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Does way too long mean a lot too long, or slightly too long?

Does way too stand for a huge or small measure?

apaderno
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aneuryzm
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1 Answers1

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As an adverb, "way" means "to a great degree". So "way too long" means "very/extremely long". I also found the following information on Urban Dictionary:

Way too: A phrase originating from Welland, Ontario, Canada. The phrase means to do/be something to a great extent.

Mehper C. Palavuzlar
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  • Also worth mentioning that "way too" is a tad colloquial for formal writing. – ShreevatsaR Oct 10 '10 at 04:03
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    I don't recommend using Urban Dictionary as a source. "Way too" doesn't mean "to a great extent" — "way" means "to a great extent". The "too" part means it is too much. There is a difference between "way long" (which means "very long") and "way too long" (which means it is longer than it should be, by a great margin). Also, I don't know how the origin of this phrase could be traced to Welland, Ontario. – Kosmonaut Oct 11 '10 at 15:26