Intensifying Adverbs: Common Collocations
It was a bitterly cold winter morning.
Bitterly
You can use bitterly when there is a
strong negative emotion: usually sadness (with “disappointed,” “regret,” and
“cry”) or annoyance/anger (with “complain” and “resent”)
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bitterly disappointed
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bitterly regret
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cry bitterly
§
complain bitterly
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bitterly resent
Bitterly is also often used with cold, to emphasize weather that is
very, very cold!
Deeply
You can use deeply with emotions in
general, to emphasize that they are very strong.
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deeply appreciative
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deeply ashamed
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deeply concerned
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deeply hurt
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deeply moved
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deeply offended
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deeply worried
Highly
You can use highly with “probability”
words (likely/unlikely, probable, unusual) and others:
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highly unlikely
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highly probable
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highly effective
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highly controversial
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highly profitable
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highly recommended
Ridiculously
You can use ridiculously when
something is so extreme, it’s difficult to believe.
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ridiculously cheap
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ridiculously easy
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ridiculously long
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ridiculously small
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ridiculously early
Strongly
You can use strongly with verbs
relating to having or expressing opinions:
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strongly believe
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strongly deny
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strongly oppose
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strongly feel
§
strongly dislike
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strongly support
§
strongly influence