so-calledadjective [ before noun ]
uk/ˌsəʊˈkɔːld/us/ˌsoʊˈkɑːld/B2 used to show that you think a word that is used to describe someone or something is not suitable or not correct:
It was one of his so-called friends who supplied him with the drugs that killed him.
B2 used to introduce a new word or phrase that is not yet known by many people:
It isn't yet clear how dangerous these so-called "super-rats" are.
More examples
- It's fairly shocking when a so-called developed country can't even provide homes for all its citizens.
- My so-called friend has stolen my girlfriend.
- This so-called charity has robbed thousands of poor people of their money.
- And this is one of the so-called privileges of working for this company.
- This so-called therapy has effectively ruined my life.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Seeming and purporting to be
- apparent
- appear
- as if/though idiom
- by the look(s) of things idiom
- come
- come across
- come over
- face
- ostensible
- outward
- paper
- persona
- prima facie
- putative
- sound
- superficial
- supposed
- supposedly
- verisimilitude
- you can't judge a book by its cover idiom
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Linguistics: terminology & vocabulary