whatever

noun

1. 1

   slangA thing or person whose actual name is unknown or forgotten.

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

determiner

1. 1

   What ever; emphatic form of 'what'.

   Good heavens! Whatever time is it?!

2. 2

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

   Whatever your choice, there will be consequences.

   I will stick with you, whatever fate befalls us.

3. 3

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

   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.

4. 4

   Any; of no matter what type or kind.

   He must be stopped, whatever the cost.

pronoun

1. 1

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

   Whatever do you mean?

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

2. 2

   Regardless of anything that.

   Whatever he does, he will still lose the game.

   Whatever happens, stay calm.

3. 3

   Anything that; all that.

   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.

4. 4

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

   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.

adverb

1. 1

   At all; in any way; whatsoever.

   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.

2. 2

   In what way; to what extent.

   Whatever does it matter now?

interjection

1. 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].

   Near-synonyms: meh, so what

   So you broke it? Whatever! Get a grip.

   Go brush your teeth. – Whatever!

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

adjective

1. 1

   Unexceptional or unimportant; blah.

   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. 1

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

   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, […]

Forms

plural

whatevers

comparative

more whatever

superlative

most whatever