in a sense

English

Alternative forms

• in one sense

Prepositional phrase

in a sense

1. In one sense or interpretation, but not in all ways.

   Synonyms: after a fashion, in a way

   • 1889, H[enry] Clay Trumbull, “Making Drudgery Divine”, in Duty-knowing and Duty-doing, Philadelphia, Pa.: John D. Wattles, →OCLC, page 133:

     A large part of duty-doing is drudgery. There is drudgery in every department of life's workdrudgery that is indispensable to success in that work. […] But there is such a thing as ennobling drudgery, as making and counting it an essential part of that which is noble and–in a sense–divine.

   • 1989, Ronald K. Siegel, Intoxication: The Universal Drive for Mind-Altering Substances, Park Street Press, published 2009, →ISBN, page 192:

     In a sense, the editorial cartoons were correct when they suggested that an exaltation of larks can fly under the influence into an aspect of vulturous behavior.

   • 2001, Dennis O'Neil, The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics:

     In a sense, Superman's romance with Lois Lane was a subplot and [...]

   • 2011, Thomas W. Dombroski, How America Was Financed, page xi:

     This is not a historical novel yet it is in a sense historical and contained within this book is a true story of how America was financed.

Translations

in one sense or interpretation

Esperanto: iusence

References

• “in a sense”, in Collins English Dictionary.
• “in one sense”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.