Is there any difference of the using between the following adverbs:
I often try to udifference toe similar following adverbs, but still haven't caught the difference:
Completely
Absolutely
Totally
Entirely
Utterly
Do you feel any difference to use them?
Thank you for your opinion in advance.
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Answers · 5
3
Completely, absolutely, entirely, utterly, and totally are all interchangeable. When to one instead of the other is typically a personal preference.
Utterly is somewhat different than the rest. Utterly seems to be typically tied to emotion: "That's utterly disgusting." In this example, you could also say one of the other words: "That's completely disgusting" for example.
Although it would make sense, it is not as common to use "utterly" in daily situations. As a native English speaker, it would sound strange to me if someone said, "I utterly believe..." instead of something like "I totally believe..." or "I absolutely believe..."
2
Here's how I would use these words in day to day conversation and in different situations.
Completely/ complete: something is complete/ finished. There's nothing more to do.
I am completely blown away by how well he sung.
Absolutely/ absolute: something is at its best/ worst/ most.
That is absolutely perfect!
Entirely/ entire: whole/ nothing is missing. If something is missing, I would say,
That's not entirely true.
Utterly, as the last person said, seems to be connected to emotion or feeling.
I am utterly disgusted by his behaviour.
Totally, is used a lot. It's the easiest for many people.
It fits with most situations, even all of the above although it may not be the most descriptive or emotion filled word, it will still work.
Hope this helps.
0
Errata: I often try to use the similar......
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