-ish

¹ American  

1. a suffix used to form adjectives from nouns, with the sense of “belonging to” (British; Danish; English; Spanish ); “after the manner of,” “having the characteristics of,” “like” (babyish; girlish; mulish ); “addicted to,” “inclined or tending to” (bookish; freakish ); “near or about” (fiftyish; sevenish ).

2. a suffix used to form adjectives from other adjectives, with the sense of “somewhat,” “rather” (oldish; reddish; sweetish ).

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-ish ² American  

1. a suffix occurring in i -stem verbs borrowed from French.

   ravish.

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ish ³ American  

[ish] / ɪʃ /

adverb

Informal.

1. (used to modify or moderate something previously stated or as a vague reply to a question) somewhat; in a way; not exactly: “Are you tired?” “Yeah...ish.”

   It's a decent (ish) place to work.

   “Are you tired?” “Yeah...ish.”

   I'd like to get married. Ish.

2. near or about; approximately: It'll be a $25ish taxi ride.

   The lights went out at 11-ish.

   It'll be a $25ish taxi ride.

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-ish ¹ British  

suffix

1. of or belonging to a nationality or group

   Scottish

2. derogatory  having the manner or qualities of; resembling

   slavish

   prudish

   boyish

3. somewhat; approximately

   yellowish

   sevenish

4. concerned or preoccupied with

   bookish

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ish ² British  

/ ɪʃ /

1. slang  used to express reservation or qualified assent

   Things are looking up. Ish

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Etymology

Origin of -ish¹

Middle English; Old English -isc; cognate with German -isch, Old Norse -iskr, Gothic -isks, Greek diminutive noun suffix -isk(os); akin to -esque

Origin of -ish²

From French -iss-, extended stem of verbs with infinitives in -ir, ultimately from Latin -isc-, in verbs that express the beginning of an action or process

Origin of ish³

First recorded in 1985–90; from -ish ¹ ( def. ) (in the sense “somewhat”)

Example Sentences

Nuggets: Ish Smith shot just 1 of 10 from the field.

From Washington Times

“We’ve spent nearly a decade telling our stories through the -ish series and to say it has been an amazing journey would be an understatement,” “Black-ish” and “Grown-ish” creator Kenya Barris said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times

Though the audience, at a conference last summer, was full of professionals, many follow-up questions seemed suspiciously “asking for a friend”-ish.

From New York Times

“It was trying to get Ish a shot,” Nowell said.

From Washington Times

“Coach wanted to Ish to set the screen, and I waved it off because I felt like on the right side of the court, that’s where Ish hits most of his shots. And they closed out hard to him, and he didn’t get his shot off.”

From Washington Times