Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
If something is ~, it affects you very strongly, and you do not know how to deal with it.
The task won’t feel so ~ if you break it down into small, easy-to-accomplish steps...
She felt an ~ desire to have another child.
= overpowering
ADJ
~ly
...the ~ly strange medieval city of Fes.
ADV: ADV adj
2.
You can use ~ to emphasize that an amount or quantity is much greater than other amounts or quantities.
The ~ majority of small businesses go broke within the first twenty-four months...
The vote was ~–283 in favour, and only twenty-nine against.
ADJ: usu ADJ n emphasis
~ly
The House of Commons has ~ly rejected calls to bring back the death penalty for murder...
ADV: usu ADV with v, also ADV adj