Definitions

per se

[pur sey, see, per] / pɜr ˈseɪ, ˈsi, pər /

ADVERB

essentially

Synonyms

WEAK

alone as such by and of itself by definition by its very nature by itself fundamentally in essence in itself independently intrinsically of itself singularly solely virtually

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

There is no house to beat, per se.

From The Wall Street Journal

There is no plot per se, but images and themes keep recurring.

From The Wall Street Journal

"This lack of pleasure for music is explained by disconnectivity between the reward circuit and the auditory network -- not by the functioning of their reward circuit, per se," says Marco-Pallarés.

From Science Daily

And we do see a little bit this season between a couple of people, but it’s very much secondary because it’s not something we actually see, per se.

From Los Angeles Times

Deflation per se was never Japan’s biggest economic problem.

From The Wall Street Journal