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Showing results for so-so. Search instead for p-o-s-.
Synonyms

so-so

American  
[soh-soh, soh-soh] / ˈsoʊˌsoʊ, ˈsoʊˈsoʊ /
Or so so

adjective

  1. Also soso indifferent; neither very good nor very bad.

    Synonyms:
    passable, average, ordinary, fair, mediocre

adverb

  1. in an indifferent or passable manner; indifferently; tolerably.

so-so British  

adjective

  1. (postpositive) neither good nor bad

"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

adverb

  1. in an average or indifferent manner

"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

Etymology

Origin of so-so

First recorded in 1520–30

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.

Its actual meaning is unclear, though some say it means "so-so" or "maybe this, maybe that".

From BBC

Buffett said most of his capital allocation decisions have been merely "so-so," and Berkshire's "satisfactory" results over time resulted from only about one dozen "truly good" decisions.

From Reuters

The pushback and so-so reviews shouldn’t have come as a surprise.

From The Verge

I just feel obligated to note that if you’re so-so on the ThinkPad branding, you can get most of what this offers for much cheaper.

From The Verge

Sunisa Lee overcame a so-so performance on the floor to surge into second behind Biles with an electric bar routine.

From Washington Times

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.