so-called

[soh-kawld]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR so-called ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

called or designated thus: the so-called Southern bloc.

incorrectly called or styled thus: so-called intellectuals.

Origin of so-called

First recorded in 1650–60

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for so-called

alleged, formal, self-styled, purported, allegedly, nominal, ostensible, pretended, professed, self-named, soi-disant

Examples from the Web for so-called

Contemporary Examples of so-called

But so-called jungle primaries are notoriously hard to predict or poll.
The Golden State Preps for the ‘Red Wedding’ of Senate Races
David Freedlander
January 9, 2015
Now is hardly the time to be doing anything on the so-called peace process other than trying to avoid an explosion on the ground.
Why We Should Delay The Israel-Palestinian Peace Process
Aaron David Miller
December 19, 2014
It also demonstrated that the so-called “trend” of natural went beyond trend.
Goodbye To A Natural Hair Guru: Miss Jessie's Cofounder Titi Branch Dead At 45
Danielle Belton
December 16, 2014
In recent years news outlets have documented the rise of so-called “birth tourism” here in America.
The Progressive Case Against Birthright Citizenship
Keli Goff
December 15, 2014
Support is a good thing and the broader the so-called movement can be, the better.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Protesting
Rawiya Kameir, Judnick Mayard
December 10, 2014

Historical Examples of so-called

But the most curious monument at Autun is the so-called Pierre de Couhard.
The Roof of France
Matilda Betham-Edwards
"That's the worst lot of so-called askaris I ever saw," he remarked.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
Son-in-law and father-in-law; B., a so-called dvanda compound.
Beowulf
Unknown
It forms the preface to an American edition of my so-called Fairy Tales.
A Dish Of Orts
George MacDonald
I was smart enough to fool all the so-called brains of the Solar System.
Irresistible Weapon
Horace Brown Fyfe

British Dictionary definitions for so-called

so-called

adjective

(prenominal)designated or styled by the name or word mentioned, esp (in the speaker's opinion) incorrectlya so-called genius
(also used parenthetically after a noun)these experts, so-called, are no help

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for so-called

adj.

1650s, from so + past participle of call (v.). As a "sneer word" (1980, Safire, who lumps it with self-proclaimed, would-be, and purported), from 1837.