whatever — English Dictionary

Noun

1. A thing or person whose actual name is unknown or forgotten.

   Usage

   • Slang

   Examples

   As far as I'm concerned Alec is dead. Whatever they've got in there, that...whatever.

Determiner

1. What ever; emphatic form of 'what'.

   Usage

   • interrogative

   Examples

   Good heavens! Whatever time is it?!

2. Regardless of the ... that; for any ... that.

   Examples

   Whatever your choice, there will be consequences.

   I will stick with you, whatever fate befalls us.

3. Any ... that; of no matter what type or kind that.

   Examples

   Whatever doubts I had were quickly dispelled.

   Write down whatever thoughts come into your mind.

   More examples (5)

   So may whatever tempest mars ⁠Mid-ocean, spare thee, sacred bark; ⁠And balmy drops in summer dark Slide from the bosom of the stars.

   As far as I'm concerned Alec is dead. Whatever they've got in there, that...whatever.

   Whatever utility the work may have outside of its stated boundaries will be largely because of such a nonprovincial approach.

   In an expression that reflects the pathos of a person without memory of a recent past, Milner quotes H.M. as saying, "Every day is alone in itself, whatever enjoyment I've had, and whatever sorrow I've had Right now, I'm wondering. Have I done or said anything amiss? That's what worries me. It's like waking from a dream; I just don't remember."

   With all due respect to Aaron, every era seems to have had its legion of wrongdoers and shortcutters who used whatever science was available to get an edge.

4. Any; of no matter what type or kind.

   Examples

   He must be stopped, whatever the cost.

Pronoun

1. What ever; emphasised form of 'what', used to ask which thing, event, circumstance, etc.

   Usage

   • interrogative

   Examples

   Whatever do you mean?

   Whatever happened to Leon Trotsky? He got an ice pick That made his ears burn

2. Regardless of anything that.

   Examples

   Whatever he does, he will still lose the game.

   Whatever happens, stay calm.

3. Anything that; all that.

   Examples

   Do whatever works.

   I’ll do whatever I can.

   More examples (2)

   And ſpight of Pride, and in thy Reaſon's ſpight, / One truth is clear; "Whatever Is, is Right."

   The ability of a segment of a glass sphere to magnify whatever is placed before it was known around the year 1000, when the spherical segment was called a reading stone, essentially what today we might term a frameless magnifying glass or plain glass paperweight.

4. Anything; thing(s) of unspecified kind, or no matter what kind; sometimes used to indicate that the speaker does not care about options.

   Usage

   • Informal

   Examples

   I don't need any of this stuff, so take whatever.

   "As far as I'm concerned, Alec is dead. Whatever they've got in there, that — whatever —."

   More examples (1)

   There's a pile of stuff on that table; clippings, pamphlets, posters, whatever, that needs to be sorted and filed.

Adverb

1. At all; in any way; whatsoever.

   Usage

   • not-comparable
   • in the negative

   Examples

   There is no point whatever in going on with this discussion.

   He is quite unconscious; and, though your presence is a relief to me, you must remember that there is no hope - no hope whatever.

   More examples (4)

   So then arose the horrible confusion perpetuated ever since, of perversely different kinds of weights, jostling each other in Britain; Troy weight and Avoirdupois weight and Apothecaries' weight, wherein or whereamongst every one is at sea with regard to testing them, and no one whatever is satisfied.

   Serene, smiling, enigmatic, she faced him with no fear whatever showing in her dark eyes. The clear light of the bright autumn morning had no terrors for youth and health like hers.

   In the third place, the superelevation and alignment of the track, theoretically calculated for speeds of 70 to 75 m.p.h., was adequate for the 80 to 85 m.p.h. or so normally attained as maxima over the G.N. main line; but nothing whatever had been done to prepare it for the enormous increment over these figures that this run was to produce.

   His repetitive toil is his life and reality, and it goes on forever, and it is without any meaning whatever.

2. In what way; to what extent.

   Usage

   • interrogative
   • not-comparable

   Examples

   Whatever does it matter now?

Interjection

1. A holophrastic expression used to dismiss something that the speaker doesn't care about, doesn't think important, or doesn't want to consider or discuss any further. Sometimes conceived as an ellipsis of whatever you say, implying feigned deference: whatever you say [apparently must be true].

