not so much (something) as (something else)
idiom
: less like (something) than (something else)
What bothered me was not so much what he said as how he said it.
Sailing is not so much a science as an art.
Examples of not so much (something) as (something else) in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Do not so much as send a chastely admiring note—you’ll get wound up waiting for a response.
—
James Parker, The Atlantic, 14 Jan. 2025
More's the pity, this magnificently weird idea has a certain practicality to it, as well as a truly bizarre aesthetic that would definitely turn heads on the street - while not so much as raising an eyebrow when parked.
—New Atlas, 11 Jan. 2025
The rest of Johnson's words arrive not so much as answers but as proclamations of the power of his creative intentions.
—Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 11 Nov. 2024
Typically, the Fed cuts rates to try to stimulate the economy enough to maximize employment yet not so much as to drive inflation high.
—Compiled Bydemocrat-Gazette Stafffrom Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 12 Dec. 2024
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James Parker, The Atlantic, 14 Jan. 2025
More's the pity, this magnificently weird idea has a certain practicality to it, as well as a truly bizarre aesthetic that would definitely turn heads on the street - while not so much as raising an eyebrow when parked.
—New Atlas, 11 Jan. 2025
The rest of Johnson's words arrive not so much as answers but as proclamations of the power of his creative intentions.
—Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 11 Nov. 2024
Typically, the Fed cuts rates to try to stimulate the economy enough to maximize employment yet not so much as to drive inflation high.
—Compiled Bydemocrat-Gazette Stafffrom Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 12 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for not so much (something) as (something else)
Dictionary Entries Near not so much (something) as (something else)
not so much (something) as (something else)
Cite this Entry
“Not so much (something) as (something else).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/not%20so%20much%20%28something%29%20as%20%28something%20else%29. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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