Adverbs are an important part of sentences that describe and modify other parts of the sentence. Verbs are words that describe an action, and adverbs provide description and details regarding that action. There are different types of adverbs and how we use them depends on what you’re describing, and how you want to describe it. This adverbs list has over 100 adverb examples, and they are categorized by type with adverb examples sentences in order to help you understand their uses and meanings.
What Is an Adverb? What Do Adverb Words Do?
An adverb is a word that is used to change, modify, or qualify other words. Think of adverbs as the descriptions of how, where, and when things are occurring.
You may be familiar with adverbs as words that end in "ly" that modify verbs, but that's not always the case. There are actually five types of adverb words, and adverbs can also modify adjectives, clauses, or any other type of verb or phrase. However, adverbs can't modify nouns and noun phrases, since they are modified by adjectives.
The 5 Types of Adverbs
There are five types of adverbs — they're listed below with examples to help you understand the differences between them.
Adverbs of Degree: Adverbs of degree describe the intensity of a verb, or to what degree. They can also modify an adjective.
- Example: This will hardly be enough food for everyone.
Adverbs of Frequency: Adverbs of frequency let us know how often a verb occurs.
- Example: She always goes to the store on Mondays.
Adverbs of Manner: Adverbs of manner let us know the manner, or in what way, the verb is carried out. These verbs are the ones that typically end in “ly.”
- Example: She waited patiently in line.
Adverbs of Place: Adverbs of place tell is where the verb took place. These usually appear after the noun or direct object.
- Example: I’ve been seeing these new games everywhere.
Adverbs of Time: Adverbs of time detail when a verb takes place. They usually appear at the end of a phrase or sentence.
- Example: The town hosts this festival annually.
Adverb Examples
These adverb lists are sorted into the five different types for quick reference. This list is not a complete list of adverbs, but it will help you understand how to use and recognize adverb words. This adverb list provides adverb examples, as well as adverb examples sentences.
List of Adverbs of Degree
| Almost | They almost got there on time. |
| Absolutely | If you absolutely insist on driving yourself, let me at least give you directions. |
| Barely | The umbrella barely covers us both. |
| Completely | They completely shut down the ride. |
| Decidedly | The group decidedly hated the look of the presentation. |
| Deeply | I know they care very deeply about animal welfare. |
| Enough | Is it warm enough outside for sandals? |
| Enormously | Her test scores have improved enormously. |
| Extremely | The students worked extremely hard on this project. |
| Hardly | There’s hardly enough room for all of us. |
| Fairly | He was fairly new to the team but made great contributions. |
| Fully | She fully intends to spend her free time studying this weekend. |
| Incredibly | He is an incredibly talented musician. |
| Intensely | The dog stared at me intensely hoping for some food. |
| Least | I at least have to eat dinner before the movie. |
| Little | He was a little agitated by the traffic. |
| Just | I was just wondering if you’d finished the report. |
| Most | I'm most interested in studying biology. |
| Nearly | Her SAT scores were nearly perfect. |
| Perfectly | The students sat perfectly still while they waited for class to begin. |
| Positively | I am positively thrilled that it’s almost fall. |
| Practically | She practically jumped from happiness. |
| Purely | We’re analyzing this paper purely from an academic point of view. |
| Quite | This spaghetti is quite delicious. |
| Scarcely | The scientists had scarcely enough evidence to draw a conclusion. |
| Simply | I am simply stating the facts. |
| So | I am so curious about how memory works. |
| Rather | She is rather funny. |
| Really | He is really supportive of her goals. |
| Too | I’m too excited about our upcoming trip to sleep. |
| Totally | We’re totally going to the festival this weekend. |
| Thoroughly | Please make sure to read the chapter thoroughly. |
List of Adverbs of Frequency
| Again | Don’t ask again if we’re there yet. |
| Always | Always remember to pack your passport if you are traveling out of the country. |
| Never | Never underestimate your opponents in a competition. |
| Normally | He normally takes the bus to school but on nice days will ride a bike. |
| Generally | Going to the gym every day generally helps build muscle. |
| Rarely | We rarely get to see our family on the West Coast. |
| Seldom | We seldom get a day without rain in central Florida. |
| Often | I often think about the future. |
| Occasionally | We occasionally go out for a nice dinner. |
| Sometimes | They sometimes participate in the school play. |
| Usually |
I usually ask a lot of questions in class. |
List of Adverbs of Manner
| Angrily | She slammed the book shut angrily. |