   Usage

   • Colloquial

   Synonyms

   whatevwhevswhat the fuck everwhatever you saywhoopee doif you say somehso what

   Examples

   Near-synonyms: meh, so what

   So you broke it? Whatever! Get a grip.

   More examples (5)

   Go brush your teeth. – Whatever!

   "... between you and Irene." "Iris." "Whatever."

   "... now it's Violet." "Iris." "Whatever."

   "It's not silk, it's muslin." "Whatever."

   Yeah, whatever you old dried up fat hog.

Adjective

1. Unexceptional or unimportant; blah.

   Usage

   • Colloquial

   Examples

   All in all, I guess I shouldn't be complaining, but the rest of the show, imho, was very whatever-ish.

   She's like so whatever / You can do so much better

Noun

1. Something whose exact kind or nature is unimportant; a thingy.

   Usage

   • Colloquial

   Related words

   howeverno matter whatwhatsoeverwheneverwhensoeverwheresoeverwhereverwhicheverwhichsoeverwhoeverwhomeverwhomsoeverwhosoeverwhyeverwhysoeverhenceafterhenceforthhenceforwardhenceforwardshencefromhereabouthereaboutshereabovehereafterhereaftershereagainsthereamonghereanenthereathereawayherebeforeherebyhereforhereforehereforthhereforwardhereforwardsherefromherehencehereinabovehereinafterhereinbeforehereinbelowhereinelsewherehereinsoeverhereintohereinunderheremidhereofhereonhereouthereoverherethroughherethroughoutheretoheretoforehereuntohereuponherewithherewithalherewithinherewithouthithertohitheruntohitherwardhitherwardshowbeithowsohowsomedeverhowsomeverthatawaythatwisethenceafterthenceforththenceforwardthenceforwardsthencefromthenceoutthereaboutthereaboutsthereabovethereacrossthereafterthereaftersthereagainthereagainsttherealongthereamongthereamongstthereanenttherearoundthereatthereawaytherebeforetherebesidetherebetweentherebeyondtherebythereverthereforthereforethereforththerefromtherehencethereinabovethereinafterthereinbeforethereinbelowthereintothereinundertheremidthereofthereonthereoutthereovertheresoevertherethroughtherethroughouttheretotheretoforethereuntothereupthereupontherewiththerewithaltherewithintherewithoutthisawaythiswisethitherinsoeverthithertothitherwardthitherwardswhatsowhatsomedeverwhatsomeverwhatwisewhenaboutwhenaboutswhenaswhensowhensomeverwhenceafterwhenceverwhenceforthwhenceforwardwhencefromwhencewardwhencewardswhereaboutwhereaboutswhereabovewhereafterwhereafterswhereagainstwherealongwhereamongwhereamongstwhereanentwherearoundwhereaswhereatwhereawaywherebeforewherebesidewherebetweenwherebeyondwherebywhereforwhereforewhereforthwherefromwherehencewhereinabovewhereinafterwhereinbeforewhereinbelowwhereinsoeverwhereintowhereinunderwheremidwhereofwhereonwhereoutwhereoverwheresowheresomeverwherethroughwherethroughoutwheretowheretoforewhereuntowhereupwhereuponwherewithwherewithalwherewithinwherewithoutwhithereverwhitherinsoeverwhithersowhithertowhithertoforewhitherwardwhitherwardswhyforwhyso1. Scottish2. from Middle English mid3. old dialectal form

   Examples

   More examples (2)

   How would you feel if you're a plant elf, and your daily bonus is tied to the number of whatevers you produce, and then this big clumsy thing barges in and knocks your rate back for the whole week?

   I think it's the HYDRA, the group of whatevers that rule the world, those elitists that laugh at us, joke about their environmentalist sheeples doing their bidding while they sip the best wine on the planet, ride around in private jets, […]

Adjective

1. one or some or every or all without specification; entity, elective existential pronoun; quantifier, elective existential

   Synonyms

   anywhatsoever

   Examples

   give me any peaches you don't want

   not any milk is left

   More examples (9)

   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