as in alleged
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Recent Examples of so-called
This epoch is so-called because we Earthlings have yet to sense anything from this time period, which started about 380,000 years after the big bang and lasted 200 million to 400 million years.
—
Harry Goldstein, IEEE Spectrum, 1 Feb. 2026
The hope is that the technology used in the ‘drop-in’ sustainable fuels – so-called because they can be dropped into any internal combustion engine – can transfer to the broader automotive industry.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Jonathan Nackstrand | Afp | Getty Images The discovery of the so-called Per Geijer deposit sits in close proximity to the world’s largest underground iron ore mine.
—Sam Meredith, CNBC, 28 Nov. 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
Harry Goldstein, IEEE Spectrum, 1 Feb. 2026
The hope is that the technology used in the ‘drop-in’ sustainable fuels – so-called because they can be dropped into any internal combustion engine – can transfer to the broader automotive industry.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Jonathan Nackstrand | Afp | Getty Images The discovery of the so-called Per Geijer deposit sits in close proximity to the world’s largest underground iron ore mine.
—Sam Meredith, CNBC, 28 Nov. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for so-called
Adjective
-
The alleged scheme is at the center of a criminal trial that started in a federal court in New York last week, days before the Mideast combat that now looms in the background.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Prosecutors said the 17-year-old — sworn in to testify under just his first name, Daniel — gave up a hard drive containing bitcoin after Halem and his alleged accomplices threatened to kill him.—
Matthew Ormseth,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But a handful of anglers, influencers, and content creators have gone public about their own experiences with DTF over the last week, and the supposed scam league is now dominating most corners of the online fishing space.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
19 Feb. 2026
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Within a month, the school staff became suspicious when a supposed guardian — allegedly Hewitt’s adult roommate — attempted to remove her from school.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“So-called.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/so-called. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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