so-so

1 of 2

adverb

Synonyms of so-sonext
: moderately well : tolerably

so-so

2 of 2

adjective

: neither very good nor very bad : middling
a so-so performance

Examples of so-so in a Sentence

Adverb I think I did so-so on the test Adjective a so-so production of a great play
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adverb
Bad decisions and bad penalties turned what could have been a great road trip into a so-so one in the Bruins’ trip finale in Seattle on Tuesday. Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 7 Jan. 2026 Cherenko has had a so-so season in Slovakia’s top pro league, but his performance in this tournament was very similar to his great play at the U18’s last spring. Corey Pronman, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Can Drake Maye bounce back after a so-so postseason opener? Chad Graff, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026 Here’s why the deal is good news for Google, so-so news for Apple, and bad news for OpenAI. Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 14 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for so-so

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

circa 1530, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1542, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of so-so was circa 1530

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“So-so.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/so-so. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.

Kids Definition

so-so

1 of 2 adverb
ˈsō-ˈsō
: fairly well : tolerably, passably
played the violin only so-so

so-so

2 of 2 adjective
: neither very good nor very bad
a so-so performance
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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