The Ultimate Adverbs Examples List

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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.

Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article!

About the Author

Carrie holds a Bachelors in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College, and is currently pursuing an MFA. She worked in book publishing for several years, and believes that books can open up new worlds. She loves reading, the outdoors, and learning about new things.

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