Somewhat means to a certain degree, but not completely. It softens a statement so it doesn’t sound too strong.
From Middle English *sumwhat*, literally “some thing,” from *some* + *what*. Over time, it shifted from meaning “something” to “to some degree.”
Words like *somewhat*, *kind of*, and *a bit* are like volume knobs for your opinions. They let you say “yes, but not all the way,” which is socially very useful.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.