so-called

[ soh-kawld ]

/ ˈsoʊˈkɔld /

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.

Nearby words

Origin of so-called

First recorded in 1650–60

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
Much of the so-called gastric fermentation does not occur in the stomach but rather in the duodenum.
Dietetics for Nurses|Fairfax T. Proudfit
Or scientific study of the Bible itself which excludes from its province the so-called spiritual revelations which it contains?
Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, September 1899|Various
This animal died in two hours, with marked irritation of the stomach, the result being due to the so-called “salt action.”
Barium, A Cause of the Loco-Weed Disease|Albert Cornelius Crawford
Such has actually been the fate of the so-called metaphysical solution of special problems of nature.
The Approach to Philosophy|Ralph Barton Perry
It is a meteoric flower; so-called, because it keeps itself shut during wet or cloudy weather.
Everyday Objects|W. H. Davenport Adams

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

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.

so-called

adjective

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Origin of so-called

Examples from the Web for so-called

so-called

adjective

so-called