What does very much a mean?

very much an X = having all the characteristics of X very prominently

CJ

Hi CJ,

Thank you for your answer. Could you explain it more?

Does it mean 'very great; excellent'?

He's very much a scoundrel.

He's an excellent example of a very bad person.

AvangiHe's very much a scoundrel.

Or you might also reword that this way:
- He is a scoundrel indeed.

Thank you all very much.

Does 'out-and-out' mean the same as 'very much a...' ?

He's very much a scoundrel.

He's an out-and-out scoundrel.

Are the two sentences interchangeable?

Anonymous He's very much a scoundrel.
He's an out-and-out scoundrel.

Are the two sentences interchangeable? Yes.

Thank you very much, Avangi.

Can they always be interchangeable?

If you are alone, it's not very much a holiday for you.

Can I use 'out-and-out' instead as in

If you are alone, it's not an out-and-out holiday for you?

AnonymousHe's very much a scoundrel.

He's an out-and-out scoundrel.

Are the two sentences interchangeable?

Yes, but you should be aware that interchangeability in one sentence does not mean that the two expressions are always interchangeable. It just means that sometimes they can be interchanged.

CJ

<< If you are alone, it's not very much a holiday for you.
Can I use 'out-and-out' instead as in

If you are alone, it's not an out-and-out holiday for you?

1. He's an out-and-out XYZ.

2. He's very much an XYZ.

Would it be true to say that while #1 simply emphasises the quality in question, #2 brings it forward as something that might conceivably have been forgotten, or overlooked?

e.g.

3. He's an out-and-out goalscorer.

4. He's very much a goalscorer.

#3 seems simply to state a fact, but #4 has a