somewhat

somewhat — adverb

1. a little, but not very much — used before an adjective or adverb to make the des

1.adverbB1
Definition

a little, but not very much — used before an adjective or adverb to make the description less strong

Example

The final exam was somewhat harder than Greta had expected.

somewhat + comparative adjective

Cole gave a somewhat nervous laugh when the teacher called his name.

Common collocations
  • somewhat difficult
  • somewhat unusual
  • somewhat surprising
  • somewhat nervous
  • somewhat different
Synonyms
  • slightly

    even smaller degree than 'somewhat'

  • rather

    slightly stronger than 'somewhat'; more common in British English

  • a little

    more informal and conversational

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

somewhat + adjective/adverb

Usage Note

This sense appears right before an adjective or adverb. It cannot be used directly before a noun (for that, use 'somewhat of a' — see sense 2).

Common Mistakes

The weather was somewhat of cold today.
The weather was somewhat cold today.
'somewhat' directly modifies adjectives; 'somewhat of a(n)' is only used before nouns.

2. to some extent, but not completely — used before a verb to show partial truth or

2.adverbB2
Definition

to some extent, but not completely — used before a verb to show partial truth or agreement, or in the pattern 'somewhat of a' before a noun

Example

The senator somewhat agreed with the proposal but wanted a few changes.

somewhat + verb (agreed)

Indra is somewhat of an expert in traditional Thai cooking after living in Bangkok.

somewhat of a + noun

Common collocations
  • somewhat agree
  • somewhat of a
  • somewhat improve
  • somewhat fail
  • somewhat resemble
Synonyms
  • to some extent

    more formal, often used in academic writing

  • partially

    focuses on incompleteness rather than small degree

  • kind of

    informal equivalent, especially in spoken English

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

somewhat + verb phrase

somewhat of a(n) + noun

Usage Note

In this sense, 'somewhat' usually appears directly before the verb it modifies. The phrase 'somewhat of a(n)' is a fixed pattern used before singular countable nouns. Distinguish from sense 1 (SLIGHTLY), where 'somewhat' modifies only adjectives and adverbs.

Common Mistakes

I somewhat like it a lot.
I somewhat like it.
'somewhat' and 'a lot' conflict in degree; use one or the other.

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All four express a moderate degree, but they differ in strength and register. 'Slightly' conveys the smallest degree and often implies the difference barely matters. 'Somewhat' is slightly stronger but still modest — it is common in both spoken and written English. 'Rather' is stronger than 'somewhat' and can carry a tone of surprise or personal judgment ('rather expensive' suggests the speaker finds it more costly than expected); it is more typical of British English. 'Fairly' sits between 'somewhat' and 'rather' in strength and is neutral in tone — it often implies the speaker is satisfied with the degree ('fairly easy'). 'A bit' is the most informal and conversational. For example: 'The soup was slightly salty' (barely noticeable), 'somewhat salty' (a little too salty), 'rather salty' (quite noticeably too salty), 'fairly salty' (salty enough to taste), and 'a bit salty' (casual, same as somewhat).

slightly ↗ratherfairly ↗a bit

Common collocations

Nouns

  • somewhat of a surprise
  • somewhat of a problem
  • somewhat of a challenge

Adverbs

  • only somewhat
  • at least somewhat
  • still somewhat

Phrases

  • somewhat to my surprise
  • somewhat ironically
  • somewhat reluctantly

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Somewhat' comes from Old English 'sum hwæt', meaning 'some thing' or 'a certain amount'. The two words 'some' and 'what' were gradually joined into a single adverb during the Middle English period (around the 13th–14th centuries). Originally used as a pronoun meaning 'something', it later developed its modern adverb sense of 'to some degree' by the 16th century. The pronoun use ('somewhat of a problem') survives today as a fixed pattern.