrosial, delectable, heavenly, mouthwatering, scrumptious

really dependable: devoted, responsible, stalwart, steadfast, trustworthy

really depressing: bleak, dismal, dispiriting, dreary, heartbreaking

really disheartened: cowed, crestfallen, dejected, disconsolate, downcast

really eager: enthusiastic, fervent, keen, passionate, zealous

really easygoing: adaptable, carefree, casual, laidback, tolerant

really edgy: hysterical, oversensitive, stressed, tense, tetchy

really enjoyable: delightful, fulfilling, gratifying, rewarding, satisfying

really expansive: all-embracing, extensive, inclusive, vast, wide-ranging

really faded: bleached, dull, lackluster, shopworn, washed-out

really fancy: elaborate, ostentatious, posh, showy, swanky

really farfetched: exaggerated, implausible, improbable, unbelievable, unlikely

really faulty: broken-down, flawed, defective, inoperative, unusable

really favorable: advantageous, heaven-sent, positive, propitious, reassuring

really garbled: distorted, incomprehensible, indecipherable, indistinct, unintelligible

really grave: critical, dire, life-threatening, precarious, serious

really great: admirable, exceptional, incomparable, momentous, unprecedented

really grimy: cruddy, filthy, nasty, scummy, squalid

really groggy: befuddled, bleary, disoriented, muzzy, unsteady

really gusty: blustery, raging, stormy, tempestuous, turbulent

Really + Adjective Phrases: H to N

really haggard: exhausted, drained, gaunt, rundown, sapped

really handsome: captivating, knockout, gorgeous, striking, stunning

really hardy: hale, resilient, robust, rugged, tough

really henpecked: browbeaten, bullied, dominated, intimidated, whipped

really heroic: courageous, dauntless, gutsy, intrepid, valiant

really idealistic: impractical, perfectionistic, quixotic, unrealistic, unswerving

really iffy: dicey, doubtful, problematic, unreliable, unsettled

really ignorant: naïve, oblivious, unaware, unfamiliar, uninformed

really impressed: awestruck, dazzled, enthralled, spellbound, wowed

really inquisitive: intrusive, meddlesome, nosey, prying, snoopy

really lackluster: dull, lifeless, monotonous, unexciting, uninspired

really languid: apathetic, lethargic, listless, torpid, unenergetic

really laughable: absurd, ludicrous, pitiful, preposterous, ridiculous

really lax: careless, lenient, negligent, slack, slipshod

really lazy: indolent, laggard, shiftless, slothful, sluggish

really lenient: doting, forgiving, indulgent, liberal, over-permissive

really little: atom-sized, dinky, gnomish, minute, teensy

really lukewarm: apathetic, halfhearted, indifferent, unenthusiastic, unexcited

really macho: aggressive, chauvinistic, cocky, swashbuckling, ultra-masculine

really mannerly: civilized, decorous, genteel, polished, refined

really mean: cruel, despicable, malicious, nasty, vicious

really meek: acquiescent, passive, spineless, submissive, timid

really messy: chaotic, haphazard, littered, slipshod, slovenly

really moist: drenched, dripping, saturated, soaked, sopping

really monotonous: colorless, dreary, humdrum, tedious, wearisome

really naïve: immature, innocent, unsophisticated, unworldly, wide-eyed

really narrow: compressed, constricted, impassable, pinched, squeezed

really necessary: crucial, essential, indispensable, mandatory, obligatory

really negligent: delinquent, derelict, remiss, neglectful, slipshod

really noble: honorable, moral, principled, upright, worthy

really noisy: blaring, deafening, roaring, strident, thundering

really nosey: intrusive, invasive, officious, probing, voyeuristic

Really + Adjective Phrases: O to W

really odd: bizarre, extraordinary, freakish, outlandish, zany

really ominous: apocalyptic, catastrophic, dire, menacing, sinister

really ornery: cantankerous, irascible, nasty, obstinate, waspish

really outdated: ancient, antiquated, archaic, obsolete, passé

really overcast: bleak, dismal, dull, gloomy, sunless

really papery: flimsy, fragile, gauzy, gossamer-thin, wispy

really peaceful: blissful, placid, serene, tranquil, undisturbed

really perky: bouncy, bubbly, buoyant, spirited, vibrant

really persistent: assiduous, determined, dogged, tenacious, unflagging

really petty: grudging, niggling, picayune, spiteful, vindictive

really plain: dull, homely, ordinary, stark, unadorned

really proficient: accomplished, consummate, expert, masterly, superior

really quaint: antiquated, charming, old-fashioned, picturesque, scenic

really quirky: eccentric, peculiar, unconventional, unique, unusual

really racy: improper, indecent, indelicate, lascivious, shocking

really ragged: dilapidated, shabby, tattered, scruffy unkempt

really regal: imperial, imposing, majestic, resplendent, stately

really relaxed: carefree, easygoing, mellow, nonchalant, unperturbed

really rickety: crumbling, neglected, ramshackle, tumble-down, wobbly

really sick: bedridden, critical, dying, hospitalized, incapacitated

really slim: emaciated, scraggy, skeletal, skinny, undernourished

really special: exceptional, extraordinary, phenomenal, outstanding, unprecedented

really stern: draconian, harsh, severe, strict, tough

really stubborn: immovable, inflexible, obdurate, uncompromising, unyielding

really surprised: astounded, dumbfounded, flabbergasted, staggered, stupefied

really talkative: babbling, garrulous, gushy, verbose, wordy

really thirsty: bone-dry, cotton-mouthed, dehydrated, parched, ultra-dry

really timid: faint-hearted, reticent, timorous, unassertive, weak-kneed

really tipsy: addled, drunk, inebriated, intoxicated, woozy

really tough: arduous, challenging, daunting, difficult, exacting

really underhanded: corrupt, devious, dishonest, low, scheming

really uninspired: bland, insipid, stale, unimaginative, unoriginal

really unswerving: constant, focused, solid, steadfast, unshakeable

really upright: aboveboard, exemplary, honest, moral, respectable

really upset: agitated, dismayed, distraught, distressed, wounded

really vague: ambiguous, fuzzy, imprecise, obscure, unclear

really vast: immeasurable, infinite, limitless, titanic, unbounded

really verdant: fertile, jungle-like, lush, overgrown, wild

really vicious: barbarous, brutal, inhuman, sadistic, savage

really villainous: atrocious, depraved, heinous, ignoble, maleficent

really wasteful: extravagant, improvident, inefficient, profligate, uneconomical

really weird: abnormal, spooky, strange, uncanny, unreal

really worried: alarmed, apprehensive, distressed, overwrought, tormented

really wounded: aggrieved, offended, pained, stung, upset

really wily: crafty, crooked, scheming, shrewd, underhanded