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Wherewith vs Whereby - What's the difference?

wherewith | whereby |

As adverbs the difference between wherewith and whereby

is that wherewith is with which; with what while whereby is by what, in which direction; how.

As a noun wherewith

is something with which; the means by which.

wherewith

English

Adverb

(-)
  • (archaic) With which; with what.
  • * Matthew 5:13:
  • *:Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?
  • * Zechariah 14:12:
  • *:And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem.

    • Noun

    (-)
  • (archaic) Something with which; the means by which.
  • *, II.12:
  • *:Hath not he wherewith to be beholding unto this his killing vivacitie?

    • See also

    * herewith * therewith * wherewithal English pronominal adverbs

    whereby

    English

    Adverb

    (-)
  • (interrogative, obsolete) By what, in which direction; how
  • By which.
  • * 1990 , Local management of schools , Kogan Page Ltd:
    • Other heads saw devolution as a whole new way of life and adopted an approach whereby the power of devolution was used to enable the school to drive the curriculum.
  • (nonstandard) Where.
  • * 1992 , The hotel receptionist , Paige, Jane and Paige, Grace, Cassell Educational:
    • This is an electronic system whereby executives are issued with small bleepers.

    Usage notes

    Use of whereby as a formal equivalent of where'' is nonstandard and is avoided by careful speakers and writers, who use ''where'' or ''in which instead. The term typically fails readability and comprehension review so it is generally avoided in published works. The term is also avoided by speakers as it makes it difficult to understand the message that is trying to be communicated.

    See also

    * thereabout, thereafter, thereagainst, thereat, thereby, therefor, therefore, therefrom, therein, thereinafter, thereof, thereon, thereto, theretofore, thereunder, thereunto, thereupon, therewith, therewithal * hereabout, hereafter, hereat, hereby, herein, hereinafter, hereinbefore, hereinto, hereof, hereon, hereto, heretofore, hereunto, hereunder, hereupon, herewith * whereabouts, whereas, whereafter, whereat, whereby, wherefore, wherefrom, wherein, whereinto, whereof, whereon, whereto, whereunder, whereupon, wherever, wherewith, wherewithal English pronominal adverbs