decent so far

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "decent so far" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to express a positive assessment of something that has been experienced or observed up to that point in time. Example: "The project has been decent so far, and I believe we are on track to meet our goals."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Sport

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

Altidore's hold up play has been pretty decent so far tonight, but the men behind him haven't yet done much with it.

The Guardian - Sport

The numbers for "Jane Eyre" have been decent so far: weekly box office figures ranged from about $275,000 to $375,000 during previews.

The New York Times

San Jose for their part look half decent so far, posting a commanding away win against the Sounders in which the 32 year old Chris Wondolowski scored a brace.

The Guardian - Sport

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

"I've made a pretty decent mark so far, nothing to scoff at.

Independent

Carol Morley's The Falling has achieved a decent £319,000 so far, in relatively limited play.

The Guardian - Film

"I've made a pretty decent mark so far — nothing to scoff at.

The New York Times - Arts

My neighbour is a decent person, so far as I've seen.

The Guardian - Opinion

Goosebumps, with a decent £7.56m so far, was the runner-up in the battle for the half-term family audience.

The Guardian - Film

With such a schedule she could not, of course, keep her decent housing so far from town.

The New York Times - Books

"Ryan's certainly hungry for it, and he's had a pretty decent year so far," said Jim Courier, the United States captain, in a telephone interview from France.

The New York Times - Sports

"Ryan's certainly hungry for it, and he's had a pretty decent year so far," said Jim Courier, the U.S. captain, in a telephone interview from France.

The New York Times - Sports

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "decent so far" to provide a preliminary, cautiously optimistic assessment of something's quality or progress. It's ideal when you want to avoid overly enthusiastic praise but still acknowledge positive aspects.

Common error

While "decent so far" is understandable, it can sound underwhelming in formal reports. Opt for stronger terms like "promising" or "satisfactory" to convey a more confident assessment.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "decent so far" functions as an adverbial phrase modifying a verb or clause. It provides a qualifying assessment indicating that something has been satisfactory or acceptable up to the present moment. Ludwig confirms its usability.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Sport

20%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Science

5%

Wiki

3%

Encyclopedias

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "decent so far" is a phrase used to express a reasonably positive evaluation of something's progress or quality up to the current moment. Ludwig confirms that it is correct and usable in written English. It appears most frequently in news and media contexts. While not overly formal, it provides a balanced assessment, acknowledging positive aspects while implying that future outcomes are still uncertain. For more formal settings, consider using alternatives such as "promising" or "satisfactory" to project a more confident assessment.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

good thus far

Replaces "decent" with "good" and "so far" with "thus far", maintaining a similar meaning of satisfactory progress.

satisfactory up to now

Substitutes "decent" with "satisfactory" and "so far" with "up to now", conveying an acceptable level of performance until the present.

reasonable so far

Changes "decent" to "reasonable", indicating an acceptable but not exceptional level of quality up to this point.

fair so far

Replaces "decent" with "fair", suggesting a moderately good performance thus far.

adequate thus far

Substitutes "decent" with "adequate" and "so far" with "thus far", implying a just sufficient level of quality up to the present.

passable up to now

Changes "decent" to "passable" and "so far" to "up to now", suggesting that the performance is acceptable but not outstanding.

moderately good so far

Replaces "decent" with "moderately good", emphasizing a medium level of positive quality up to the present.

doing okay so far

Uses a more informal tone, replacing "decent" with "doing okay", indicating a satisfactory but not exceptional level of progress.

progressing nicely so far

Focuses on the progress aspect, indicating that things are advancing well up to this point.

acceptable so far

Replaces "decent" with "acceptable", suggesting a standard that meets the minimum requirements up to this point.

FAQs

How can I use "decent so far" in a sentence?

You can use "decent so far" to express that something has been satisfactory up to the present time. For example, "The project has been "decent so far", and I'm cautiously optimistic about its completion."

What are some alternatives to saying "decent so far"?

Alternatives include "good thus far", "satisfactory up to now", or "reasonable so far", depending on the context.

Is "decent so far" too informal for professional writing?

While understandable, "decent so far" can sometimes sound underwhelming. In professional writing, consider stronger terms like "promising" or "satisfactory".

What does "decent so far" imply about future prospects?

"Decent so far" implies that while the initial results are positive or acceptable, the final outcome is still uncertain and continued effort is needed.