WHATEVER

whatever, any(a), whatsoever

(adjective) one or some or every or all without specification; “give me any peaches you don’t want”; “not any milk is left”; “any child would know that”; “pick any card”; “any day now”; “cars can be rented at almost any airport”; “at twilight or any other time”; “beyond any doubt”; “need any help we can get”; “give me whatever peaches you don’t want”; “no milk whatsoever is left”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Determiner

whatever

No matter what; for any

(relative) Anything that.

Pronoun

whatever

No matter what; for any

(relative) Anything; sometimes used to indicate that the speaker does not care about options.

Interjection

whatever

(colloquial, dismissive) A holophrastic expression used discourteously to indicate that the speaker does not consider the matter worthy of further discussion.

Usage notes

• Tone of voice is particularly important here in playing up or playing down the dismissive quality of the word.

Synonyms

• so what

• whoopee do

• meh

• whatev

Adjective

whatever (comparative more whatever, superlative most whatever)

(colloquial) Unexceptional or unimportant; blah.

(dated, postpositive) At all, absolutely, whatsoever.

Anagrams

• everwhat

Source: Wiktionary


What*ev"er, pron.

Definition: Anything soever which; the thing or things of any kind; being this or that; of one nature or another; one thing or another; anything that may be; all that; the whole that; all particulars that;

– used both substantively and adjectively. Whatever fortune stays from his word. Shak. Whatever Earth, all-bearing mother, yields. Milton. Whatever be its intrinsic value. J. H. Newman.

Note: Whatever often follows a noun, being used elliptically. "There being no room for any physical discovery whatever" [sc. it may be]. Whately.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

3 May 2025

DESIRABLE

(adjective) worth having or seeking or achieving; “a desirable job”; “computer with many desirable features”; “a desirable outcome”


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Coffee Trivia

Decaffeinated coffee is not caffeine-free. Studies from the National Institute of Health (US) have shown that virtually all decaf coffee types contain caffeine. A 236-ml (8-oz) cup of decaf coffee contains up to 7 mg of caffeine, whereas a regular cup provided 70-140 mg.

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