So — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adverb conjunction adjective pronoun noun abbreviation /ˈsō/

Meaning & Definition of So

So (adverb)

  1. in a manner or way indicated or suggested —often used as a substitute for a preceding clause
  2. in the same manner or way, also
  3. thus

So (conjunction)

  1. with the result that
  2. in order that
  3. provided that

So (adjective)

  1. conforming with actual facts, true
  2. marked by a desired order
  3. —used to replace a preceding adjective

So (pronoun)

  1. such as has been specified or suggested, the same
  2. —used in the phrase or so to indicate an estimate, approximation, or conjecture

So (noun)

  1. the fifth note of the major scale in solfège

So (abbreviation)

  1. south; southern
  2. seller's option
  3. strikeout

So (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. for this or that reason

    "it was raining, so we stayed inside"

    similar: accordingly, consequently, ergo, hence, therefore, thereupon, thus, wherefore, in consequence

  2. in like manner

    "the boss works very hard, and so does everyone else"

    similar: alike, also, correspondingly, ditto, likewise, similarly, as well
    related: equally, equivalently, identically
    opposite: differently, dissimilarly, otherwise
    near: contrarily, conversely, inversely, oppositely, vice versa, diversely, unequally, variously

  3. to a great degree

    "it's so cold outside"

    similar: achingly, almighty, archly, awful, awfully, badly, beastly, blisteringly, bone, colossally, corking, cracking, damn, damned, dang, deadly, desperately, eminently, enormously, especially, ever, exceedingly, extra, extremely, fabulously, fantastically, far, fiercely, filthy, frightfully, full, greatly, heavily, highly, hugely, immensely, incredibly, intensely, jolly, majorly, mightily, mighty, monstrous (chiefly dialect), mortally, most, much, particularly, passing, rattling, real, really, right, roaring, roaringly, seriously, severely, sore, sorely, spanking, specially, stinking, such, super, supremely, surpassingly, terribly, that, thumping, too, unco, uncommonly, vastly, very, vitally, way, whacking, wicked, wildly, a lot, as all get-out, good and
    related: absolutely, altogether, completely, downright, entirely, flat-out, fully, positively, purely, radically, thoroughly, totally, utterly, wholly, deeply, profoundly, exceptionally, notably, remarkably, considerably, extensively, significantly, substantially, appreciably, discernibly, markedly, noticeably, obviously, palpably, plainly, visibly, abundantly, plentifully, astronomically, grandly, monstrously, monumentally, excessively, obscenely, overmuch, amazingly, astonishingly, staggeringly
    opposite: little, negligibly, nominally, slightly, somewhat
    near: meagerly, scantily, barely, hardly, just, marginally, minimally, scarcely

  4. without any question

    "you are so in trouble if I catch you sneaking out of the house again"

    similar: all right, alright, assuredly, certainly, clearly, definitely, doubtless, easily, forsooth, hands down, inarguably, incontestably, incontrovertibly, indeed, indisputably, plainly, really, sure, surely, truly, unarguably, undeniably, undoubtedly, unquestionably, by all means, by all odds, damn well, for certain, for sure
    related: conceivably, likely, perhaps, possibly, probably, obviously, unmistakably

So (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. being in agreement with the truth or a fact or a standard

    "I'm afraid that some of what you've said just isn't so"

    similar: accurate, bang on (chiefly British), correct, dead-on, exact, good, on-target, precise, proper, right, spot-on, true, veracious, on target, on the money
    related: legitimate, logical, sound, valid, errorless, faultless, flawless, impeccable, inerrant, infallible, letter-perfect, perfect, rigorous, strict, stringent
    opposite: false, improper, inaccurate, incorrect, inexact, off, untrue, wrong
    near: defective, faulty, flawed, imperfect

Related Entry: So-and-so (noun)

So-and-so is a different word from So. The synonyms below are for so-and-so, not for so.

