Intensifiers and Mitigators: English Vocabulary List

in a way that carries particular importance or meaning, often in relation to the context

"The temperature dropped significantly overnight."

"The temperature dropped significantly overnight and we had to turn on the heater to keep warm."

to an extreme or total degree, especially used in medical contexts

"He was profoundly ill."

"I am profoundly grateful for your kindness and generosity during this difficult time in my life."

to a notable or extraordinary degree

"She is remarkably talented for her age."

"She is remarkably talented for her age and can play three different musical instruments very well indeed."

to a degree that is higher than usual

"I particularly enjoy Italian food."

"I particularly enjoy Italian food especially pasta dishes like spaghetti and lasagna with rich tomato sauce."

to the highest degree

"The movie was quite good."

"The movie was quite good actually much better than I expected from the reviews I had read online."

without being exact

"Roughly half of the students passed."

"Roughly half of the students passed the exam while the other half failed and will have to retake it."

to a very small degree or extent

"I can hardly wait."

"After the long hike, he could hardly move his tired legs and felt completely exhausted."

in the slightest degree, usually used with negatives

"I can't remotely see."

"He claims to have seen a ghost, but I don't remotely believe his story."

rarely occurring or happening

"That is a seldom event."

"The seldom seen snow leopard is one of the rarest animals in the world and very few people have ever photographed one in its natural habitat."

covering a wide range, indicating thoroughness or comprehensiveness

"This is extensive work."

"The research involved an extensive review of historical documents to understand the societal impact of the industrial revolution."

extremely large or vast in physical size

"The building is immense."

"The immense building towered over the city and it contained more than five thousand offices and a shopping mall on the ground floor."