Phrase guide

comme ci comme ça

adj · adv · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

adj

Meaning 1

Neither good nor bad; so so; tolerable, passable, indifferent.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • The dessert was pretty good, but the meal was comme ci comme ça.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: average, fair, meh, mediocre, middling, lackluster, okay, so-so, comme ci comme ça, crappy, decent, indifferent, mid, no great shakes, nothing to write home about, not worth writing home about, OK, okayish, ordinary, pedestrian, unexceptional, uninspiring, shitty, tolerable, whatever

Antonyms: none provided

2

adv

Meaning 2

Neither very well nor very poorly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • How did he do at the tryouts? Oh, comme ci comme ça.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: blandly, indifferently, insipidly, moderately, passably, so-so

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Borrowed from French comme ci comme ça (literally “like this like that”).

Across languages

Translations

24 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: mitäänsanomaton — neither good nor bad
  • Finnish: keskinkertainen — neither good nor bad
  • Hebrew: ככה־ככה (kakhah-kakhah) — neither good nor bad
  • Italian: così cosà — neither good nor bad
  • Italian: così così — neither good nor bad
  • Norwegian Bokmål: passe — neither good nor bad
  • Polish: taki sobie — neither good nor bad
  • Polish: średni — neither good nor bad
  • Russian: так себе́ (tak sebé) — neither good nor bad
  • Russian: не очень (ne očenʹ) — neither good nor bad
  • Russian: средне (sredne) — neither good nor bad
  • Spanish: más o menos — neither good nor bad
  • Vietnamese: bình thường — neither good nor bad
  • Finnish: niin ja näin — neither well nor poorly
  • Finnish: keskinkertaisesti — neither well nor poorly
  • French: comme ci comme ça — neither well nor poorly
  • French: couci-couça — neither well nor poorly
  • German: so lala — neither well nor poorly
  • Louisiana Creole: kom-çi-kom-ça — neither well nor poorly
  • Polish: tak sobie — neither well nor poorly
  • Polish: średnio — neither well nor poorly
  • Russian: так себе́ (tak sebé) — neither well nor poorly
  • Spanish: más o menos — neither well nor poorly
  • Turkish: şöyle böyle — neither well nor poorly