EtymEx

as if

/ˌæz‿ˈɪf/conjunction, interjection

As though; or, dismissively, highly unlikely

From O.English, through Middle English as (“as” in the phrase “as if”) + O.English, through Middle English if (“if”).

Lineage

as

if

Germanicnot directly attested

Selected stage

Modern English

as if — As though; or, dismissively, highly unlikely

The story

“As if” means “as though,” inviting us to imagine a resemblance or situation: someone might look as if they are about to fall. The phrase is recorded in Middle English as as ȝif and alls iff. It is described as equivalent to as + if, with an Old English form ealswā ġif reconstructed from the attested swā ġif (“as if”). The component as appears in Middle English as, while if continues Old English ġif.

The phrase can also suggest mimicry, as when someone acts as if ill. By 1903, as if! is recorded as a standalone retort expressing disbelief; the phrase later became especially recognizable through Cher’s emphatic “As if!” in the 1995 film Clueless.

Related words

Synonyms
as though, like, as if
Confused with
as though, even if
See also
yeah right, as it were

Words from the same roots

as · Old English, through Middle English, ‘“as” in the phrase “as if”’

Derivedalso, as though, as well, as if by magic

if · Old English, through Middle English, ‘“if”; introduces a condition or supposition’

Derivedeven if, if only, what if, if-then

Sources