SOMEWHAT


Meaning of SOMEWHAT in English

some ‧ what S3 W2 AC /ˈsʌmwɒt $ -wɑːt/ BrE AmE adverb

more than a little but not very

somewhat larger/higher/newer etc

The price is somewhat higher than I expected.

Things have changed somewhat since then.

somewhat of

To say that I was surprised is somewhat of an understatement.

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THESAURUS

▪ rather/quite especially British English more than a little, but less than very. British people often use these words before adjectives in conversation. In many cases they do not intend to change the meaning – it is just something that people say:

She seemed rather unhappy.

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It's rather a difficult question.

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It’s getting quite late.

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Malaria is rather common in this area.

▪ fairly rather. Fairly is used in both British and American English:

The test was fairly easy.

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It’s a fairly long way to the next town.

▪ pretty spoken rather. Pretty is more informal than the other words and is used in spoken English:

Her French is pretty good.

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We’re in a pretty strong position.

▪ reasonably to a satisfactory level or degree:

He plays reasonably well.

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Let's just say that I am reasonably confident we'll win.

▪ moderately formal more than a little, but not very:

Her family was moderately wealthy.

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The food was moderately good, but not as good as the food in the other restaurants.

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Use a moderately high heat.

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a moderately difficult climb

▪ somewhat formal fairly or to a small degree. Somewhat is used especially when talking about the size or degree of something. It is often used in comparatives:

The celebrations were somewhat larger than last year’s.

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He looked somewhat irritated.

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a somewhat surprising decision

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.