whatever

1 of 3

pronoun

what·​ev·​er

(h)wät-ˈe-vər,

(h)wət- 

1

a

: anything or everything that

take whatever you want

b

: no matter what

whatever he says, they won't believe him

c

: whatnot

enjoys skiing, hiking, or whatever

2

: what sense 1a(1)

—used to express astonishment or perplexity

whatever do you mean by that

whatever

2 of 3

adjective

1

a

: any … that : all … that

buy peace … on whatever terms could be obtained

—C. S. Forester

b

: no matter what

money, in whatever hands, will confer power

—Samuel Johnson

2

: of any kind at all

—used after the substantive it modifies with any or with an expressed or implied negative

in any order whatever

—W. G. Moulton

no food whatever

whatever

3 of 3

adverb

: in any case : whatever the case may be

—sometimes used interjectionally to suggest the unimportance of an issue or decision between alternatives

go see a movie, watch TV,—whatever

Synonyms

Pronoun

• what all
• whatnot

Adverb

• anyhow
• anyway
• anyways [chiefly dialect]
• regardless

Examples of whatever in a Sentence

Pronoun

“What's that smell?” “I don't know, but whatever it is, it's awful!”

Whatever you do, don't press that button!

Adjective

She will buy the painting at whatever price.

There's no evidence whatever to support your theory.

Adverb

whatever the reviews say, I still think it was a great play

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Central to whatever the answer might be is the issue of race and policing – the same as when Watts exploded in 1965 and then in 1992, with south Los Angeles again the epicenter of violence that spread to other parts of Southern California. —Theresa Walker, Orange County Register, 30 Apr. 2017

The symptoms, for whatever reason, took a turn for the worse maybe five days ago. —Anthony Slater, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2017

Whatever spoils of tour come back with them are to be conscientiously invested. —Joe Rubino, The Know, 30 Mar. 2017

Basically helping out with whatever needed to be done. —Nancy Ngo, Twin Cities, 25 Jan. 2017

The show often has a little segment on the history of whatever pile of carbohydrates the contestants have to construct. —The Washington Post, The Denver Post, 3 Jan. 2017

Adverb

Wants to be sure her friends notice her new whatever-she's-wearing. —Arkansas Online, 8 May 2021

And so the Administration of Harvard, by its own admission, has taken no action whatever. —William F. Buckley Jr., National Review, 23 Oct. 2017

Obviously nobody is going to listen to me on the subject of clowns, so whatever. —Marc Snetiker, EW.com, 17 Oct. 2017

Most fares are less than $330, which is whatever-the-Norwegian-word-for-remarkable-is for flights that usually cost at least $750. —Meredith Carey, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Mar. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

Pronoun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

1870, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing whatever

• for some/whatever reason
• whatever one damn/damned well pleases
• whatever possessed him/her/you/them
• whatever the case (may be)

Kids Definition

whatever

1 of 2 pronoun

what·​ev·​er hwät-ˈev-ər 

(ˌ)hwət-,

wät-,

(ˌ)wət-

1

: anything that

take whatever you need

2

: no matter what

whatever you do, don't cheat

3

: what entry 1 sense 1b

—used to express surprise or bewilderment

whatever made you think that

whatever

2 of 2 adjective

1

: any and all : any … that

take whatever action is needed

2

: of any kind at all

no food whatever