See it is what it is on Wiktionary
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"(idiomatic) That's life; expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances, usually without complaint"
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"word": "that's the way the ball bounces"
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"word": "that's the way the cookie crumbles"
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"word": "niin se vain on"
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"word": "niin se vain menee"
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"word": "ez van"
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"_dis1": "96 0 1 4",
"code": "it",
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"lang_code": "it",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "non c'è più niente da fare"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 0 1 4",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"lang_code": "ja",
"roman": "shikata ga nai",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "仕方がない"
},
{
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"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"lang_code": "ja",
"roman": "shō ga nai",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "しょうがない"
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"code": "lt",
"lang": "Lithuanian",
"lang_code": "lt",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "bus tas kas bus"
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"code": "lt",
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"lang_code": "lt",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "nieko nepadarysi"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 0 1 4",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"lang_code": "pl",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "jest jak jest"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 0 1 4",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"lang_code": "pt",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "é o que é"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 0 1 4",
"code": "ro",
"lang": "Romanian",
"lang_code": "ro",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "aia e"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 0 1 4",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "es lo que hay"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 0 1 4",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "qué se le va a hacer"
},
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"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "así pasa cuando sucede"
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"Let it be; accept the fact and let the matter rest."
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"ref": "2023 September 12, John McWhorter, “What Is 'It Is What It Is'?”, in New York Times, retrieved 13 Sep 2023:",
"text": "But more important, while I am aware that \"it is what it is\" can be used in the \"que sera sera\" way, I do not agree that my interpretation of it is therefore incorrect. Rather, it is an example of how common it is in language for words and expressions to have more than one meaning, despite the fact that we rarely notice it. […] Regarding my troubles, he detachedly intoned, \"Well, it is what it is.\" […] I recounted thinking: What a gorgeously chilly way of saying \"Your problems don't matter to me.\" He was not using the phrase's other, \"que sera sera\" meaning, counseling me to accept how things unfold in a Zen-like way. / Those who think of the Zen version of \"it is what it is\" aren't wrong, however: It is often used that way when referring to oneself, for example. But those who agree with me that the expression can be dismissive are also correct in thinking of dismissive exchanges such as my own. \"It is what it is\" has two meanings. / The issue here is language change. The expression \"it is what it is\" began as counsel about coping. However, an implication floats over the proactive, constructive intent of the phrase: its element of distance, coolness, indifference. Implications like this can take over the word or expression's meaning and create either a new meaning or at least an alternative, 2.0 version.",
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"Who cares?; I don't care."
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"(by extension, sometimes) Who cares?; I don't care."
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"ref": "1690, John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding:",
"text": "That every thing has a real constitution, whereby it is what it is, and on which its sensible qualities depend, is past doubt.",
"type": "quotation"
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],
"glosses": [
"Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see it, is, what, it, is. This thing has its own distinct nature; this thing is itself."
],
"id": "en-it_is_what_it_is-en-phrase-5OlpjBch",
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[
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[
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[
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"word": "it is as it is"
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{
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"sense": "this thing has its own distinct nature",
"word": "sui generis"
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"synonyms": [
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"word": "que sera sera"
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"word": "shit happens"
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"word": "for more see Thesaurus:that's life"
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],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "2 0 3 95",
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"lang_code": "cmn",
"roman": "zhè jiù shì shìshí",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "這就是事實 /这就是事实"
},
{
"_dis1": "2 0 3 95",
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"lang_code": "cmn",
"roman": "jiùshìzhèyàngde",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "就是這樣的 /就是这样的"
},
{
"_dis1": "2 0 3 95",
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"lang_code": "da",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "det er hvad det er"
},
{
"_dis1": "2 0 3 95",
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"lang_code": "nl",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "het is wat het is"
},
{
"_dis1": "2 0 3 95",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "se on, mitä on"
},
{
"_dis1": "2 0 3 95",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"lang_code": "fr",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "c'est comme ça"
},
{
"_dis1": "2 0 3 95",
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"lang_code": "el",
"roman": "eínai ó,ti eínai",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "είναι ό,τι είναι"
},
{
"_dis1": "2 0 3 95",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"lang_code": "it",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "vada come vada"
},
{
"_dis1": "2 0 3 95",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"lang_code": "it",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "è così"
},
{
"_dis1": "2 0 3 95",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"lang_code": "ja",
"roman": "sou iu mono",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "そういうもの"
},
{
"_dis1": "2 0 3 95",
"code": "nds-de",
"lang": "Low German",
"lang_code": "nds-de",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"tags": [
"German-Low-German"
],
"word": "dat is, wat dat is"
},
{
"_dis1": "2 0 3 95",
"code": "fa",
"lang": "Persian",
"lang_code": "fa",
"roman": "hamin ast ke hast",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "همین است که هست"
},
{
"_dis1": "2 0 3 95",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"lang_code": "pl",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "jest jak jest"
