Urban Dictionary: It is what it is

A) A phrase that seems to simply state the obvious but actually implies helplessness.

B) A phrase that seems to simply state the obvious but actually means "it will be what it is," as in "it ain't gonna change, so deal with it or don't." See also tough shit, oh well, cry me a river and tfb.

Meaning A
J: I can't believe the price of gas!

B: It is what it is.

Meaning B
J: It troubles me that you continue to put cyanide in my Yoohoo even after I've asked you to stop.

B: It is what it is.

by JohnnyAZ May 20, 2006

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It is what it is

A cliche, popular within the circles of coaches, business execs, and those of us who just want to say "It's happened. 'I'm going to forget about it. I'm going to move on. There is nothing that can be done about it."

Voted by USA Today as the #1 cliche of 2004

"We showed up and gave 100%, and it is what it is."— NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson, after finishing second in the Nextel Cup championship. (AP, Nov. 22)

"Never in a million years did I think we would be 1-5 at this juncture, but it is what it is."— Mike Minter, safety for the NFL's Carolina Panthers, on his team's start this season. (AP, Oct. 24)

Is this a better game than before? That's what a lot of people are asking. Perhaps the more precise question should be: Is this what hockey is going to evolve into? And if so, will the fans, the players, the coaches, and the general managers embrace it as NHL hockey?
"It is what it is," said Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock. "It's a new game." (AP, Oct. 23)

by Ricky Roma October 27, 2005

it is what it is

A quintessentially American East Coast colloquialism that is meant as a sort of passive acceptance of a situation that is not favorable but also cannot be changed (or at least not right away). It can be used in any context, although usually it refers to an illness, injury, stroke of bad luck financially, romantic trouble, etc. It should never be used as a means to an end in an actual intellectual comversation. Also known as: What will be will be. Suck it up. Deal with it.

"Landlord bumped my rent up... oh well, we don't have a lease agreement. Eh, it is what it is."

::after a long perios of obsessively analyzing what went wrong in a toxic relationship; finding oneself depressed and overwhelmed by the details of it all; an acceptance (these are usually prefaced by a weighted sigh):: "It is what it is."

by ERIC ROUNDABOUT October 04, 2015

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