So

/siː/ adj, adv, conj, intj, name, noun, pron, slang

adj, adv, conj, intj, name, noun, pron, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A syllable used in solfège to represent the fifth note of a major scale.
  • Grammar: so is listed as adj, adv, conj, intj, name, noun, pron, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: really, that, truly, a deal.
  • Usage evidence: I found a solution, but I found it so fast that it can't be the right solution.

How to use "so"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "so" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "so" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "so" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "so" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "so" is acting as adj, adv, conj, intj, name, noun, pron, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "really" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "so", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A syllable used in solfège to represent the fifth note of a major scale.
  2. 2
    A type of dairy product, made especially in Japan between the seventh and tenth centuries, by reducing milk by boiling it. uncountable
  3. 3
    Initialism of significant other. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
  4. 4
    A Mon-Khmer-speaking people of Laos and Thailand. plural, plural-only
  5. 5
    Alternative form of So.. alt-of, alternative
Show 8 more definitions
  1. 6
    the syllable naming the fifth (dominant) note of any musical scale in solmization wordnet
  2. 7
    Initialism of shut out. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
  3. 8
    Initialism of shootout. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
  4. 9
    Initialism of strike out. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
  5. 10
    Initialism of second-order logic. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
  6. 11
    Initialism of symphony orchestra. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
  7. 12
    Abbreviation of singlet oxygen. abbreviation, alt-of
  8. 13
    Abbreviation of standing order. abbreviation, alt-of
Adjective
  1. 1
    Agreeing with actual facts or reality; true.

    "That is so."

  2. 2
    In that state or manner; with that attribute. A proadjective that replaces the aforementioned adjective phrase.

    ""You're definitely not right about that." "I am so!" (→I am right about that)."

  3. 3
    Homosexual. UK, dated, slang

    "Is he so?"

Adverb
  1. 1
    To the (explicitly stated) extent. not-comparable

    "It was so hot outside that all the plants died."

  2. 2
    To the (implied) extent. not-comparable

    "I need a piece of cloth so long. [= this long]"

  3. 3
    Very (positive or negative clause). not-comparable

    "I feel so much better now."

  4. 4
    Very much. not-comparable

    "But I so want to see the Queen when she visits our town!"

  5. 5
    Very much.; at all (negative clause). informal, not-comparable

    "That is so not true!"

Show 3 more definitions
  1. 6
    In the same manner or to the same extent as aforementioned; likewise, also. not-comparable

    "Just as you have the right to your free speech, so I have the right to mine.  Many people say she's the world's greatest athlete, but I don't think so.  "I can count backwards from one hundred." "So can I.""

  2. 7
    Indeed. not-comparable

    "‘Look, it’s just stopped raining.’ ‘So it has!’"

  3. 8
    To such an extent or degree; as. not-comparable

    "so far as;  so long as;  so much as"

Adverb
  1. 1
    in truth (often tends to intensify) wordnet
  2. 2
    (used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result wordnet
  3. 3
    subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors) wordnet
  4. 4
    in a manner that facilitates wordnet
  5. 5
    in the way indicated wordnet
Show 5 more definitions
  1. 6
    to a very great extent or degree wordnet
  2. 7
    (usually followed by ‘that’) to an extent or degree as expressed wordnet
  3. 8
    in such a condition or manner, especially as expressed or implied wordnet
  4. 9
    to a certain unspecified extent or degree wordnet
  5. 10
    in the same way; also wordnet
Conjunction
  1. 1
    Reduced form of 'so that', used to express purpose; in order that. form-of, reduced

    "I got an earlier train to work so I'd have plenty of time to prepare for the meeting."

  2. 2
    As a result; for that reason; therefore; because of this; due to this.

    "I was hungry, so I asked if there was any more food."

  3. 3
    Used to connect previous conversation or events to the following question.

    "So how does this story end?"

  4. 4
    Used to introduce a rhetorical question.

    "“We'd like to visit but I don't know if we can afford a hotel.” — “So who's staying in a hotel? Stay with us.”"

  5. 5
    Provided that; on condition that; as long as. archaic

    "Speed. ‘Item: She doth talk in her sleep.’ Launce. It’s no matter for that, so she sleep not in her talk."

Intj
  1. 1
    Used after a pause for thought to introduce a new topic, question or story, or a new thought or question in continuation of an existing topic.

    "So, let's go home."

  2. 2
    Used as a question to ask for further explanation of something said, often rhetorically or in a dismissive or impolite manner.

    ""You park your car in front of my house every morning." — "So?""

  3. 3
    Used as a meaningless filler word to begin a response to a question.

    "What are you doing? / So I'm just fixing this shelf."

  4. 4
    Be as you are; stand still; used especially to cows; also used by sailors. archaic
Pronoun
  1. 1
    That which was previously mentioned; that. demonstrative

    "I'll become a loyal friend and remain so."

  2. 2
    Abbreviation of someone. abbreviation, alt-of
  3. 3
    Initialism of someone. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    Initialism of Stack Overflow. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism

    "Imagine that you were creating an application similar to SO but were writing it using web forms."

  2. 2
    A Chinese surname from Cantonese.

Synonyms

All synonyms
reallythattrulya deala great deala lot

Example

"I found a solution, but I found it so fast that it can't be the right solution."

Common questions

What does "so" mean?

A syllable used in solfège to represent the fifth note of a major scale.

What is a synonym for "so"?

Common synonyms include: really, that, truly, a deal, a great deal, a lot.

How do you use "so" in a sentence?

I found a solution, but I found it so fast that it can't be the right solution.

How do you pronounce "so"?

Pronounced /siː/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English so, swo, zuo, swa, swe, from Old English swā, swǣ, swē (“so, as, the same, such, that”), from Proto-West Germanic *swā, from Proto-Germanic *swa, *swē (“so”), from Proto-Indo-European *swē, *swō (reflexive pronomial stem). Cognate with Scots sae (“so”), Saterland Frisian so (“so”), West Frisian sa (“so”), Dutch zo (“so”), German Low German so (“so”), German so (“so”), Danish så (“so”), Norwegian Nynorsk so (“so”), Swedish så (“so, such that”), Faroese so (“so”), Icelandic svo (“so”), Old Latin suad (“so”), Albanian sa (“how much, so, as”), Ancient Greek ὡς (hōs, “as”), Urdu سو (sō, “hence”).

Etymology 2

Shortened from sol, to make it an open syllable for uniformity with the rest of the scale, from Glover's solmization, from Middle English sol (“fifth degree or note of Guido of Arezzo's hexachordal scales”), Italian sol in the solmization of Guido of Arezzo, from the first syllable of Latin solve (“wash away”) in the lyrics of the scale-ascending hymn Ut queant laxis by Paulus Deacon.

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Japanese 蘇 (so).

Etymology 4

From Cantonese 蘇／苏 (sou1).

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