ausgesprochen
extremely
Used as an adverb to intensify an adjective or adverb, meaning 'very', 'especially', or 'extraordinarily'.
EXAMPLE
Das war ein ausgesprochen interessanter Vortrag.
That was an extremely interesting lecture.
ausgesprochen
extremely
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
Usage tips
Word structure and meaning
'Ausgesprochen' is the past participle of the verb 'aussprechen' (to pronounce / to express). In this specific use, however, it has nothing to do with speaking, but is a fixed adverb meaning 'sehr' (very) or 'besonders' (especially).
EXAMPLE
Sie ist eine ausgesprochen talentierte Musikerin.
She is an extremely talented musician.
Sentence structure and use
As an adverb, 'ausgesprochen' (extremely) always stands directly before the adjective or adverb it is meant to intensify. It is not declined.
EXAMPLE
Das Wetter war heute ausgesprochen schlecht.
The weather was extremely bad today.
Register and style
'Ausgesprochen' (extremely) is stylistically somewhat more elevated and stronger than 'sehr' (very). It is often used in written language or when you want to emphasize something especially strongly.
EXAMPLE
Wir waren mit dem Service im Hotel ausgesprochen zufrieden.
We were extremely satisfied with the service at the hotel.
Compare with
ausgesprochen vs besonders
especially / special
Besonders and ausgesprochen can both intensify a quality. Besonders can also highlight that the quality stands out in comparison with others; ausgesprochen focuses clearly on its high degree. For pure, clear intensification, ausgesprochen is the better choice.
ausgesprochen
Das neue Hotel ist ausgesprochen ruhig.
The new hotel is extremely quiet.
besonders
Das neue Hotel ist besonders ruhig.
The new hotel is particularly quiet.
In real life
Loading video examples...