a bit of a/an

phrase

—used to make a statement or description less forceful or definite

I had a bit of a shock when I saw him.

He's a bit of a rascal.

Examples of a bit of a/an in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The list of countries is a bit of a giveaway that this entire process is a legal fiction. — Mihir Sharma, Twin Cities, 26 Mar. 2026

But the Devils are a bit of a mess thanks to injuries, which makes this matchup hard to get too excited over. — William Earl, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026

Acme dealt with this by displaying alternate forecast lines for both rain and snow, coded in different colors—a visualization that doubled as an admission that the forecast that day was a bit of a mess. — Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2026

Enhancing baseball’s local color is also a bit of a throwback strategy—which itself has been a key element in NBC’s NBA coverage. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 25 Mar. 2026