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

This time, her character is a human, Laurie Duffy, who's vacationing only somewhat successfully with two old friends (Michelle Monaghan's Jaclyn Lemon and Leslie Bibb's Kate Bohr). —Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 2 Apr. 2025

After earlier demonstrations that were somewhat sporadic, Saturday marked the first attempt to surround all 277 of the automaker’s showrooms and service centers in the U.S. in hopes of deepening a recent decline in the company’s sales. —Michael Liedtke, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025

The outfit once dominated the rankings, and somewhat surprisingly, the band isn’t far from the top of several lists this frame. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025

The military gave a somewhat different account, saying an Israeli civilian had been attacked and injured by militants near an Israeli settlement. —Arkansas Online, 29 Mar. 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

Rhymes for somewhat

• butternut
• cocoanut
• coconut
• hazelnut
• undercut
• abut
• catgut
• chesnut
• chestnut
• donut
• doughnut
• groundnut

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