somewhat
/ˈsʌmwɒt/ (bre, ipa) · [sˈʌmwˈʌt] /ˈsʌmwʌt/ (ame, ipa) · [sˈʌmwˈʌt] /ˈsəm-ˌ(h)wət ˈsəm-ˌ(h)wät, (ˌ)səm-ˈ(h)wət, (ˌ)səm-ˈ(h)wät/ (ame, mw)
somewhat — adverb
1. a little, but not very much — used before an adjective or adverb to make the des
a little, but not very much — used before an adjective or adverb to make the description less strong
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.
Nila's design for the new library was somewhat unusual, yet the committee accepted it.
Despite the sunny sky, the wind made it feel somewhat cold outside.
A somewhat surprising result came from the experiment that Dr. Andrei conducted.
文法句型
somewhat + adjective/adverb
用法筆記
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).
常見錯誤
2. to some extent, but not completely — used before a verb to show partial truth or
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
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
Hana's explanation somewhat cleared up the confusion among the students.
The weather has somewhat improved since the storm passed yesterday afternoon.
The plan somewhat failed to address the main concerns raised by local residents.
- 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
- completely
opposite degree — all or fully
- entirely
opposite — without exception
文法句型
somewhat + verb phrase
somewhat of a(n) + noun
用法筆記
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.