as in pretty
to some degree or extent
you've been acting sort of funny all week
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sort of
Adverb
-
He was also named the team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year winner this year, so he’s clearly valued internally by some pretty important decision-makers.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Jan. 2026 -
In recent games, KU’s communication has been pretty poor on defense and that’s led to players taking (and too often missing) wide-open 3-pointers.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
10 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
So, when inflation in groceries and consumer goods spiked in 2021—even for a relatively brief period—low- and middle-income Americans had precious little slack left to absorb it.—
Gene Ludwig,
Fortune,
11 Jan. 2026
-
The agreement was relatively uncontroversial then, but when the time rolled around for the Danish parliament to officially ratify the treaty, this past June, Danes were feeling a lot more skeptical.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
11 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Everything was really incorrect for the period—shiny, sparkly, overdone—but the actual shapes and silhouettes of his clothes are quite accurate.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
10 Jan. 2026
-
But the Panthers were also quite consistent in some ways.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Researchers also highlighted that the next key step will be to determine whether Enceladus’ ocean has existed long enough for life to develop.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Simple enough for a weeknight dinner and impressive enough for a holiday get together, this baked fennel deserves a permanent spot in your recipe box.—
Stephanie Ganz,
Southern Living,
9 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
Pedro had painted the model in bright colors—red, blue, and yellow—and the circular ballet of the trio against the green jungle didn’t feel out of place; rather, the birds seemed to enjoy the homage being paid to them.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Nikita Zadorov rather comically grabbed Chinakhov by the scruff of the neck and dragged him out of the net.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
12 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
The press conference was somewhat unusual, given that the incident had no connection to Philadelphia whatsoever.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The scope of the effort is almost incomprehensible, both for its sheer size and persistence on a low-lying peninsula, where the delineation between land and sea has always been somewhat unclear and is becoming less so.—
Amy Green,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
The 40% The 2026 outlook is fairly compelling for bonds.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Typically local zoning commissions have fairly wide latitude in deciding whether large residential projects go forward.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
11 Jan. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Sort of.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sort%20of. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share