Need another word for very good? Usual winners are excellent, superb, outstanding, first-rate and, in friendly talk, terrific. One strong adjective almost always reads better than very plus a plain one.
The catch is that these words are not equal. Some are a small step up from good and some sit near the top of the scale. Below is each very good synonym placed by strength, plus picks for reports, reviews, feedback and texts.
Swatch at a glance
Best swaps
excellent, superb, outstanding, first-ratePart of speech
Adjective phraseMost formal
exemplary, exceptionalMost casual
awesome, brilliant, top-notchStrongest
exceptional, outstanding, superbAntonyms
very bad, terrible, poorWatch out
Perfect means no flaws at all. Save it for things that truly have none.
Another word for very good, placed by strength
Think of those chips as rungs of praise, lowest first. Great is warm and everyday. Excellent is the clear match for very good and suits almost any setting. Superb adds polish and real admiration. Outstanding sets it apart from its peers, and exceptional means it is rare.
If you are grading or rating, keep the order steady across a document so readers can compare.
Very good synonym groups
| Use | Swaps | Sample |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | excellent, superb, first-rate | The soup was superb. |
| Fun or pleasing | terrific, fantastic, wonderful | We had a terrific weekend. |
| Skill | accomplished, expert, gifted | He is an accomplished pianist. |
| Behavior | well-behaved, thoughtful | The kids were well-behaved all day. |
For plain good in all its senses, the good synonyms page goes wider.
Two words into one: sample rewrites
- Her essay is very good becomes her essay is excellent.
- A very good result for the team becomes an outstanding result for the team.
- He is very good at chess becomes he is a gifted chess player.
- The service was very good becomes the service was first-rate.
- That was a very good movie night becomes that was a fantastic movie night.
- Very good, I will book it becomes that works, I will book it.
A manager writing feedback: "Your report was very good" feels polite but flat. "Your report was thorough and clear" says why it was good, which is far more useful to the person reading it.
Words for reports, reviews and texts
School and work writing: excellent, exemplary and of high quality sound measured. Exemplary suits conduct and work that others should copy. Reviews: superb and first-rate carry real praise without sounding gushy. Texts and chat: awesome, brilliant and top-notch sound friendly. British speakers lean on brilliant more than Americans do. Browse describing words to find further adjectives.
Very good as a reply
In some settings, very good is a short way to say I understand and agree. Swaps include certainly, of course, that works and sounds great. In a formal email, noted with thanks or understood can do the same job. Very good as a reply can sound old-fashioned or stiff in casual chat.
Mix-ups to avoid
Perfect means flawless, so a perfect score is accurate while a perfect lunch is usually a stretch. Best compares with everything else, so it cannot replace very good on its own. Decent and solid are below very good: they mean acceptable or reliable, not impressive. And watch incredible, which literally means hard to believe and can read as sarcasm in a serious report.
Opposites of very good
The other end runs from mild to harsh: mediocre and poor are measured, terrible and awful are blunt, and substandard is the formal choice for work that falls below a set level.
- The first draft was mediocre.
- The wiring was substandard.
Frequently asked questions
What is one word for very good?
Excellent is the closest single word. Superb, outstanding and first-rate are close choices with slightly stronger praise.
Which very good swaps suit formal writing?
Excellent, exemplary and exceptional all suit formal writing. Exemplary is best for behavior or work worth copying.
How do friends say very good in chat?
Awesome, great, terrific and brilliant work in friendly talk. Top-notch is also casual and a little playful.
Is excellent stronger than very good?
They are about equal. Excellent just says it in one word, which makes the sentence tighter.
What word means better than very good?
Outstanding, exceptional and superb sit above it. Use them for work that stands out clearly from the rest.
Which words sit at the opposite end?
Very bad, terrible and awful are the direct opposites. Poor and mediocre are gentler options.