quasi

1 of 2

adjective

qua·​si ˈkwā-ˌzī 

-ˌsī;

ˈkwä-zē 

-sē

1

: having some resemblance usually by possession of certain attributes

a quasi corporation

2

: having a legal status only by operation or construction of law and without reference to intent

a quasi contract

quasi-

2 of 2

combining form

1

: in some sense or degree

quasiperiodic

quasi-judicial

2

: resembling in some degree

quasiparticle

Example Sentences

Adjective

And as more people adopt these teachings as quasi religions, some adherents say their belief systems are no less valid than those based on that older collection of maxims, the Ten Commandments. —Daniel McGinn, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2000

But also, bachelors, more than married people, blended the two spheres by making their public, non-familial peer group and other associations into quasi families and by carrying on their personal affairs in mostly public or semipublic places such as boardinghouses, saloons, the streets, clubhouses, and the like. —Howard P. Chudacoff, The Age of the Bachelor, 1999

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Trump’s backers hope to neutralize his vulnerabilities on Covid — his support for quasi-lockdown measures, deference to the public-health bureaucracy, and early obsequiousness toward ... —Noah Rothman, National Review, 3 Mar. 2023

But the biggest challenge is still simply trying to get people to pay attention and to ultimately understand their rights amid a very complicated legal and quasi-legal systems. —Megan Leonhardt, Fortune, 3 Mar. 2023

Vulnerable Americans have long been sold a steady stream of quasi-medical services that include cancer-killing magnets, leechings, all-purpose lasers, homeopathic treatments for syphilis, polio-destroying prayers, and herbal remedies for measles. —Matthew Hongoltz-hetling, The New Republic, 28 Feb. 2023

Brosnahan hits all the right notes as Iris, a would-be actress whose quasi-mystical Appalachian upbringing constitutes an important part of the Brustein marriage’s erotics. —Jesse Green, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2023

Nearly all colonies—some 98 percent—could become quasi-extinct by the end of the century, per a 2021 study. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Feb. 2023

Screenwriter Jimmy Warden sets up the various bloodbaths on cue, with the bear assuming quasi-magical properties of speed, agility, cunning and limb-strewing. —Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2023

In 2005, that sense of connection informed his approach to co-founding Reddit, a social network composed of quasi-anonymous users joining special-interest communities called subreddits. —Michael Del Castillo, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2023

And the proliferation of quasi-scientific terms for jerks, assholes, and even killers has far-reaching consequences. —WIRED, 21 Feb. 2023

See More

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

quasi-

Combining form

Latin quasi as if, as it were, approximately, from quam as + si if — more at quantity, so

First Known Use

Adjective

1632, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing quasi

• quasi-stellar object
• quasi-public
• quasi-judicial
• quasi-legislative
• quasi-governmental

• quasi-stellar object
• quasi-public
• quasi-judicial
• quasi-legislative
• quasi-governmental

Kids Definition

quasi-

combining form

qua·​si-

ˈkwā-ˌzī,

-ˌsī;

ˈkwäz-ē,

ˈkwäs-

: in some sense or degree

quasi-historical

quasi-officially

Etymology

Combining form

from Latin quasi "as if"

Legal Definition

quasi

1 of 2 adjective

qua·​si ˈkwā-ˌzī, -ˌsī; ˈkwä-zē, -sē 

: having such a resemblance to another thing as to fall within its general category

a quasi corporation

quasi

2 of 2 adverb

: in some significant sense or degree

—often used in combination

quasi-fiscal

see also quasi-judicial, quasi-legislative

Etymology

Adjective

Latin, as if, as it were, from quam as + si if