the very idea

noun

Used to indicate surprise or incredulity.

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Meanings

noun
  1. Used to indicate surprise or incredulity.

    “Well, of all things!” cried the equally astonished Jane. “And here I have been wasting whole reams of perfectly good imagination picturing you in Baltimore—the very idea!” And she threw her arms about her friend once more, and kissed her a dozen times.

    1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 111

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
the very thing
Cite this entry
APA

the very idea. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20very%20idea

MLA

“the very idea.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20very%20idea. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “the very idea,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20very%20idea.

Source: the very idea on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.