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

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adverb

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

so-so British  

adjective

1. (postpositive) neither good nor bad

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adverb

1. in an average or indifferent manner

Etymology

Origin of so-so

First recorded in 1520–30

Explanation

When something is only okay or mediocre, it's so-so. If that new action movie had a few exciting scenes but an implausible plot and some uneven acting, you might say it was just so-so. So-so is perfect for describing things that fall right in between terrible and spectacular. A basketball season in which your team wins half the games and loses the other half is a so-so season. And a movie book that you didn't hate but wouldn't recommend to all of your friends is also so-so. In French you'd say "Comme çi comme ça," or "like this, like that," and in Swahili you might say "Nusu nusu," or "half and half."

Example Sentences

Consumer spending, meanwhile, was just so-so in January.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 13, 2026

The product of an upper-middle-class family and a so-so college, nose perennially pressed to the window—and to the grindstone—she is a workhorse.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

Michals told jurors he had felt "so-so" about pursuing a relationship with Ms Wang because she had a phobia of germs.

From BBC • Dec. 8, 2025

Oklahoma City tightened a grip on the contest after a so-so first half.

From Barron's • Oct. 26, 2025

Now she and her husband give me money to add to my so-so security.

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan

Related Words

• mediocre
• middling
• passable
• respectable
• undistinguished