More or less satisfactory

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "more or less satisfactory" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to indicate that something is acceptable but not perfect. For example, "The results of the project were more or less satisfactory." Alternative expressions include "fairly satisfactory" and "somewhat satisfactory."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

6 human-written examples

The point of a clear definition is that it enables one to give more or less satisfactory answers to questions such as these.

Encyclopedia Britannica

The trouble with this Whiggish history is that it ignores the obvious truth that all known family arrangements have balanced love with the selfish exercise of power in more or less satisfactory ways and if we want to rescue human flourishing we need to know less about prehistoric fish with claspers and more about the ways in which power strangles love today.

The Guardian - Opinion

Therefore, attempts have been made to improve the nutritive value of OC through different chemical agents, but results have been more or less satisfactory (Rowghani et al. 2008).

International Journal of Recycling of Organic Waste in Agriculture

The settlement conditions were more or less satisfactory for the Darbi family, originally from Homs, Western Syria, when they arrived in America from Jordan in July 2015.

Huffington Post

A variety of prognostic models describe the survival of patients with brain metastases from breast cancer to a more or less satisfactory degree.

BMC Cancer

Learn some popular programming language until you reach a more or less satisfactory level.

WikiHow

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

54 human-written examples

Dress, hairstyle, sexual activity (more OR less).

WikiHow

Until then, Athens had to make do with the more open and less satisfactory port facilities of Phalerum, roughly in the region of the modern airport.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Although the Chinese made some use of copper red, underglaze painting on porcelain is more or less limited to cobalt blue, an extremely stable and reliable colour that yields satisfactory results under both high- and low-temperature firings.

Britannica

Now some researchers are reexamining dark matter candidates once written off as unlikely, and considering less satisfactory ideas such as the possibility that dark matter will turn out to be made of something more or less undetectable.

HuffPost

Bribery, more or less.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

In scientific writing, this phrase is effective for describing preliminary results that confirm a hypothesis without being definitive.

Common error

Do not use this phrase as a substitute for specific metrics in technical or financial reporting. If you have a specific success rate or performance data, stating "more or less satisfactory" can undermine your credibility by appearing evasive.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "more or less satisfactory" functions as an adjectival phrase where "more or less" acts as a complex adverbial hedge. According to Ludwig, this structure allows a writer to soften a claim of success, making it less absolute. It typically modifies a noun phrase or appears as a predicative adjective following a linking verb.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

40%

News & Media

30%

Encyclopedias

20%

Less common in

Wiki

6%

Formal & Business

3%

Reference

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In conclusion, "more or less satisfactory" is a versatile and correct English phrase used to express a moderate level of approval. Ludwig data highlights its prevalence in high-authority sources such as Britannica and The Guardian, particularly in contexts where results are being analyzed with scientific or journalistic precision. It serves as an excellent tool for hedging, allowing writers to avoid making overly bold claims of perfection while still acknowledging that the basic requirements of a task or condition have been met. While it is appropriate for most formal and professional settings, users should be careful not to use it when precise data is required, as it remains a qualitative rather than quantitative descriptor.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Reasonably adequate

Suggests a logical standard of sufficiency rather than a subjective feeling of satisfaction.

Largely sufficient

Implies that while not perfect, the bulk of requirements have been met.

Fairly acceptable

A slightly more informal variation focusing on the level of tolerance for a result.

Passable to some extent

More skeptical, suggesting the result only just meets the minimum threshold.

Moderately effective

Focuses on the performance or outcome rather than general quality.

Generally alright

Significantly more casual and less precise in its evaluation.

Adequate enough

Adds emphasis to the fact that requirements are met, though it can sound redundant.

Appropriate in some measure

Focuses on the fitness for a specific purpose rather than overall quality.

Tolerably good

Implies a degree of endurance or putting up with the current state.

Somewhat decent

A common colloquialism that conveys a vague sense of approval.

FAQs

How to use "More or less satisfactory" in a sentence?

You can use it to qualify the quality of a result, such as: "The initial test results were more or less satisfactory for our team."

What can I say instead of "More or less satisfactory"?

Depending on your context, you can use alternatives like "<a href="/s/reasonably+adequate" target="_blank" rel="alternative">reasonably adequate", "<a href="/s/fairly+acceptable" target="_blank" rel="alternative">fairly acceptable" or "<a href="/s/largely+sufficient" target="_blank" rel="alternative">largely sufficient".

Is "More or less satisfactory" formal enough for an essay?

Yes, it is considered a standard neutral to formal phrase and is frequently used in high-quality sources like Britannica and The Guardian to provide a nuanced evaluation.

What is the difference between "More or less satisfactory" and "Reasonably adequate"?

While both indicate that a standard has been met, "<a href="/s/reasonably+adequate" target="_blank" rel="alternative">reasonably adequate" is often perceived as more objective, whereas "more or less satisfactory" can lean slightly more toward a subjective assessment.