whatever

A2 Topic:Grammar & Function Words

Also spelled wotever

US /wʌtˈɛv.ɚ/ UK /ʍɒtˈɛv.ə/ See IPA manual

Freq #394

Meanings

1

pron
Anything or everything that.

You can order whatever you like from the menu.
2

pron
No matter what; regardless of what.

Whatever he says, don't believe him.
3

det
Any kind of, of no matter what type.

Take whatever books you need for the trip.
4

pron
Used to ask a question with surprise, an emphatic form of 'what'.

Whatever do you mean by that?

Thesaurus

Word family

Derived forms what-so-everwhateverismwhateveristwhatevernesswhatsoever

Related forms howsoever

Appears in

Idioms (1)

See all

whatever floats your boat
whatever pleases you or suits your preferences

Etymology

From Middle English whatever. By surface analysis, what + ever.

whatever Middle English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Grammar & Function Words

External links

# whatever

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** pron, det
**IPA (US):** /wʌtˈɛv.ɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /ʍɒtˈɛv.ə/
**Frequency rank:** 394

## Meanings
1. Anything or everything that.
2. No matter what; regardless of what.
3. Any kind of, of no matter what type.
4. Used to ask a question with surprise, an emphatic form of 'what'.

## Examples
- You can order whatever you like from the menu.
- Whatever he says, don't believe him.
- Take whatever books you need for the trip.
- Whatever do you mean by that?

## Derived Forms
- what-so-ever
- whateverism
- whateverist
- whateverness
- whatsoever

## Related Forms
- howsoever

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: whatever

## Etymology
From Middle English whatever. By surface analysis, what + ever.

## AI Etymology
Whatever is from Middle English whatever. By surface analysis, what + ever. A key historical form is Middle English whatever. In present-day use, it can mean anything or everything that, or no matter what; regardless of what. Derived formations include what-so-ever, whateverism, whateverist, whateverness, whatsoever. Related words include howsoever.

## Topics
- Grammar & Function Words

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