sort of
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈsɔːt‿əv/
ipa: [ˈsɔːʔ əv]
ipa: [ˈsət‿əv]
ipa: /ˈsɔɹt‿əv/
ipa: [ˈsɔɹɾ‿əv]
Forms: form: sorta
form: sort-of
Etymology: From sort (noun) + of. The adverbial use is derived from the use of the term as an adjective in phrases such as “a sort of [something]”.
Senses: examples: text: It sort of makes sense the way he explains it, but I still don’t really understand.
text: A Yankee girl, who wished to hire herself out, was asked if she had any followers, or sweethearts? After a little hesitation, she replied, "Well, now, can't exactly say; I bees a sorter courted, and a sorter not; reckon more a sorter yes than a sorter no."
ref: 1839, [Frederick] Marryat, A Diary in America, with Remarks on Its Institutions. […], volume II, London: […] [J. L. Cox and Sons] for Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longmans, […], →OCLC, pages 217–218:
text: The rosewood cradle—packed eighty miles by mule—had, in Stumpy's way of putting it, "sorter killed the rest of the furniture." So the rehabilitation of the cabin became a necessity.
ref: 1868 August, Bret Harte, “[Sketches.] The Luck of Roaring Camp.”, in The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Sketches (The Riverside Library), Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: Houghton Mifflin Company […], published 1869, →OCLC, page 12:
text: I'll sort of borrow the money from my dad until I get on my own feet; and then I can own up and pay up at the same time.
ref: 1901–1903, [George] Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman. A Comedy and a Philosophy, Westminster [London]: Archibald Constable & Co., published 1903, →OCLC, Act II, page 67:
text: 'Webb,' he says sorta sorrowful like, 'it looks like a howlin' shame to have a bang-up American girl hooked up to a money-grubbin' member of the British nobility. It don't in no way fit in with my ideas of the speerut of American independence!'
ref: 1912 September, Charles Alden Seltzer, “Love’s International”, in The Outing Magazine: Sport, Adventure, Travel, Fiction, volume LX, number 6, New York, N.Y.; Chicago, Ill.: Outing Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 680, column 1:
text: "Why—why, we sort of expected he'd be here!" says she.
ref: 1916 March 11, Charles E. Van Loan, “His Folks. Chapter III.”, in The Saturday Evening Post, volume 188, number 37, Philadelphia, Pa.; London: Curtis Publishing Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 15, column 2:
text: I don't believe they sort of understand English people, Italians don't. They can't.
ref: 1930, Arnold Bennett, “Violet and Ceria”, in Imperial Palace, London: Cassell & Company […], →OCLC, section I, page 509:
text: When Tommy's folks heard about it they were angry with him, and with Chuck for using him to play such a mean trick on Vern. In fact the whole thing sorta backfired on old Chuck—and on me and Pete too. Instead of laughing about it, most people thought it was pretty crummy.
ref: 1993 July, William R. Scott, “Sort of a Hero”, in Scott Stuckey, editor, Boys’ Life, volume LXXXIII, number 7, Irving, Tex.: Boy Scouts of America, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 34, column 2:
text: Messy trains are horrible, but you can sort of understand passengers leaving their sandwich wrappers and paper cups if there is nowhere to dispose of them.
ref: 2023 April 5, Pip Dunn, “‘196s’ Giving Commuters a Smoother Ride”, in Rail, number 980, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 55:
synonyms: kind of
kinda
partially
glosses: Sometimes expressing hesitation, reluctance, etc.: to some extent but not entirely; approximately, in a way, not quite, somewhat.