Ish Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

-ish 1 American

1. a suffix used to form adjectives from nouns, with the sense of “belonging to” (British; Danish; English; Spanish ); “after the manner of,” “having the characteristics of,” “like” (babyish; girlish; mulish ); “addicted to,” “inclined or tending to” (bookish; freakish ); “near or about” (fiftyish; sevenish ).

2. a suffix used to form adjectives from other adjectives, with the sense of “somewhat,” “rather” (oldish; reddish; sweetish ).

-ish 2 American

1. a suffix occurring in i -stem verbs borrowed from French.

   ravish.

ish 3 American [ish] / ɪʃ /

adverb

Informal.

1. (used to modify or moderate something previously stated or as a vague reply to a question) somewhat; in a way; not exactly: “Are you tired?” “Yeah...ish.”

   It's a decent (ish) place to work.

   “Are you tired?” “Yeah...ish.”

   I'd like to get married. Ish.

2. near or about; approximately: It'll be a $25ish taxi ride.

   The lights went out at 11-ish.

   It'll be a $25ish taxi ride.

-ish 1 British

suffix

1. of or belonging to a nationality or group

   Scottish

2. derogatory having the manner or qualities of; resembling

   slavish

   prudish

   boyish

3. somewhat; approximately

   yellowish

   sevenish

4. concerned or preoccupied with

   bookish

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 ish 2 British / ɪʃ /

1. slang used to express reservation or qualified assent

   Things are looking up. Ish

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of -ish1

Middle English; Old English -isc; cognate with German -isch, Old Norse -iskr, Gothic -isks, Greek diminutive noun suffix -isk(os); akin to -esque

Origin of -ish2

From French -iss-, extended stem of verbs with infinitives in -ir, ultimately from Latin -isc-, in verbs that express the beginning of an action or process

Origin of ish3

First recorded in 1985–90; from -ish 1 ( def. ) (in the sense “somewhat”)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Red:ish Good Stuff - open twice a week and funded by Stockport Council and local businesses including Vernon Building Society - charges customers £4 a week.

From BBC

“She was very Valley Girl–ish,” Terrell said, “a teenage girl from an upper-income family in a wealthy neighborhood. She kind of talked like that, just without the California accent.”

From Slate

It turned out they were - ish.

From BBC

As if to prove it, she recently made her film debut in Ish – the story of two best friends whose friendship is tested by an ugly and heavy-handed police stop and search.

From BBC

“It’s a little bit L.A.-ish,” Giordano said.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.