as it were
In a sense
A phrase that softens or qualifies a statement, signaling that the words used are approximate or metaphorical rather than literal: He became, as it were, the conscience of the movement.
It functions as a verbal hedge, inviting the listener to take the preceding expression with a grain of salt.
More formal than "so to speak."
- kind ofApproximately, loosely speaking
- sort ofApproximately, not precisely
- quasiPartly or apparently
- metaphoricallySymbolically, not literally
- so to speakPhrase signaling loose usage
in a manner of speaking · supposedly · ostensibly · symbolically · after a fashion · for all intents and purposes · if you will · seemingly · so to say · provisionally · presumably · similarly · reputedly · tentatively · arguably · technically · figuratively · conditionally
- phrasesnoun phrases, noun phrase, verb phrase, prepositional phrase, prepositional phrases
- clarifiersi.e., e.g., namely, meaning, specifically
- evasionsno comment, dodge, deflection, hedging, equivocation
- filler phrasesum, uh, like, you know, I mean
- approximationsabout, approximately, around, roughly, almost
as it wereliterally
In exact terms
in fact · actually · strictly speaking · precisely · in reality
as it werewithout question
Beyond any doubt
certainly · definitively · unequivocally · undoubtedly · categorically