so be it

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

so be it

1. (idiomatic, subjunctive) An indication of acceptance, especially of a situation which is not entirely favorable.

   Synonyms: it is what it is, that's life; see also Thesaurus:that's life

   • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “The Doubloon”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 480:

     From storm to storm ! So be it, then. Born in throes, ’tis fit that man should live in pains and die in pangs! So be it, then! Here's stout stuff for woe to work on. So be it, then.

   • 2009 February 22, This Week with George Stephanopoulos, via ABC:

     It doesn't matter which party it is. If the people choose one, a Democrat, then so be it.

   • 2014 October 10, Diane M. Francis, “Why Does China Get To Renege on Its Promise of Democracy in Hong Kong?”, in HuffPost‎:

     The reason was that China's stability was at stake, according to Singapore's statesman Lee Kuan Yew. He once said: "He (Deng Xiaoping) took over and said, "If I have to shoot 200,000 students to save China from another 100 years of disorder, so be it."

• sobeit

• as the case may be
• be that as it may
• let it be

• is-to-be, tobies