Whatever vs What - What's the difference?
whatever | what |
(lb) Unexceptional or unimportant; blah.
*1996 , "Mathias", Lake Placid Comments'' (discussion on Internet newsgroup ''rec.music.phish )
*:All in all, I guess I shouldn't be complaining, but the rest of the show, imho, was very whatever -ish.
*2007 , (Avril Lavigne), , (The Best Damn Thing) ,
*:She's like so whatever / You can do so much better
(lb) At all, absolutely, whatsoever.
:
*
*: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.
No matter which; for any
(relative) Anything that.
* 1734 , (Alexander Pope), (An Essay on Man)
*
* {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=September-October, author=(Henry Petroski)
, magazine=(American Scientist), title= (colloquial, dismissive) A holophrastic expression used discourteously to indicate that the speaker does not consider the matter worthy of further discussion.
Anything; used to indicate that the speaker does not care about options.
(interrogative) Which thing, event, circumstance, etc.: used interrogatively in asking for the specification of an identity, quantity, quality, etc.
(relative, nonstandard) That; which.
* 1902 , , (The Admirable Crichton) :
(relative) That which; those that; the thing that.
* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-21, author=(Oliver Burkeman)
, volume=189, issue=2, page=48, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly)
, title= In some manner or degree; in part; partly; usually followed by with .
Such.
(label) Why?
* (rfdate) (Chaucer)
* (rfdate) (John Milton)
Used to introduce each of two coordinate phrases or concepts; both…and.
* :
* 1605 Wm. Shakespeare, King Lear
(British, colloquial, dated) Is that not true?
Which; which kind of.
How much; how great (used in an exclamation).
(obsolete) something; thing; stuff
* Spenser
What is a conjunction of whatever.
In relative terms the difference between whatever and what
is that whatever is anything that while what is that which; those that; the thing that.As determiners the difference between whatever and what
is that whatever is no matter which; for any while what is which; which kind of.As interjections the difference between whatever and what
is that whatever is a holophrastic expression used discourteously to indicate that the speaker does not consider the matter worthy of further discussion while what is An expression of surprise or disbelief.As pronouns the difference between whatever and what
is that whatever is anything; used to indicate that the speaker does not care about options while what is which thing, event, circumstance, etc.: used interrogatively in asking for the specification of an identity, quantity, quality, etc.As an adjective whatever
is unexceptional or unimportant; blah.As an adverb what is
in some manner or degree; in part; partly; usually followed by with.As a noun what is
something; thing; stuff.whatever
English
Adjective
(en adjective)Determiner
(en determiner)- And, spite of pride, in erring reason's spite, One truth is clear, whatever is, is right.
- Whatever utility the work may have outside of its stated boundaries will be largely because of such a nonprovincial approach.
The Evolution of Eyeglasses, passage=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.}}
Derived terms
* whatever creams your twinkie * whatever floats your boat * whatever it takes * whateverism * whatevernessInterjection
(en interjection)- Parent: For the last time, brush your teeth!
- Child: Whatever !
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 * mehPronoun
(English Pronouns)- I'll do whatever I can.
- Do you want Chinese or Mexican for lunch today? — Whatever .
Statistics
*Anagrams
*what
English
(wikipedia what)Pronoun
(English Pronouns)- That’s her; that’s the thing what has stole his heart from me.
The tao of tech, passage=The dirty secret of the internet is that all this distraction and interruption is immensely profitable. Web companies like to boast […, or offering services that let you "stay up to date with what your friends are doing",
Adverb
(-)- What should I tell the answer of the knight?
- But what do I stand reckoning upon advantages and gains lost by the misrule and turbulency of the prelates?
- And as for on C good knyghtes I haue my self / but I fawte / l / for so many haue ben slayne in my dayes / and so Ladegreans delyuerd his doughter Gweneuer vnto Merlyn / and the table round with the C knyghtes / and so they rode fresshly with grete royalte / what' by water and ' what by land / tyl that they came nyghe vnto london
Synonyms
* suchInterjection
(en interjection)- What , have his daughters brought him to this pass?
- What ! That’s amazing.
- It’s a nice day, what'''?'' (sometimes repeated, e.g.: '''''What'''-'''what ? )
Determiner
(en determiner)- What shirt are you going to wear?
- What time is it?
- What kind of car is that?
- What talent he has!
- What a talent!
Derived terms
* wat * what ho * whatness * what's whatNoun
(-)- They prayd him sit, and gave him for to feed / Such homely what as serves the simple clowne, / That doth despise the dainties of the towne