  1. a person whose behavior is offensive to others

    "I'm never talking to that nasty so-and-so again after what he said to me last time!"

    similar: bastard, beast, bleeder (British), blighter (chiefly British), boor, bounder, bugger, buzzard, cad, chuff, churl, clown, creep, cretin, crud (slang), crumb (slang), cur, dirtbag (slang), dog, fink, heel, hound, jerk, joker, louse, lout, pill, rat, rat fink, reptile, rotter, schmuck (slang), scum, scumbag (slang), scuzzball (slang), skunk, sleaze, sleazebag (slang), sleazeball (slang), slime, slimeball (slang), slob, snake, sod (chiefly British), stinkard, stinker, swine, toad, varmint, vermin, son of a gun
    related: barbarian, brute, caveman, Neanderthal, savage, loudmouth, vulgarian, lowlife, miscreant, rascal, rogue, roughneck, scab, scamp, scoundrel, villain, wretch, booby, doofus (slang), fool, jackass, nincompoop, ninny, nit (chiefly British), nitwit, nut, schmo (slang), airhead, birdbrain, blockhead, dink (slang), dolt, dope, dork (slang), goon, half-wit, idiot, imbecile, moron, turkey, brat, insolent, nuisance, pest, snip, snob, snoot, snot, dweeb (slang), nerd
    near: hero, heroine, idol, role model, gentleman, lady, angel, saint

Related Entry: So far as (conjunction)

So far as is a different word from So. The synonyms below are for so far as, not for so.

  1. to the degree that

    "the idea works so far as you've thought it out, but there may be angles you haven't considered"

    similar: inasmuch as, insofar as, insomuch as, insomuch that

Related Entry: So long as (conjunction)

So long as is a different word from So. The synonyms below are for so long as, not for so.

  1. at or during the time that

    "so long as you're staying with us, you may not smoke indoors"

    similar: as, when, while, whilst (chiefly British)
    near: after

Related Entry: So-so (adjective)

So-so is a different word from So. The synonyms below are for so-so, not for so.

  1. of average to below average quality

    "a so-so production of a great play"

    similar: common, fair, indifferent, mediocre, medium, middling, ordinary, passable, run-of-the-mill, run-of-the-mine, second-class, second-rate
    related: acceptable, adequate, all right, alright, decent, OK, reasonable, satisfactory, sufficient, sufficing, tolerable, moderate, modest, presentable, respectable, minimal, unexceptional, fine, good, nice
    near: A1, capital, choice, classic, distinguished, excellent, exceptional, exquisite, fabulous, fantastic, first-class, first-rate, grand, great, marvelous, matchless, maximum, nifty, number one, optimal, optimum, outstanding, par excellence, peerless, preeminent, prime, sensational, special, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supreme, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, unmatched, unparalleled, unsurpassed, deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, wanting

Related Entry: So-so (adverb)

So-so is a different word from So. The synonyms below are for so-so, not for so.

  1. in a satisfactory way

    "I think I did so-so on the test"

    similar: acceptably, adequately, all right, alright, creditably, decently, fine, good, middlingly, nicely, OK, passably, respectably, satisfactorily, serviceably, sufficiently, tolerably, well
    related: appropriately, aptly, congruously, correctly, decorously, felicitously, fittingly, happily, meetly, rightly, seemly, suitably, gratifyingly, satisfyingly, effectively, effectually, efficiently, neatly, tidily
    opposite: bad, badly, deficiently, ill, inadequately, insufficiently, intolerably, poorly, unacceptably, unsatisfactorily
    near: unbearably, inappropriately, incorrectly, indecently, unsuitably, awfully, deplorably, disastrously, dreadfully, horrendously, horribly, horridly, miserably, terribly

Related Entry: So far (phrase)

So far is a different word from So. The synonyms below are for so far, not for so.

  1. up to this or that time

    "We haven't run into any traffic so far on our drive ."

    similar: heretofore, hitherto, theretofore, yet, thus far
    related: before, formerly, previously
    opposite: henceforth, henceforward, hereafter, thenceforth, thenceforward, thereafter
    near: afterward, later, subsequently, hereupon, thereupon

Related Entry: So-called (adjective)

So-called is a different word from So. The synonyms below are for so-called, not for so.

  1. as in alleged, supposed

    similar: alleged, supposed, debatable, disputable, dodgy (chiefly British), doubtable, doubtful, dubious, dubitable, equivocal, fishy, problematic, queer, questionable, shady, shaky, suspect, suspicious, moot, ambiguous, open, unclear, uncertain, undecided, undetermined, far-fetched, flimsy, improbable, unlikely, weak
    opposite: certain, hands-down, incontestable, indisputable, indubitable, questionless, sure, undeniable, undoubted, unproblematic, unquestionable, decisive, definitive, clear, obvious, open-and-shut, positive

Related Entry: So-and-sos (noun)

So-and-sos is a different word from So. The synonyms below are for so-and-sos, not for so.