},
{
"_dis1": "2 0 3 95",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"lang_code": "pt",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "a vida é assim"
},
{
"_dis1": "2 0 3 95",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"lang_code": "pt",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "essa é a vida"
},
{
"_dis1": "2 0 3 95",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"lang_code": "ru",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "что есть"
},
{
"_dis1": "2 0 3 95",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"lang_code": "ru",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "то есть"
},
{
"_dis1": "2 0 3 95",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "es lo que es"
},
{
"_dis1": "2 0 3 95",
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"lang_code": "sv",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "det är vad det är"
},
{
"_dis1": "2 0 3 95",
"code": "vi",
"lang": "Vietnamese",
"lang_code": "vi",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "đành vậy thôi"
}
]
}
],
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"synonyms": [
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"_dis1": "27 34 34 5",
"sense": "This circumstance is simply a fact and must be accepted",
"word": "that's life"
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"word": "it is what it is"
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"Terms with Hungarian translations",
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"Terms with Persian translations",
"Terms with Polish translations",
"Terms with Portuguese translations",
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"Terms with Spanish translations",
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"Terms with Vietnamese translations"
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},
"expansion": "it is what it is",
"name": "en-head"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "phrase",
"related": [
{
"word": "it is as it is"
},
{
"word": "it is how it is"
},
{
"sense": "this thing has its own distinct nature",
"word": "sui generis"
},
{
"sense": "let it be",
"word": "stoicism"
},
{
"sense": "let it be",
"word": "tao"
},
{
"sense": "let it be",
"word": "zen"
},
{
"sense": "let it be",
"word": "forget it"
},
{
"sense": "let it be",
"word": "what can you do"
},
{
"sense": "let it be",
"word": "what can I say"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English idioms",
"English terms with quotations",
"English terms with usage examples",
"Quotation templates to be cleaned"
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
59,
75
]
],
"text": "Unfortunately the insurance doesn't cover that. Sorry, but it is what it is.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
62,
78
]
],
"ref": "1926 March 8, “La Semaine du Parlement”, in Time:",
"text": "I shall not criticize the Treaty of Versailles. It is a fact. It is what it is.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
56,
72
]
],
"ref": "2005 November 20, Viv Bernstein, “Stewart Poised to Head Onto Road Less Traveled”, in New York Times, retrieved 24 Jul 2008:",
"text": "I would prefer to start further up than where I am, but it is what it is and we'll just go out there and get to work.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
116,
132
]
],
"ref": "2020, Bob Dylan, Murder Most Foul:",
"text": "Air Force One comin' in through the gate\nJohnson sworn in at 2:38\nLet me know when you decide to throw in the towel\nIt is what it is, and it's murder most foul",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"That's life; expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances, usually without complaint"
],
"links": [
[
"That's life",
"that's life"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) That's life; expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances, usually without complaint"
],
"senseid": [
"en:that's life"
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "c'est la vie"
},
{
"tags": [
"vulgar"
],
"word": "life's a bitch"
},
{
"tags": [
"vulgar"
],
"word": "shit happens"
},
{
"word": "such is life"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:that's life",
"word": "c'est la vie"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:that's life",
"word": "it is as it is"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:that's life",
"word": "it is how it is"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:that's life",
"word": "it is what it is"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:that's life",
"tags": [
"vulgar"
],
"word": "life's a bitch"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:that's life",
"tags": [
"vulgar"
],
"word": "shit happens"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:that's life",
"word": "so be it"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:that's life",
"word": "so is life"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:that's life",
"word": "so it goes"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:that's life",
"word": "such is life"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:that's life",
"word": "that's life"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:that's life",
"word": "that's that and this is this"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:that's life",
"word": "that's the way it goes"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:that's life",
"word": "that’s the way it plays"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:that's life",
"word": "that's the way life is"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:that's life",
"word": "that's the way the ball bounces"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:that's life",
"word": "that's the way the cookie crumbles"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:that's life",
"word": "that's the way the mop flops"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:that's life",
"word": "them's the breaks"
}
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
]
},
{
"glosses": [
"Let it be; accept the fact and let the matter rest."
],
"links": [
[
"Let it be",
"let it be"
],
[
"accept",
"accept"
],
[
"fact",
"fact"
],
[
"rest",
"rest"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(by extension) Let it be; accept the fact and let the matter rest."
],
"senseid": [
"en:let it be"
],
"tags": [
"broadly"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2023 September 12, John McWhorter, “What Is 'It Is What It Is'?”, in New York Times, retrieved 13 Sep 2023:",
"text": "But more important, while I am aware that \"it is what it is\" can be used in the \"que sera sera\" way, I do not agree that my interpretation of it is therefore incorrect. Rather, it is an example of how common it is in language for words and expressions to have more than one meaning, despite the fact that we rarely notice it. […] Regarding my troubles, he detachedly intoned, \"Well, it is what it is.\" […] I recounted thinking: What a gorgeously chilly way of saying \"Your problems don't matter to me.\" He was not using the phrase's other, \"que sera sera\" meaning, counseling me to accept how things unfold in a Zen-like way. / Those who think of the Zen version of \"it is what it is\" aren't wrong, however: It is often used that way when referring to oneself, for example. But those who agree with me that the expression can be dismissive are also correct in thinking of dismissive exchanges such as my own. \"It is what it is\" has two meanings. / The issue here is language change. The expression \"it is what it is\" began as counsel about coping. However, an implication floats over the proactive, constructive intent of the phrase: its element of distance, coolness, indifference. Implications like this can take over the word or expression's meaning and create either a new meaning or at least an alternative, 2.0 version.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Let it be; accept the fact and let the matter rest.",
"Who cares?; I don't care."
