ish
ish Lexical Profile
ish Game Scores & Validity
• adverb
To some extent; approximately or somewhat (used informally after a word or statement to qualify or soften what has just been said).
"We are planning to meet at seven—well, seven, ish, depending on the evening traffic."
• noun
North American Stuff, things, or matters of a specified kind (used in slang and hip-hop culture as a censored or euphemistic substitute for 'shit').
"Once he finished dealing with all that personal ish, he was able to focus on his new album."
An issue or edition of a magazine, comic book, or periodical.
"Did you manage to pick up the latest ish of the magazine at the newsstand?"
• interjection
North American Used chiefly in the Upper Midwest to express mild disgust, distaste, or aversion.
"Ish, look at all the mud the dog tracked onto the kitchen floor!"
Word Nuance & Usage
Originally the bound suffix '-ish', 'ish' has undergone degrammaticalization in informal English to function as an independent word modifying a preceding statement, adjective, or time expression.
• Rhymes for ish
Word Origin & Etymology
As an independent word indicating approximation, it evolved in late 20th-century colloquial English by detaching the suffix '-ish' (from Old English '-isc'). As a slang noun, it arose in the 1990s as a euphemistic alteration of 'shit', while the interjection of disgust is imitative.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.