Adjacent Words

Such definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SUCH, a.
1. Of that kind; of the like kind. We never saw such a day; we have never had such a time as the present.
It has as before the thing to which it relates. Give your children such precepts as tend to make them wiser and better.
It is to be noted that the definitive adjective a, never precedes such, but is placed between it and the noun to which it refers; as such a man; such an honor.
2. The same that. This was the state of the kingdom at such time as the enemy landed.
3. The same as what has been mentioned.
That thou art happy, owe to God;
That thou continu'st such, owe to thyself.
4. Referring to what has been specified. I have commanded my servant to be at such a place.
5. Such and such, is used in reference to a person or place of a certain kind.
The sovereign authority may enact a law, commanding such and such an action.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: of so extreme a degree or extent; "such weeping"; "so much weeping"; "such a help"; "such grief"; "never dreamed of such beauty" adv
1: to so extreme a degree; "he is such a baby"; "Such rich people!"

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Old English swilc; akin to Old High German sul?h such, Old English sw? so, gel?k like — more at so, like Date: before 12th century 1. a. of a kind or character to be indicated or suggested <a bag such as a doctor carries> b. having a quality to a degree to be indicated <his excitement was such that he shouted> 2. of the character, quality, or extent previously indicated or implied <in the past few years many such women have shifted to full-time jobs> 3. of so extreme a degree or quality <never heard such a hubbub> 4. of the same class, type, or sort <other such clinics throughout the state> 5. not specified II. pronoun Date: before 12th century 1. such a person or thing 2. someone or something stated, implied, or exemplified <such was the result> 3. someone or something similar ; similar persons or things <tin and glass and such> Usage: For reasons that are hard to understand, commentators on usage disapprove of such used as a pronoun. Dictionaries, however, recognize it as standard; all of the citations upon which our definitions of this word are based are clearly standard. III. adverb Date: before 12th century 1. a. to such a degree ; so <such tall buildings> <such a fine person> b. very, especially <hasn't been in such good spirits lately> 2. in such a way <related such that each excludes the other>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & pron. --adj. 1 (often foll. by as) of the kind or degree in question or under consideration (such a person; such people; people such as these). 2 (usu. foll. by as to + infin. or that + clause) so great; in such high degree (not such a fool as to believe them; had such a fright that he fainted). 3 of a more than normal kind or degree (we had such an enjoyable evening; such horrid language). 4 of the kind or degree already indicated, or implied by the context (there are no such things; such is life). 5 Law or formal the aforesaid; of the aforesaid kind. --pron. 1 the thing or action in question or referred to (such were his words; such was not my intention). 2 a Commerce or colloq. the aforesaid thing or things; it, they, or them (those without tickets should purchase such). b similar things; suchlike (brought sandwiches and such). Phrases and idioms: as such as being what has been indicated or named (a stranger is welcomed as such; there is no theatre as such). such-and-such --adj. of a particular kind but not needing to be specified. --n. a person or thing of this kind. such-and-such a person someone; so-and-so. such as 1 of a kind that; like (a person such as we all admire). 2 for example (insects, such as moths and bees). 3 those who (such as don't need help). such as it is despite its shortcomings (you are welcome to it, such as it is). such a one 1 (usu. foll. by as) such a person or such a thing. 2 archaic some person or thing unspecified. Etymology: OE swilc, swylc f. Gmc: cf. LIKE(1)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Such Such, a. [OE. such, sich, sech, sik, swich, swilch, swulch, swilc, swulc, AS. swelc, swilc, swylc; akin to OFries. selik, D. zulk, OS. sulic, OHG. sulih, solih, G. solch, Icel. sl[=i]kr, OSw. salik, Sw. slik, Dan. slig, Goth. swaleiks; originally meaning, so shaped. [root]192. See So, Like, a., and cf. Which.] 1. Of that kind; of the like kind; like; resembling; similar; as, we never saw such a day; -- followed by that or as introducing the word or proposition which defines the similarity, or the standard of comparison; as, the books are not such that I can recommend them, or, not such as I can recommend; these apples are not such as those we saw yesterday; give your children such precepts as tend to make them better. And in his time such a conqueror That greater was there none under the sun. --Chaucer. His misery was such that none of the bystanders could refrain from weeping. --Macaulay. Note: The indefinite article a or an never precedes such, but is placed between it and the noun to which it refers; as, such a man; such an honor. The indefinite adjective some, several, one, few, many, all, etc., precede such; as, one such book is enough; all such people ought to be avoided; few such ideas were then held. 2. Having the particular quality or character specified. That thou art happy, owe to God; That thou continuest such, owe to thyself. --Milton. 