In and Of Itself: Learn the Meaning of "In and Of Itself" with Useful Examples • 7ESL

Contents

What does the idiom “In And Of Itself” mean? The idiom “in and of itself” is not as widely used today as some others are. However, you may still here it sometimes in conversation or see it written. Here you will find the meaning of the phrase, the origin of the phrase, some examples of how to use this phrase properly in conversations/statements and other ways you can say the same thing in a literal sense.

In And Of Itself

In And Of Itself Meaning

The phrase “in and of itself” is typically used to describe a situation, object or person and means something has been considered by itself without thought given to any additional factors.

Origin of this idiomatic expression

The actual origin of this idiom is not quite certain. The best guess is that originated hundreds of years ago from the Latin phrase per se. This phrase in Latin means in itself or by itself when directly translated to English. As Latin reduced in popularity as the language of choice and people stopped learning it, this phrase was used to likely replace the phrase per se amidst the upper class.

“In And Of Itself” Examples

Examples in Statements

A statement made in a local paper about a recent accident.

“The car sinking into the lake, in and of itself, was not the cause for the death of this man as police have discovered evidence of foul play.”

A statement made during a business meeting.

“In and of itself, the plan looks great on paper. The execution will determine if it will be as successful as it appears.”

Examples in Conversations

A conversation between two friends.

Friend 1: Hey, how was that movie you went to see last night?
Friend 2: In and of itself, the entire movie was great, but the ending was questionable.

A conversation between husband and wife.

Husband: In and of itself, the plan for the birthday party sounds good, but I think we should consider adding something.
Wife: Like what? A petting zoo in the backyard maybe?

More helpful examples:

I don’t think there’s any one particular thing that, in and of itself, is the show-stopper.
Computer hardware in and of itself does not provide a particularly useful mind tool.
Only a missionary would see this as a positive step in and of itself.

Other Ways to Say “In And Of Itself”

The phrase in and of itself can be stated in a much simpler sense. You could use the Latin expression per se to mean the same thing and it is still widely used today. Other additional ways you could say this phrase are by saying: inherently, in its own right, in its own capacity or of its own accord.

List of “In And Of Itself” synonyms:

Inherently
In itself
By itself
Per se
In its own right
Intrinsically

Liam Daniel

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