whatever
Part of speech: noun
det
pron
adv
intj
adj
Morphological type: derivation
Etymology: From Middle English whatever. By surface analysis, what + ever.
Inflected forms:
form: whatevers
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: more whatever
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: most whatever
pos: adj
tags: superlative
Senses:
gloss: A thing or person whose actual name is unknown or forgotten.
pos: noun
tags: slang
examples: As far as I'm concerned Alec is dead. Whatever they've got in there, that...whatever.
gloss: What ever; emphatic form of 'what'.
pos: det
tags: interrogative
examples: Good heavens! Whatever time is it?!
gloss: Regardless of the ... that; for any ... that.
pos: det
examples: Whatever your choice, there will be consequences.
I will stick with you, whatever fate befalls us.
gloss: Any ... that; of no matter what type or kind that.
pos: det
examples: Whatever doubts I had were quickly dispelled.
Write down whatever thoughts come into your mind.
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.
gloss: Any; of no matter what type or kind.
pos: det
examples: He must be stopped, whatever the cost.
gloss: What ever; emphasised form of 'what', used to ask which thing, event, circumstance, etc.
pos: pron
tags: interrogative
examples: Whatever do you mean?
Whatever happened to Leon Trotsky?
He got an ice pick
That made his ears burn
gloss: Regardless of anything that.
pos: pron
examples: Whatever he does, he will still lose the game.
Whatever happens, stay calm.
gloss: Anything that; all that.
pos: pron
examples: Do whatever works.
I’ll do whatever I can.
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.
gloss: Anything; thing(s) of unspecified kind, or no matter what kind; sometimes used to indicate that the speaker does not care about options.
pos: pron
tags: 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 —."
There's a pile of stuff on that table; clippings, pamphlets, posters, whatever, that needs to be sorted and filed.
gloss: At all; in any way; whatsoever.
pos: adv
tags: not-comparable
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.
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.
gloss: In what way; to what extent.
pos: adv
tags: interrogative
not-comparable
examples: Whatever does it matter now?
gloss: 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].
pos: intj
tags: colloquial
examples: Near-synonyms: meh, so what
So you broke it? Whatever! Get a grip.
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.
gloss: Unexceptional or unimportant; blah.
pos: adj
tags: 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
Related words: whatever butters your biscuit
whatever butters your biscuits
whatever butters your bread
whatever butters your muffin
whatever butters your toast
whatever creams your twinkie
whatever floats your boat
whatever humps your camel
whatever it takes
whatever melts your butter
whatever sizzles your bacon
whatever tickles your pickle
whatever winds your clock
howsoever
Derived words: Two Whatevers
whatever helps you sleep at night
whateverism
whateverist
whateverness
whatever next
whatever the case may be
whatever you do
whatsoever
what-so-ever
Translations: