Dictionary

oh so en · ADV

Pronunciation

• /ˈoʊsoʊ/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From oh (interjection) + so (adverb).

Meanings

1. (not-comparable) very, extremely (often ironic)
   • there is something vulnerable-making about learning a language, when your normal ease of expression crumbles and you have to start again like a child acquiring speech for the first time, but oh, so much more slowly. 2026 August 4, Charlotte Higgins, “‘The war leaked into every lesson’: learning Ukrainian in a country under siege”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC:
   • He is, reputedly, a dashing Casanova and receives oh so many letters from oh so many femmes. 1997, Hugh Aaron, Letters from the Good War: A Young Man's Discovery of the World, Stones Point Press, →ISBN, page 314:
   • His oh-so-witty (ugh) remarks on the loud hailer constitute one more proof that this instrument has minimal value on a pleasure boat. 1971 July–August, Capt. Jacque Cestlabote, “Restrain Sloan Wilson!”, in Boating, →ISSN, page 8:
   • […]it’s truly incredible how similar the Finder’s behaviors are today to that oh-so-crude yet oh-so-amazing Finder of 1984 2011, Scott Granneman, Mac OS X Snow Leopard for Power Users: Advanced Capabilities and Techniques, Apress, →ISBN, page 51:

Forms

Translations (2)

sv ack så (very, extremely (often ironic)) · fr ô combien (very, extremely (often ironic))