somewhat

1 of 2

pronoun

some·​what ˈsəm-ˌ(h)wət 

ˈsəm-ˌ(h)wät,

(ˌ)səm-ˈ(h)wət,

(ˌ)səm-ˈ(h)wät

: something

somewhat

2 of 2

adverb

: in some degree or measure : slightly

Synonyms

Adverb

• enough
• fairly
• kind of
• kindly [chiefly Southern]
• like
• moderately
• more or less
• pretty
• quite
• rather
• relatively
• something
• sort of

Examples of somewhat in a Sentence

Adverb

He felt somewhat awkward in his suit.

Our work has progressed somewhat.

The course is somewhat more difficult than I was told it would be.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Just past the Pegasus Fountain is the somewhat bizarre Dwarf Garden, with sculptures of 320-year-old mischievous-looking dwarves, which had a cameo appearance in the film. —Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey, Contributor, CNBC, 20 Jan. 2025

TikTok crashed into this outcome somewhat chaotically. —Alex Heath, The Verge, 19 Jan. 2025

On January 18, Swift arrived at Arrowhead Stadium decked out in Chanel's 2025 resort collection, pairing a black playsuit with a pearl chain belt that somewhat mimics the effect of the gold chains on her Area NYC jacket and skirt set. —Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 18 Jan. 2025

But because California has spent years trying to keep insurance rates somewhat reasonable, those (still high) rates don’t reflect the real risk homeowners face. —Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 18 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Pronoun

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing somewhat

• somewhat of

Kids Definition

somewhat

1 of 2 pronoun

some·​what ˈsəm-ˌ(h)wät 

-ˌ(h)wət;

(ˌ)səm-ˈ(h)wät,

-ˈ(h)wət

: some unspecified part or amount : something

somewhat of what you say is true

somewhat

2 of 2 adverb

: in some measure : slightly

somewhat comfortable