  1. a person whose behavior is offensive to others

    "I'm never talking to that nasty so-and-so again after what he said to me last time!"

    similar: bastards, beasts, bleeders (British), blighters (chiefly British), boors, bounders, buggers, buzzards, cads, chuffs, churls, clowns, creeps, cretins, cruds (slang), crumbs (slang), curs, dirtbags (slang), dogs, finks, heels, hounds, jerks, jokers, louses, louts, pills, rat finks, rats, reptiles, rotters, schmucks (slang), scumbags (slang), scums, scuzzballs (slang), skunks, sleazebags (slang), sleazeballs (slang), sleazes, slimeballs (slang), slimes, slobs, snakes, sods (chiefly British), stinkards, stinkers, swine, toads, varmints, vermin, sons of guns
    related: barbarians, brutes, cavemen, Neanderthals, savages, loudmouths, vulgarians, lowlifes, miscreants, rascals, rogues, roughnecks, scabs, scamps, scoundrels, villains, wretches, boobies, doofuses (slang), fools, jackasses, nincompoops, ninnies, nits (chiefly British), nitwits, nuts, schmoes (slang), airheads, birdbrains, blockheads, dinks (slang), dolts, dopes, dorks (slang), goons, half-wits, idiots, imbeciles, morons, turkeys, brats, insolents, nuisances, pests, snips, snobs, snoots, snots, dweebs (slang), nerds
    near: heroes, heroines, idols, role models, gentlemen, ladies, angels, saints

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for So

The most common words with a similar meaning to So:

Chiefly dialect: monstrous
Chiefly British: bang on
accordingly, consequently, ergo, hence, therefore, thereupon, thus, wherefore, alike, also, correspondingly, ditto, likewise, similarly, achingly, almighty, archly, awful, awfully, badly, beastly, blisteringly, bone, colossally, corking, cracking, damn, damned, dang, deadly, desperately, eminently, enormously, especially, ever, exceedingly, extra, extremely, fabulously, fantastically

Antonyms & Opposite Words for So

Words with the opposite meaning of So:

differently, dissimilarly, otherwise, little, negligibly, nominally, slightly, somewhat, false, improper, inaccurate, incorrect, inexact, off, untrue, wrong

Related Words for So

equally, equivalently, identically, absolutely, altogether, completely, downright, entirely, flat-out, fully, positively, purely, radically, thoroughly, totally, utterly, wholly, deeply, profoundly, exceptionally, notably, remarkably, considerably, extensively, significantly, substantially, appreciably, discernibly, markedly, noticeably

Near Antonyms of So

contrarily, conversely, inversely, oppositely, vice versa, diversely, unequally, variously, meagerly, scantily, barely, hardly, just, marginally, minimally, scarcely, defective, faulty, flawed, imperfect

Origin & Etymology of So

Middle English, from Old English swā; akin to Old High German sō so, Latin sic so, thus, si if, Greek hōs so, thus, Latin suus one's own suicide

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for So

Words & Phrases Containing So

sol, so-and-so

Frequently Asked Questions about So

What does "So" mean?

"So" means in a manner or way indicated or suggested —often used as a substitute for a preceding clause. As an an adverb, a conjunction, an adjective, a pronoun, a noun and an abbreviation, it is defined as: in a manner or way indicated or suggested —often used as a substitute for a preceding clause. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "So"?

Other words for "So" include accordingly, consequently, ergo, hence, therefore, thereupon, thus and wherefore. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "So" you intend.

What are different ways to say "So"?

There are 205 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "So". Common alternatives include accordingly, consequently, ergo, hence, therefore, thereupon, thus, wherefore, alike and also.

What is the opposite of "So"?

Antonyms of "So" include differently, dissimilarly, otherwise, little, negligibly, nominally, slightly and somewhat. Near antonyms include contrarily, conversely, inversely and oppositely.

How do you use "So" in a sentence?

Examples of "So" in a sentence: "it was raining, so we stayed inside"; "the boss works very hard, and so does everyone else"; "it's so cold outside".

Is "So" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"So" can be used as an adverb, a conjunction, an adjective, a pronoun, a noun and an abbreviation, depending on the context.

Is "So" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "So" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "So"?

"So" is pronounced /ˈsō/.