somewhat

The word "somewhat" is an adverb that is similar to "a little" or "kind of." The reason for using "somewhat" is to show there exists a small degree of a quality or situation.

• She’s somewhat unhappy with her job. (She’s a little unhappy with her job.)
• She’s somewhat unhappy.
• A: Is she unhappy with her job?
• B: Yes, somewhat.
• The rules for this game are somewhat hard to understand.
• The building on the corner is falling apart somewhat.
• Ahmed’s English is somewhat difficult to understand.
• The furniture they bought was somewhat expensive.
• Joe’s parents are somewhat concerned about his grades in school.

When "somewhat" is used as a pronoun, it’s almost always followed by "of a" and then a noun.

• The party we threw turned out to be somewhat of a disaster.
• Her boss is somewhat of a jerk.
• This apartment is somewhat of a mess.
• They worked out somewhat of an agreement to purchase the building, but it’s not an official contract.

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Date of publication: December 28, 2016