Refine this word faster

Stronger alternatives Opposite tone Use in context Cross-language nuance

As it were

adv

Definitions

Adverb

1
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see as, it, were. not-comparable
2
Used to indicate that a word or statement is perhaps not exact though practically right; as if it were so. not-comparable
"With so much construction and renovation going on all around him, he was more or less living in a new city now, as it were. [His city is not newly founded, and it has been neither renamed nor moved, but in some practical way it is true that he does not live in the same city that he used to live in.]"
3
Used to draw attention to the use of a metaphor, sometimes to prevent confusion or to highlight wordplay. not-comparable
"She gave all of the women seated at the restaurant food for thought, as it were."

Adverb

1
as if it were really so wordnet

Etymology

From Middle English as it were, as hyt were, als it were, als hit were, from Old English *ealswā hit wǣre, attested only as swā hit wǣre and swylċe hit wǣre (“as it were”, literally “as it would be”). Compare Dutch als het ware.

Next best steps

Find stronger synonyms See usage examples Check pronunciation

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: asitwere