3. The same that; -- with as; as, this was the state of the kingdom at such time as the enemy landed. ``[It] hath such senses as we have.'' --Shak. 4. Certain; -- representing the object as already particularized in terms which are not mentioned. In rushed one and tells him such a knight Is new arrived. --Daniel. To-day or to-morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year. --James iv. 13. Note: Such is used pronominally. ``He was the father of such as dwell in tents.'' --Gen. iv. 20. ``Such as I are free in spirit when our limbs are chained.'' --Sir W. Scott. Such is also used before adjectives joined to substantives; as, the fleet encountered such a terrible storm that it put back. ``Everything was managed with so much care, and such excellent order was observed.'' --De Foe. Temple sprung from a family which . . . long after his death produced so many eminent men, and formed such distinguished alliances, that, etc. --Macaulay. Such is used emphatically, without the correlative. Now will he be mocking: I shall have such a life. --Shak. Such was formerly used with numerals in the sense of times as much or as many; as, such ten, or ten times as many. Such and such, or Such or such, certain; some; -- used to represent the object indefinitely, as already particularized in one way or another, or as being of one kind or another. ``In such and such a place shall be my camp.'' --2 Kings vi. 8. ``Sovereign authority may enact a law commanding such and such an action.'' --South. Such like or character, of the like kind. And many other such like things ye do. --Mark vii. 8.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. Note: When 'such' is used as a predeterminer, it is followed by 'a' and a count noun in the singular. When it is used as a determiner, it is followed by a count noun in the plural or by an uncount noun. 1. You use such to refer back to the thing or person that you have just mentioned, or a thing or person like the one that you have just mentioned. You use such as and such...as to introduce a reference to the person or thing that has just been mentioned. There have been previous attempts at coups. We regard such methods as entirely unacceptable... There'd be no telling how John would react to such news as this. DET: DET n, DET n as pron • Such is also a predeterminer. If your request is for information about a child, please contact the Registrar to find out how to make such a request... How can we make sense of such a story as this? PREDET: PREDET a n • Such is also used before be. We are scared because we are being watched–such is the atmosphere in Pristina and other cities in Kosovo. such be • As such is also used. There should be a law ensuring products tested on animals have to be labelled as such. -ed as such • Such as is also used. Issues such as these were not really his concern... such as pron 2. You use such...as to link something or someone with a clause in which you give a description of the kind of thing or person that you mean. Each member of the alliance agrees to take such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force... Britain is not enjoying such prosperity as it was in the mid-1980s. DET: DET n as cl • Such as is also used. Children do not use inflections such as are used in mature adult speech... n such as cl 3. You use such...as to introduce one or more examples of the kind of thing or person that you have just mentioned. ...such careers as teaching, nursing, hairdressing and catering. ...delays caused by such things as bad weather or industrial disputes. DET: DET n as n • Such as is also used. ...serious offences, such as assault on a police officer... such as n 4. You use such before noun groups to emphasize the extent of something or to emphasize that something is remarkable. I think most of us don't want to read what's in the newspaper anyway in such detail... The economy was not in such bad shape, he says. DET [emphasis] • Such is also a predeterminer. You know the health service is in such a state and it's getting desperate now... It was such a pleasant surprise... PREDET: PREDET a n 5. You use such...that in order to emphasize the degree of something by mentioning the result or consequence of it. The weather has brought such a demand for beer that one brewery will operate over the weekend... This is something where you can earn such a lot of money that there is not any risk that you will lose it... He was in such a hurry that he almost pushed me over on the stairs. PREDET: PREDET a n that [emphasis] • Such is also a determiner. She looked at him in such distress that he had to look away. DET: DET n that • Such is also used after be. Though Vivaldi had earned a great deal in his lifetime, his extravagance was such that he died in poverty... be such that 6. You use such...that or such...as in order to say what the result or consequence of something that you have just mentioned is. The operation has uncovered such backstreet dealing in stolen property that police might now press for changes in the law. DET: DET n that • Such is also a predeterminer. He could put an idea in such a way that Alan would believe it was his own. PREDET: PREDET a n that/as to • Such is also used after be. OFSTED's brief is such that it can conduct any inquiry or provide any advice which the Secretary of State requires. be such that 7. You use such and such to refer to a thing or person when you do not want to be exact or precise. (SPOKEN) I said, 'Well what time'll I get to Leeds?' and he said such and such a time but I missed my connection... PHRASE: PHR a n, PHR after v [vagueness] 8. You use such as it is or such as they are to suggest that the thing you have just mentioned is not very good, important, or useful. The British Women's Movement, such as it is these days, came up with a programme of speeches at the House of Commons. PHRASE: n PHR 9. You use as such with a negative to indicate that a word or expression is not a very accurate description of the actual situation. I am not a learner as such–I used to ride a bike years ago... PHRASE: usu n PHR 10. You use as such after a noun to indicate that you are considering that thing on its own, separately from other things or factors. Mr Simon said he was not against taxes as such, 'but I do object when taxation is justified on spurious or dishonest grounds,' he says. PHRASE: n PHR 11. no such thing: see thing