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so-called

 - 2 dictionary results

so-called

[soh-kawld]
–adjective
1. called or designated thus: the so-called Southern bloc.
2. incorrectly called or styled thus: so-called intellectuals.

Origin:
1650–60
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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so-called   (sō'kôld')
adj.  
  1. Commonly called: "new buildings ... in so-called modern style" (Graham Greene).

  2. Incorrectly or falsely termed: My so-called friends were gossiping about me again.

Usage Note: Quotation marks are not used to set off descriptions that follow expressions such as so-called and self-styled, which themselves relieve the writer of responsibility for the attribution: his so-called foolproof method (not "foolproof method").
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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