],
"links": [
[
"Let it be",
"let it be"
],
[
"accept",
"accept"
],
[
"fact",
"fact"
],
[
"rest",
"rest"
],
[
"Who cares?",
"who cares"
],
[
"I don't care",
"I don't care"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(by extension) Let it be; accept the fact and let the matter rest.",
"(by extension, sometimes) Who cares?; I don't care."
],
"senseid": [
"en:let it be",
"en:I don't care"
],
"tags": [
"broadly",
"sometimes"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
50,
66
]
],
"ref": "1690, John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding:",
"text": "That every thing has a real constitution, whereby it is what it is, and on which its sensible qualities depend, is past doubt.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see it, is, what, it, is. This thing has its own distinct nature; this thing is itself."
],
"links": [
[
"it",
"it#English"
],
[
"is",
"is#English"
],
[
"what",
"what#English"
],
[
"it",
"it#English"
],
[
"is",
"is#English"
],
[
"distinct",
"distinct"
],
[
"nature",
"nature"
]
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "En-au-it is what it is.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/d/de/En-au-it_is_what_it_is.ogg/En-au-it_is_what_it_is.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/En-au-it_is_what_it_is.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
]
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"sense": "This circumstance is simply a fact and must be accepted",
"word": "that's life"
},
{
"word": "que sera sera"
},
{
"word": "shit happens"
},
{
"word": "for more see Thesaurus:that's life"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"lang_code": "bg",
"roman": "kakvóto, takóva",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "какво́то, тако́ва"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"lang_code": "cmn",
"roman": "jiùshìzhèyàngde",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "就是這樣的 /就是这样的"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "niin se vain on"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "näin se vain on"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "sellaista se vain on"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "niin se vain menee"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"lang_code": "hu",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "ez van"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"lang_code": "it",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "non c'è più niente da fare"
},
{
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"lang_code": "ja",
"roman": "shikata ga nai",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "仕方がない"
},
{
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"lang_code": "ja",
"roman": "shō ga nai",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "しょうがない"
},
{
"code": "lt",
"lang": "Lithuanian",
"lang_code": "lt",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "bus tas kas bus"
},
{
"code": "lt",
"lang": "Lithuanian",
"lang_code": "lt",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "nieko nepadarysi"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"lang_code": "pl",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "jest jak jest"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"lang_code": "pt",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "é o que é"
},
{
"code": "ro",
"lang": "Romanian",
"lang_code": "ro",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "aia e"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "es lo que hay"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "qué se le va a hacer"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "1. phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances",
"word": "así pasa cuando sucede"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"lang_code": "cmn",
"roman": "zhè jiù shì shìshí",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "這就是事實 /这就是事实"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"lang_code": "cmn",
"roman": "jiùshìzhèyàngde",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "就是這樣的 /就是这样的"
},
{
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"lang_code": "da",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "det er hvad det er"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"lang_code": "nl",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "het is wat het is"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "se on, mitä on"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"lang_code": "fr",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "c'est comme ça"
},
{
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"lang_code": "el",
"roman": "eínai ó,ti eínai",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "είναι ό,τι είναι"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"lang_code": "it",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "vada come vada"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"lang_code": "it",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "è così"
},
{
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"lang_code": "ja",
"roman": "sou iu mono",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "そういうもの"
},
{
"code": "nds-de",
"lang": "Low German",
"lang_code": "nds-de",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"tags": [
"German-Low-German"
],
"word": "dat is, wat dat is"
},
{
"code": "fa",
"lang": "Persian",
"lang_code": "fa",
"roman": "hamin ast ke hast",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "همین است که هست"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"lang_code": "pl",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "jest jak jest"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"lang_code": "pt",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "a vida é assim"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"lang_code": "pt",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "essa é a vida"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"lang_code": "ru",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "что есть"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"lang_code": "ru",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "то есть"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "es lo que es"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"lang_code": "sv",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "det är vad det är"
},
{
"code": "vi",
"lang": "Vietnamese",
"lang_code": "vi",
"sense": "3. this thing has its own nature",
"word": "đành vậy thôi"
}
],
"word": "it is what it is"
}
Download raw JSONL data for it is what it is meaning in All languages combined (13.7kB)
{
"called_from": "page/2530",
"msg": "skipping string in the middle of translations: </table></div></div>\n\n",
"path": [
"it is what it is"
],
"section": "English",
"subsection": "phrase",
"title": "it is what it is",
"trace": ""
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-09-20 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (d6fca27 and 65e1673). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.