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
whatever
No matter what; for any
(relative) Anything that.
whatever
No matter what; for any
(relative) Anything; sometimes used to indicate that the speaker does not care about options.
whatever
(colloquial, dismissive) A holophrastic expression used discourteously to indicate that the speaker does not consider the matter worthy of further discussion.
• Tone of voice is particularly important here in playing up or playing down the dismissive quality of the word.
• so what
• whoopee do
• meh
• whatev
whatever (comparative more whatever, superlative most whatever)
(colloquial) Unexceptional or unimportant; blah.
(dated, postpositive) At all, absolutely, whatsoever.
• 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
29 May 2025
(adjective) characterized by careful evaluation and judgment; “a critical reading”; “a critical dissertation”; “a critical analysis of Melville’s writings”
The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.
