it is what it is

Example Sentences

• "Unfortunately the insurance doesn't cover that. Sorry, but it is what it is."
• "I shall not criticize the Treaty of Versailles. It is a fact. It is what it is."
• "I would prefer to start further up than where I am, but it is what it is and we'll just go out there and get to work."
• "Air Force One comin' in through the gate Johnson sworn in at 2:38 Let me know when you decide to throw in the towel It is what it is, and it's murder most foul"
• "But more important, while I am aware that "it is what it is" can be used in the "que sera sera" way, I do not agree that my interpretation of it is therefore incorrect. Rather, it is an example of how common it is in language for words and expressions to have more than one meaning, despite the fact that we rarely notice it. […] Regarding my troubles, he detachedly intoned, "Well, it is what it is." […] I recounted thinking: What a gorgeously chilly way of saying "Your problems don't matter to me." He was not using the phrase's other, "que sera sera" meaning, counseling me to accept how things unfold in a Zen-like way. / Those who think of the Zen version of "it is what it is" aren't wrong, however: It is often used that way when referring to oneself, for example. But those who agree with me that the expression can be dismissive are also correct in thinking of dismissive exchanges such as my own. "It is what it is" has two meanings. / The issue here is language change. The expression "it is what it is" began as counsel about coping. However, an implication floats over the proactive, constructive intent of the phrase: its element of distance, coolness, indifference. Implications like this can take over the word or expression's meaning and create either a new meaning or at least an alternative, 2.0 version."
• "That every thing has a real constitution, whereby it is what it is, and on which its sensible qualities depend, is past doubt."