so-called

[/soʊˈkɔːld/]

adjective

chamado, dito, pretenso

1. Used to indicate that a name or description is not accurate or is questionable; allegedly or supposedly

The so-called expert didn't know the answer.

O chamado especialista não sabia a resposta.

2. Used to refer to something by its commonly used name, even if that name may not be entirely accurate

The so-called sandwich generation faces financial pressures.

A chamada geração sanduíche enfrenta pressões financeiras.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Regional Variations

General Brazilian

chamado, dito, pretenso

Most common usage across Brazil

São Paulo

chamado, pretenso

Standard usage

Rio de Janeiro

chamado, dito

Standard usage

Portugal

chamado, dito, sedicente

Sedicente is more formal/literary usage in Portugal

so-called friend (someone who claims to be a friend but isn't)

so-called success (questionable achievement)

so-called democratic (allegedly democratic but questionable)

Look up more words on Fala2Me

The free English-Portuguese dictionary with real Brazilian accents, NYC slang, conjugator and more