somewhat
Americanadverb
noun
adverb
Etymology
Origin of somewhat
Explanation
The word somewhat means "slightly" or "to a moderate extent." Being somewhat excited to go on a trip means you're kind of looking forward to it, but you're not completely over-the-top thrilled about the prospect. A movie that you find somewhat interesting may hold your attention, at least for a while, but it doesn't fully amaze you. It probably won't stick with you after you've left the theater. Similarly, if you're somewhat tired, you're neither completely exhausted nor bursting with energy. The word somewhat captures the middle ground, where something is noticeable but not very pronounced and definitely not extreme.
Vocabulary lists containing somewhat
Selection Vocabulary 3, Unit 1
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Lesson 1
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Vocabulary Review, Unit 5
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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.
To test this idea, the researchers created a computer model that treats floating ice somewhat like grains moving through a silo.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
I was somewhat uncomfortable with this practice, and Heritage found it embarrassing enough that my boss there once told me I was forbidden to mention “ghostwriting” on my résumé.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Michael O’Conner, meanwhile, joined Catholic University of Washington, somewhat improbably, by way of Newark, N.J.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Fifty-eight percent said they had something in common with Jews in Israel, and 56 percent said they were at least somewhat emotionally attached to the state.
From Slate ● Sep. 16, 2026
Now eighteen and dressed in an impeccably tailored suit with a white handkerchief deftly positioned in his breast pocket, he looked somewhat older and carried himself with an athletic swagger.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
