it is what it is
Language: English
Part of speech: phrase
Senses: examples: text: Unfortunately the insurance doesn't cover that. Sorry, but it is what it is.
text: I shall not criticize the Treaty of Versailles. It is a fact. It is what it is.
ref: 1926 March 8, “La Semaine du Parlement”, in Time:
text: I would prefer to start further up than where I am, but it is what it is and we'll just go out there and get to work.
ref: 2005 November 20, Viv Bernstein, “Stewart Poised to Head Onto Road Less Traveled”, in New York Times, retrieved 24 Jul 2008:
text: Air Force One comin' in through the gate
Johnson sworn in at 2:38
Let me know when you decide to throw in the towel
It is what it is, and it's murder most foul
ref: 2020, Bob Dylan, Murder Most Foul:
synonyms: word: c'est la vie
word: life's a bitch
word: shit happens
word: such is life
word: c'est la vie
word: it is as it is
word: it is how it is
word: it is what it is
word: life's a bitch
word: shit happens
word: so be it
word: so is life
word: so it goes
word: such is life
word: that's that and this is this
word: that's the way it goes
word: that’s the way it plays
word: that's the way life is
word: that's the way the ball bounces
word: that's the way the cookie crumbles
word: that's the way the mop flops
word: them's the breaks
glosses: That's life; expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances, usually without complaint
glosses: Let it be; accept the fact and let the matter rest.
examples: text: But more important, while I am aware that "it is what it is" can be used in the "que sera sera" way, I do not agree that my interpretation of it is therefore incorrect. Rather, it is an example of how common it is in language for words and expressions to have more than one meaning, despite the fact that we rarely notice it. […] Regarding my troubles, he detachedly intoned, "Well, it is what it is." […] I recounted thinking: What a gorgeously chilly way of saying "Your problems don't matter to me." He was not using the phrase's other, "que sera sera" meaning, counseling me to accept how things unfold in a Zen-like way. / Those who think of the Zen version of "it is what it is" aren't wrong, however: It is often used that way when referring to oneself, for example. But those who agree with me that the expression can be dismissive are also correct in thinking of dismissive exchanges such as my own. "It is what it is" has two meanings. / The issue here is language change. The expression "it is what it is" began as counsel about coping. However, an implication floats over the proactive, constructive intent of the phrase: its element of distance, coolness, indifference. Implications like this can take over the word or expression's meaning and create either a new meaning or at least an alternative, 2.0 version.
ref: 2023 September 12, John McWhorter, “What Is 'It Is What It Is'?”, in New York Times, retrieved 13 Sep 2023:
glosses: Let it be; accept the fact and let the matter rest.
Who cares?; I don't care.
examples: text: That every thing has a real constitution, whereby it is what it is, and on which its sensible qualities depend, is past doubt.
ref: 1690, John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding:
glosses: Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see it, is, what, it, is. This thing has its own distinct nature; this thing is itself.
Synonyms: sense: This circumstance is simply a fact and must be accepted
word: that's life
word: que sera sera
word: shit happens
word: for more see Thesaurus:that's life
Related terms: word: it is as it is
word: it is how it is
sense: this thing has its own distinct nature
word: sui generis
sense: let it be
word: stoicism
sense: let it be
word: tao
sense: let it be
word: zen
sense: let it be
word: forget it
sense: let it be
word: what can you do
sense: let it be
word: what can I say