per se
4 synonyms for per se, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adverb — In itself, considered on its own without anything else attached to it.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
How to use per se
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
not X per se
illegal per se
wrong per se
negligence per se
Formal in origin but now common in speech. Usually placed straight after the noun or adjective it qualifies.
Etymology
Latin, literally 'by itself', from per 'by, through' and se 'itself'.
Full origin of per se →Frequently asked questions
Is it per se or per say?
It is per se. The phrase is Latin for 'by itself'; per say is a misspelling produced by hearing the phrase rather than reading it.
What is the difference between per se and as such?
Per se means 'in itself, taken alone' and is used to isolate a thing from its context. As such means 'in that capacity' or, loosely in modern use, 'therefore'. They overlap in sentences like 'it is not a crime per se', but as such cannot always replace per se.
What does negligence per se mean in law?
It means an act is treated as negligent automatically because it broke a safety statute, so the claimant does not have to prove that a reasonable person would have acted differently. Proving the breach and that it caused the harm is enough.
