1
: commonly named
the so-called pocket veto
2
: falsely or improperly so named
deceived by a so-called friend
His so-called explanation only confused us more.
Examples of so-called in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There are so-called anti-detect browsers available, which are less about protecting individual privacy and more about skirting the terms of service of most websites.
—
Jacob Roach, Wired News, 16 Oct. 2025
No, the Rubber City—so-called because of the factories established there by Goodrich, Firestone, General Tire, and Goodyear—had never seen anything like this.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 12 Sep. 2025
The females can lay eggs in any warm-blooded animal, which then hatch, unleashing hundreds of screwworm larvae, so-called because of their sharp mouths and their burrowing being compared to the motion of a screw.
—Patrick Smith, NBC news, 25 Aug. 2025
But that is not about being so-called normal or not normal.
—ABC News, 24 Aug. 2025
Saba, Lesser Antilles Spanning only five square miles, Saba is the most diminutive of the Lesser Antilles, so-called for their size.
—Kristin Braswell, AFAR Media, 14 Aug. 2025
The 200-mile, so-called, Red Zone in southern California remains the cargo theft hotspot, but motivated by the possibility of lucrative payoffs, thieves are willing to go beyond the zone to make their scores.
—Ed Garsten, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Starting in October 2023, payments resumed, but nonpayment wasn’t reported to credit bureaus because the Department of Education provided borrowers with a so-called on ramp.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2025
Leigh Bowery arrived from Sunshine, Australia, soon conquered the Cha Cha Club and the Camden Palace, and in 1985 opened Taboo—so-called because nothing that happened there was.
—Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2024
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Jacob Roach, Wired News, 16 Oct. 2025
No, the Rubber City—so-called because of the factories established there by Goodrich, Firestone, General Tire, and Goodyear—had never seen anything like this.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 12 Sep. 2025
The females can lay eggs in any warm-blooded animal, which then hatch, unleashing hundreds of screwworm larvae, so-called because of their sharp mouths and their burrowing being compared to the motion of a screw.
—Patrick Smith, NBC news, 25 Aug. 2025
But that is not about being so-called normal or not normal.
—ABC News, 24 Aug. 2025
Saba, Lesser Antilles Spanning only five square miles, Saba is the most diminutive of the Lesser Antilles, so-called for their size.
—Kristin Braswell, AFAR Media, 14 Aug. 2025
The 200-mile, so-called, Red Zone in southern California remains the cargo theft hotspot, but motivated by the possibility of lucrative payoffs, thieves are willing to go beyond the zone to make their scores.
—Ed Garsten, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Starting in October 2023, payments resumed, but nonpayment wasn’t reported to credit bureaus because the Department of Education provided borrowers with a so-called on ramp.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2025
Leigh Bowery arrived from Sunshine, Australia, soon conquered the Cha Cha Club and the Camden Palace, and in 1985 opened Taboo—so-called because nothing that happened there was.
—Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“So-called.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/so-called. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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