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Glite Dictionary
sort of

sort of

∞ 2.1
To some degree but not completely
  • idiom
  • /sɔrt ʌv/
  • Informal
translation icon : más o menos
  • This movie is sort of funny, but it also has some serious moments.

And then he, you know, like sort of disappears.

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Examples

Synonyms

kind of
vssort of
  • Informal
∞ 1.6

To a small or medium degree

is more neutral and less colloquial in tone
a little
vssort of
∞ 1.0

A small amount, not very much

is more general and signals a vaguer partial truth
a bit
vssort of
∞ 1.0

To a small degree or amount

is broader and can mean a less specific amount
nearly
vssort of
∞ 1.0

Almost but not completely

marks a more general partial truth rather than near completion
rather
vssort of
∞ 1.0

A little more than a bit but not very much

is more tentative and suggests a weaker degree
pretty much
vssort of
  • Informal
∞ 3.0

Almost completely but not quite

means partly true but not as near total
just about
vssort of
915 2.7

Almost right, but not exactly

is a milder partialness, not an approximation to full truth
fairly
vssort of
895 1.0

To some degree but not very much

is more imprecise and signals a vague partial extent
slightly
vssort of
885 1.0

A little, not very much

is less extreme and often denotes general partialness
somewhat
vssort of
816 2.0

To a small degree

is more vague and often used to hedge statements
in a way
vssort of
634 3.2

To some extent from a certain point of view

is more neutral and marks a simple partial extent
practically
vssort of
634 2.5

Almost but not completely

means only partly true rather than nearly complete
kinda
vssort of
  • Informal
540 8.5

To a small degree

is the more neutral form used in standard speech
partly
vssort of
375 1.0

To some extent but not completely

is more casual and less precise about the partial truth
in part
vssort of
374 2.2

To some degree but not completely

is broader and signals a general partial agreement
more or less
vssort of
301 2.1

About a number or idea, not exact but close enough

is vaguer and refers to partial truth rather than numeric closeness
partially
vssort of
198 2.4

To some degree but not completely

is more everyday and less formal in showing partialness
reasonably
vssort of
129 2.2

To a fair degree but not very much

is more colloquial and suggests a less reasoned partiality
moderately
vssort of
47 2.8

To some degree but not very much

is less measured and often used in casual speech
marginally
vssort of
35 4.1

By a small amount

is milder and can suggest a broader uncertain degree
well-nigh
vssort of
  • Archaic
1 8.4

Almost but not completely

is informal and marks partial truth, not near totality
sorta kinda
vssort of
  • Slang
1 9.3

Shows that you are a little unsure or not fully certain

is less slangy and gives a milder partial meaning

How Much

quite
∞ 1.0
rather
∞ 1.0
somewhat
816 2.0
sort of
  • Informal
∞ 2.1
slightly
885 1.0

Surface Forms

sort of positive

Morphology

sort + of

The meaning 'to some degree' is partly derivable from 'sort' (a kind) + 'of' — it’s a grammaticalized extension of 'a kind of' to mean 'somewhat' — but the hedging/pragmatic nuance and reduced form are not fully predictable from the literal constituents. A B1 learner who knows the words could often infer an approximate meaning but might not reliably predict its pragmatic use or register, and similar constructions exist cross-linguistically with variation.

Etymology

Sort of comes from the word sort, which means 'kind' or 'type', and the small word of that links it to what follows. Saying something is sort of a thing is like pointing to a group and meaning it belongs a little to that kind but not completely, so the phrase came to mean 'to some degree, not completely'.