lexicow

so-called

/ˌsoʊ ˈkɔːld//ˌsəʊ ˈkɔːld/·adjective
I watch the word EXPERT stand there in solid gold, sure of itself. Two great quotation marks lean in and give the doubtful wiggle of air-quotes — and the gold drains out of it from the top down until only a hollow outline is left, a name with nothing inside. Then the substance pours back, unchanged. The doubt, I see, only emptied the title; it never disproved a thing.
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Definition

So-called does two opposite jobs. Most often it is a quiet sneer: placed before a label, it tells the reader the speaker doubts the name is deserved or legitimate — a so-called expert, a so-called democracy. The name is the one others use; the speaker withholds belief. Its second, neutral use simply introduces a technical term the reader may not know, as in 'the so-called greenhouse effect'. Tone decides which is meant. In academic writing the sceptical sense can undermine an opponent without offering proof, so careful writers use it sparingly.

Examples

  • These so-called experts had never once run a business of their own.
  • The so-called reforms did almost nothing to alleviate the housing crisis.
  • He lives in a so-called smart home that cannot even dim its own lights.

Collocations

so-called experts·the so-called effect·so-called reforms·a so-called solution

Synonyms

supposed·alleged·ostensible·self-styled·professed

Antonyms

genuine·actual·bona fide

In TOEFL & IELTS

A tone marker more than a content word. In reading comprehension it signals the author's scepticism — spotting it tells you the writer disputes the label. In your own essays use it with care: it can read as biased or informal, since it dismisses a claim without argument. Mind the hyphen, and don't confuse the sceptical sense with the neutral 'introducing a term' use.