さほど
さほど
adverb
not so much; not particularly
1.
not so much; not particularly; not to that extent
Used with a negative predicate to indicate that something does not reach the expected degree. Slightly more formal and literary than そんなに or それほど.
さほど難しくない。
It's not particularly difficult.
今日はさほど寒くなかった。
It wasn't so cold today.
心配していたが、実際にやってみるとさほど時間はかからなかった。
I was worried, but when I actually tried it, it didn't take that much time.
USAGE:
Almost always used with a negative verb or adjective. The pattern is: さほど + [adjective/verb in negative form]. Without a negative, さほど sounds unnatural.
FORMALITY:
Slightly more formal than そんなに or それほど. Common in writing and polite speech.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- それほど: not that much — the most common everyday equivalent
- そんなに: not so much — casual
- たいして: not particularly — similar formality level, often interchangeable
- さして: not much — literary variant, even more formal