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• quasi
  quasi

  adjective

  resembling; seeming; virtual.
• quasi-
  quasi-

  a combining form meaning “resembling,” “having some, but not all of the features of,” used in the formation of compound words.

quasi

¹ American  

[kway-zahy, -sahy, kwah-see, -zee] / ˈkweɪ zaɪ, -saɪ, ˈkwɑ si, -zi /

adjective

1. resembling; seeming; virtual.

   a quasi member.

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quasi- ² American  

1. a combining form meaning “resembling,” “having some, but not all of the features of,” used in the formation of compound words.

   quasi-definition; quasi-monopoly; quasi-official; quasi-scientific.

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quasi- ¹ British  

combining form

1. almost but not really; seemingly

   a quasi-religious cult

2. resembling but not actually being; so-called

   a quasi-scholar

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quasi ² British  

/ ˈkwɑːzɪ, ˈkweɪzaɪ, -saɪ /

adverb

1. as if; as it were

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Etymology

Origin of quasi¹

Independent use of quasi-

Origin of quasi-²

< Latin quasi as if, as though, equivalent to qua ( m ) as + sī if

Explanation

Use quasi when you want to say something is almost but not quite what it describes. A quasi mathematician can add and subtract adequately, but has trouble figuring out fractions. The adjective quasi is often hyphenated with the word it resembles. Quasi-scientific ideas are ideas that resemble real science, but haven't been backed up with any real evidence. A quasi-religious person may attend church services, but he doesn't take much interest in what's being said. Get the idea? It's a great alternative for "kind of."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

quasi quasi-

Iran has established a network of exchange houses and quasi banks, known as rahbars, that control front companies in Hong Kong, the U.A.E. and Turkey, according to Treasury officials.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

The Office of Legal Counsel serves as the president’s quasi in-house lawyer, offering legal analysis on the permissibility of the executive branch’s actions while also playing referee between federal agencies when they disagree.

From Slate ● Apr. 9, 2026

The chip uses a collective resonance known as a quasi bound state in the continuum to trap and intensify the incoming infrared light across the whole surface.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 5, 2026

That added to a quasi “gold rush” among investors who understandably hungered for a piece of the action.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 3, 2026

The main charge levied against Washington was that he had made himself into a quasi king: “We have given him the powers and prerogatives of a King,” claimed one New York editorial.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

“I say he’s a slob,” she said in her own quasi- comedy routine, before praising her son.

From Reuters ● Mar. 20, 2023

Suu Kyi also became the darling of Burma’s supporters in Washington, who launched a push for re-engagement with the country in 2011 after the generals ostensibly gave way to a quasi- civilian government.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 12, 2015

The world abounds with examples of quasi- identical peoples and tribes who can't stand each other.

From New York Times ● Jan. 14, 2015

The dissolution of the Ottoman Empire created new nations under the quasi- colonial rule of France and Great Britain, such as Iraq and Palestine.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 30, 2014

He’s our quasi-official leader; the position is only quasi- legal.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner