adverb

somewhat

somewhat, to some extent, rather

I was somewhat surprised by the news.

I was somewhat surprised by the news.

The situation is somewhat different now.

The situation is somewhat different now.

He answered somewhat reluctantly.

He answered somewhat reluctantly.

((modifies an adjective or adverb)) to some degree; rather The price is somewhat higher than I expected.

Synonyms: a little, rather, to some degree; Antonyms: completely, very

Composed of 'some' and 'what', where 'what' implies a certain unspecified amount or degree.

Imagine someone asking 'To what extent?' and the answer is 'To some extent'. 'Somewhat' is a compact way of saying that.

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