as it were

Meaning

1. (not-comparable) Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see as, it, were.
2. (not-comparable) Used to indicate that a word or statement is perhaps not exact though practically right; as if it were so.
3. (not-comparable) Used to draw attention to the use of a metaphor, sometimes to prevent confusion or to highlight wordplay.

Synonyms

so to speak

quasi

as if

as though

in a way

so to call it

you could say

#quasi |quasi

sort of

to a certain extent

virtually

one might say

Translations

pour ainsi dire

sozusagen

por decirlo así

por assim dizer

gleichsam

en quelque sorte

per dir-ho així

gewissermaßen

sicut

per così dire

en cierto sentido

virtuellement

de fait

comme si

com si

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: as it were

Inherited from Old English: *ealswā hit wǣre

In summary

From Middle English as it were, as hyt were, als it were, als hit were, from Old English *ealswā hit wǣre, attested only as swā hit wǣre and swylċe hit wǣre (“as it were”, literally “as it would be”).