“Highly” is a common adverb, a word that modifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb to provide more detail about how something is done.
If you find yourself frequently using “highly” to intensify adjectives (e.g., “highly funny,” “highly beautiful”), you are engaging in a practice known as intensification. Overuse of intensifiers like “highly” can make writing or speech seem repetitive or less impactful, which is why finding more precise adjectives, as in your examples, can improve clarity and style.
Words to use instead of highly?
- Highly angry → Furious
- Highly bad → Horrible
- Highly beautiful → Gorgeous
- Highly big → Enormous
- Highly bright → Radiant
- Highly calm → Serene
- Highly clean → Spotless
- Highly close → Intimate
- Highly cold → Freezing
- Highly complicated → Complex
- Highly dark → Pitch-black
- Highly dirty → Filthy
- Highly easy → Effortless
- Highly expensive → Costly
- Highly far → Distant
- Highly fast → Swift
- Highly funny → Hilarious
- Highly good → Excellent
- Highly happy → Ecstatic
- Highly hard → Arduous
- Highly high → Lofty
- Highly hot → Scorching
- Highly hungry → Starving
- Highly interesting → Fascinating
- Highly large → Vast
- Highly lazy → Indolent
- Highly little → Tiny
- Highly long → Extensive
- Highly loud → Deafening
- Highly low → Shallow
- Highly old → Ancient
- Highly poor → Destitute
- Highly rich → Wealthy
- Highly sad → Heartbroken
- Highly short → Brief
- Highly simple → Basic
- Highly slow → Sluggish
- Highly small → Tiny
- Highly strong → Forceful
- Highly stupid → Idiotic
- Highly tall → Towering
- Highly thirsty → Parched
- Highly tired → Exhausted
- Highly ugly → Hideous
- Highly valuable → Precious
- Highly weak → Frail
- Highly young → Youth