moderately helpful

USAGE SUMMARY

'moderately helpful' is a grammatically correct and correctly written phrase in English.
You can use it when referring to something that isn't quite helpful, but not completely unhelpful either. For example, "The customer service representative was moderately helpful in resolving my issue."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

21 human-written examples

Mr. Tucker's cooperation has been described by other witnesses as only moderately helpful.

The New York Times

Managers of invasive species consider the peer-reviewed literature only moderately helpful for guiding their management programs.

Journal of Environmental Management

A couple of possibilities: sounding manly on the boats does throw a bone to the Hansonites, which is moderately helpful, when the Hansonites are fully intent on coming after your base.

The Guardian

Similarly, two-thirds said they considered their chaplain "neither helpful nor harmful" in meeting their spiritual needs, while only about one in five considered their chaplain either extremely or moderately helpful.

The New York Times

As far as I've been able to find, the available "studies" that Snowden alludes to are only moderately helpful.

TechCrunch

"It's sometimes quite hard to understand what motivates the very vocal minority that gets so upset about this apparently benign bit of moderately helpful treatment," he said.

Science Magazine

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

39 human-written examples

Four out of seven nonfunded applicants who responded rated the program either moderately or very helpful.

CBE Life Sciences Education

Overall, just over half of the professionals (most of whom had not yet used the booklets with parents) rated them as moderately or very helpful for professionals and families.

BMC Palliative Care

Eight out of 11 funded applicants who responded rated the program either moderately or very helpful (score of 3 or 4) in increasing their understanding of the review process.

CBE Life Sciences Education

Strategies used by >25% of the sample that were rated moderately or more helpful (i.e., >2 on a 0 to 4 scale) were prayer [mean (SD) = 2.9 (0.9)], opioids [2.6 (0.8)], regular exercise [2.5 (1.0)], heat/cold [2.5 (1.0)], nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [2.4 (1.0)], and acetaminophen [2.3 (1.0)].

BMC Geriatrics

However, 74% rated at least one strategy as a 3 or 4 on the 0 4 (4 = "extremely helpful") helpfulness scale, indicating that the majority of the sample found at least one strategy that was more than moderately effective for their pain.

BMC Geriatrics

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "moderately helpful", consider specifying why something is only moderately helpful. This adds nuance and clarity to your writing. For instance, instead of saying "The software was moderately helpful", say "The software was moderately helpful, but lacked advanced features".

Common error

Avoid using "moderately helpful" when something is clearly very helpful or not helpful at all. Ensure that the context aligns with a mid-range level of utility. If something is essential, "extremely helpful" is more appropriate.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "moderately helpful" functions as a compound adjective describing the degree to which something provides assistance. It is commonly used to express that something is useful to some extent, but not fully effective. Ludwig AI confirms that it is a grammatically correct phrase.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

35%

Formal & Business

15%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "moderately helpful" is a grammatically sound and commonly used way to describe something that provides some assistance but isn't entirely effective. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness. Its usage is prevalent in scientific, news, and business contexts, and it allows for nuanced communication, avoiding extremes in assessment. When using the phrase, specify why something is only moderately helpful to add clarity and nuance and consider alternatives like "somewhat helpful" or "fairly helpful" for slight variations in meaning. The phrase is appropriate for a range of registers but maintains a neutral tone.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

somewhat helpful

Indicates a slightly lower degree of helpfulness than "moderately helpful".

reasonably helpful

Suggests a level of helpfulness that meets expectations but does not exceed them.

fairly helpful

Similar to "somewhat helpful" but may imply a slightly more positive assessment.

quite helpful

Implies a greater degree of helpfulness than "moderately helpful".

relatively helpful

The helpfulness is being compared to something else and found to be helpful in comparison.

mildly helpful

Indicates a lower intensity of helpfulness; gentle or slight assistance.

slightly helpful

Emphasizes the small degree of assistance provided.

marginally helpful

Indicates the minimum degree of helpfulness; barely useful.

adequately helpful

Suggests that the level of helpfulness is sufficient but not exceptional.

serviceable to a degree

More formal and emphasizes the functionality or utility provided to some extent.

FAQs

How can I use "moderately helpful" in a sentence?

You can use "moderately helpful" to describe something that provides some assistance but isn't entirely effective or sufficient. For instance, "The tutorial was "somewhat helpful", but I still needed additional resources."

What are some alternatives to saying "moderately helpful"?

Alternatives include "fairly helpful", "somewhat helpful", "reasonably helpful", or "slightly helpful", depending on the specific degree of assistance you want to convey.

Is "moderately helpful" the same as "very helpful"?

No, "moderately helpful" indicates a lower degree of assistance than "very helpful". "Very helpful" suggests something is highly effective, while "moderately helpful" implies it provides some benefit but is not a complete solution.

Can "moderately helpful" be used in formal writing?

Yes, "moderately helpful" is suitable for formal writing. However, consider the context and whether a more precise term might be more appropriate to convey the specific level of assistance provided. Something like "serviceable to a degree" might work in very specific contexts.