so-so
/ˈsəʊˌsəʊ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈsoʊˌsoʊ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsō-ˈsō/ (ame, mw) · /ˌsəʊ ˈsəʊ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌsəʊ ˈsəʊ/ (ame, ipa)
so-so — adjective
1. okay but not impressive — somewhere between fine and disappointing, with nothing
okay but not impressive — somewhere between fine and disappointing, with nothing about it that stands out as good.
The new café near the station serves so-so coffee but wonderful cakes.
attributive: so-so + noun
Shanti gave the film a so-so review, saying the acting saved a weak plot.
so-so describing a thing's overall quality
"How was the hotel?" "So-so — clean rooms, but the food was awful."
After a so-so first half, the team played much better once Mauricio came on.
Roya thought her exam results were so-so, neither a pass to celebrate nor a real failure.
- excellent
clearly impressive, the opposite of unremarkable
- outstanding
stands out as far above average
用法筆記
Almost always informal and used before a noun or as a one-word reply to a question about quality. Carries a mild, slightly disappointed tone — better than 'bad', clearly short of 'good'.
常見錯誤
so-so — adverb
1. in a way that is acceptable but not good — managing fine without doing anything
in a way that is acceptable but not good — managing fine without doing anything especially well.
"How are you sleeping these days?" "So-so — I wake up once or twice most nights."
informal reply about how something is going
The little shop is doing so-so this month, enough to pay the rent but not much more.
so-so describing how an activity is going
Wren plays the violin only so-so, yet she practises every single evening.
Iker speaks French so-so, enough to order food but not to follow a fast conversation.
- tolerably
more formal way of saying 'acceptably but not well'
- moderately
neutral degree word; so-so adds the sense of being unremarkable
- excellently
to a very high standard, the opposite of so-so
用法筆記
Used after a verb to say an action goes neither well nor badly; very informal and most common as a short spoken answer like "So-so." Distinguish from the adjective, which sits before a noun rather than after a verb.