insofar
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of insofar
First recorded in 1590–1600; originally phrase in so far
Explanation
Use insofar to mean "as much" or "to the extent." You might, for example, say, "I will get my math homework done insofar as I can. The adverb insofar is somewhat old fashioned and uncommon these days, but it's a good way to talk about doing something to a certain degree or extent. You might accuse your boss of treating her employees well only insofar that it improves her business, or decide that math is only interesting to you insofar as it seems useful in daily life. The British form of insofar is in so far.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The bold prediction raises an interesting issue, insofar as investors must ponder what will happen to the market after an influential bank tells clients to prepare for higher all-time highs.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
When I took their pictures, they hadn't been to Hamburg, insofar as I knew...
From BBC ● Dec. 27, 2025
Or should we instead focus on human capital, addressing cultural issues only insofar as they get in the way?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
She argues that the framers’ intentions, insofar as we can pin them down, can’t account for where we are now: “God” and “slavery” and “woman” are not mentioned in the original document.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2025
Briefly he outlined to the lawyer the situation insofar as he understood it, and asked Hirsshorn what his initial and instinctive gut reaction was.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
