Green’s Dictionary of Slang

way adv.

[SE a long way, reinforced by way-out adj.1 (2), way to go! excl.; but note W.I. waay!, waay-ou!, an excl. of great amusement, excitement, exultation]

(US) very, extremely, a general intensifier.

[US]Congressional Record 3 Oct. 9122/1: He is way below, he is only 50 in mathematics [DA].
[UK]R. Beach Pardners (1912) 41: Hold up! Your dope sheet is way to the bad.
[US]R. Fisher Conjure-Man Dies 235: Got a heavy date and I’m way late.
[US]‘Hal Ellson’ Duke 130: I’m feeling cool as hell [...] I’m way up.
[US]A. Anderson ‘Comrade’ in Lover Man 142: I know Frank De Voe from way back.
[US]A. Baraka Tales (1969) 10: ‘Woe, Rick you’re way,’ extending his hand, palm upward. [Ibid.] 19: I saw that ol’ fagit Bobby Hutchens [...] with a real D.C. queer. I mean a real way-type sissy.
[US]D. Ponicsan Last Detail 2: Bad-Ass, wake up, it’s way the hell past reveille.
[US]C. Hiaasen Skin Tight 88: Mick, what are you doing way the fuck out here?
[Aus](con. 1964-65) B. Thorpe Sex and Thugs and Rock ’n’ Roll 157: Prescott looked like something out of a James Dean movie, and way cool.
[UK]Indep. Rev. 28 July 4: Johnny Depp has typed a way cool tone poem.
[NZ]D. Looser ‘Boob Jargon’ in NZEJ 13 37: way cool adj. Excellent, very good.
[Ire]P. Howard Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightdress 14: Or were you too busy looking around for other girls to impregnate? which is way harsh, it has to be said.
[UK]G. Iles Turning Angel 163: Like breast implants. Way too big.
[Aus]L. Redhead Cherry Pie [ebook] ‘She was way cool’.
Advocate & Messenger (Danville, KY) 20 Jan. A04/1: Our youth minister always thinks to herself, ‘way cool!’.
[US]J. Ellroy Widespread Panic 78: ‘It looks like a hot-prowl 459, gone way bad’.
[Ire]P Howard Braywatch 80: Sophie’s like, ‘No! Way!’ But Chloe’s there, ‘Way!’.