| Anxiously | He waited anxiously for the train. |
| Beautifully | She sang the verse beautifully. |
| Badly | She twisted her ankle badly in the tennis match. |
| Carefully | They carefully glued the vase back together. |
| Calmly | She stated the instructions calmly. |
| Closely | I watched the baseball game closely. |
| Cheerfully | He smiled cheerfully. |
| Cautiously | Cross the road cautiously. |
| Clearly | I can see clearly after Lasik surgery. |
| Correctly | I guessed correctly on my first try. |
| Deliberately | She chose her extracurriculars deliberately. |
| Eagerly | He waited eagerly for the results of his SATs. |
| Enthusiastically | The students responded enthusiastically to the idea of a field trip. |
| Excitedly | She excitedly announced her new job online. |
| Dangerously | They came dangerously close to encountering a bear on their hike. |
| Generously | The volunteer generously coordinated the schedules of the other volunteers. |
| Kindly | They always treat each other kindly. |
| Fondly | The mom fondly watched her kids play in the snow. |
| Frankly | They discussed the marketing strategy frankly. |
| Easily | She is easily the funniest person I know. |
| Loudly | She called loudly across the room to her friend. |
| Gently | I placed the new houseplant gently on the ground. |
| Greedily | She greedily grabbed all the free things she could at the event. |
| Happily | The danced happily across the room. |
| Hurriedly | She walked hurriedly to her next class. |
| Hungrily | He hadn’t eaten all day, and hungrily wolfed down the pizza. |
| Innocently | He was walking by innocently when someone dropped a water balloon from above. |
| Inquisitively | The students looked inquisitively through their microscopes. |
| Mysteriously | The photo disappeared mysteriously from my bookshelf. |
| Naturally | The boy’s voice is naturally loud. |
| Neatly | He put his books neatly back on the shelf. |
| Nervously | She waited nervously for his ACT scores. |
| Noisily | I noisily stumbled through the apartment in the dark. |
| Patiently | The dog waited patiently for a treat. |
| Politely | He asked politely for more popcorn |
| Repeatedly | The teacher asked repeatedly for the students to put their phones on silent. |
| Safely | She was relieved to be safely back on the ground after the turbulent plane ride. |
| Suddenly | He suddenly stopped in his tracks. |
| Slowly | Close the door slowly because otherwise it will creak. |
| Softly | She spoke softly on the phone so she didn’t disturb her colleagues. |
| Secretly | They were behaving so secretly that I knew they were up to something. |
| Suspiciously | He regarded the new student suspiciously. |
| Quickly | She walked as quickly as she could through the crowded square. |
| Quietly | He spoke quietly during the meeting and was asked to speak up. |
| Well | I think I did well on the quiz today. |
List of Adverbs of Place
| Above | The plane flew above the clouds. |
| Around | She turned around to look for the source of the noise. |
| Back | Turn back if the trail gets too difficult. |
| Backward | Count backward from ten if you get angry. |
| Below |
Check below the sink for the saucepan. |
| Everywhere |
They searched everywhere for her keys. |
| Here |
I live here in the city. |
| Into |
We’ll go into the woods to find the hiking trail. |
| Nearby |
She’s planning to stay nearby for college. |
| Nowhere |
His files were nowhere to be found. |
| Out |
We went out into the garden. |
| Outside |
Take your boots outside. |
| There |
Put your bag there. |
| Upward |
The birds flew upwards to a higher branch. |
| Westward | Drive westward on route 80. |
List of Adverbs of Time
| Sometime | We should see that movie sometime. |
| Later | I’ll take out the trash later. |
| Annually | They host the Halloween party annually. |
| Daily | I read the newspaper daily. |
| Monthly | The magazine is printed monthly. |
| Recently | She visited her parents recently. |
| Tomorrow | I will go to the store tomorrow. |
| Only | She only checks her email weekly. |
| Yearly | They go on this trip yearly. |
| Yesterday | I moved the car yesterday. |
| Now | The baby wants to eat right now. |
| Yet | The meeting had started but we hadn’t even left yet. |
Now that you’re familiar with adverbs from our adverb lists, think carefully about how they work within a sentence. Adverbs are wonderful, but they should be used sparingly. A strong verb or adjective can be even better for your writing than an adverb. You don’t want your writing to be saturated in adverbs examples. Instead, they should be brought out like secret weapons to enhance imagery, emphasize important actions, and clarify complex themes in your writing. And when you're stuck, you can always reference this list of adverbs examples.
What's Next?
Looking for more writing help and advice? Check out this list of The 20 Most Useful Rhetorical Devices and 122 Tone Words to Set the Mood in Your Story. And don't miss these guides on assonance and imagery!
For help with grammar in your test prep, read up on The Complete Guide to SAT Grammar Rules and the must-know ACT grammar rules.
