Whatever

Definition: Whatever

Whatever

Adjective

1. One or some or every or all without specification; "give me any peaches you don't want"; "not any milk is left"; "any child would know that"; "pick any card"; "any day now"; "cars can be rented at almost any airport"; "at twilight or any other time"; "beyond any doubt"; "need any help we can get"; "give me whatever peaches you don't want"; "no milk whatsoever is left".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "whatever" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1050. (references)

Multilingual Slang

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Synonyms: Whatever

Certainty

Adverb: certainly; Adjective: for certain, certes, sure, no doubt, doubtless, and no mistake, flagrante delicto, sure enough, to be sure, of course, as a matter of course, a coup sur, to a certainty; in truth; (truly); at any rate, at all events; without fail; coute que coute, coute qu'il coute; whatever may happen, if the worst come to the worst; come what may, happen what may, come what will; sink or swim; rain or shine.

Destiny

Adverb: in time, the long run; all in good time; eventually; whatever may happen; (certainly); as chance; would have it.

Generality

Adverb: whatever, whatsoever; to a man, one and all.

Impossibility

Verb: be impossible; Adjective: have no chance whatever.

Indifference

Interjection: never mind; Who cares? whatever you like, whatever.

Unsubstantiality

Nothing, naught, nil, nullity, zero, cipher, no one, nobody; never a one, ne'er a one; no such thing, none in the world; nothing whatever, nothing at all, nothing on earth; not a particle; (smallness); all talk, moonshine, stuff and nonsense; matter of no importance, matter of no consequence. thing of naught, man of straw, John Doe and Richard Roe, faggot voter; nominis umbra, flash in the pan, vox et praeterea nihil.

Crosswords: Whatever

What?! Whatever. (American Pie; writing credit: Adam Herz)

I'm not paying you to do whatever it is you're doing (American Beauty; writing credit: Alan Ball)

This reality, whatever you want to call it, I can't stand it any longer (The Matrix; writing credit: Andy Wachowski; Larry Wachowski)

I'll do whatever you want (The Sweet Hereafter; writing credit: Atom Egoyan)

A Queen who'll do whatever his highness desires (Coming to America; writing credit: David Sheffield)

Oh well, whatever, nevermind ("Smells Like Teen Spirit"; performing artist: Nirvana)

For whatever that means (What's up; performing artist: 4 Non Blondes)

Through whatever (I Don't Wanna; performing artist: Aaliyah)

Whatever you want to do ("Let's Stay Together"; performing artist: Al Green)

Make me walk, make me talk, do whatever you please (Barbie Girl; performing artist: Aqua)

Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do. (references; author: Mark Twain)

I Do Whatever My Rice Krispies Tell Me To. (references; author: unknown)

Whatever hits the fan will not be evenly distributed. (references; author: unknown)

Father, bless this person in whatever it is that You know he or she may be needing this day! Amen! (references; author: unknown)

Whatever Happened to Miss September? (1973)

You Are Here: Whatever Happened to Baby Jo? (1998)

Whatever (1998)

WHATEVER GETS YOU THRU THE NIGHT  (performing artist: John Lennon )

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• Don't Read This Book, Whatever You Do!: More Poems About School (reference)

• Whatever (reference)

• Whatever (Sweet Valley Jr. High, 17) (reference)

• Whatever Happened to Daddy's Little Girl?: The Impact of Fatherlessness on Black Women (reference)

  (more book examples)

Theater & Movies

• Whatever It Takes (reference)

  (more DVD examples; more video examples)

Music

• Whatever (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Launch lunch on Inner Brass Island Launch lunch was a venerable institution on hydrographic ships Usually consisted of bread, bologna, and whatever else could be put in a cooler Always generated gripes but no one ever starved Tide gauge installation crew breaking for lunch. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection.

Pogo]. Makin' resolutions for people an' then doin' for them whatever they swears off is a tough business. Credit: Library of Congress.

The Far Side. "Oh, Ginger - you look absoultely stunning ... and whatever you rolled in sure does stink" "I tell you, a crib is just plain worthless - what we need around here is a cardboard box" / Larson. Credit: Library of Congress.

Hooverville of Bakersfield, California. A rapidly growing community of people living rent-free on the edge of the town dump in whatever kind of shelter available. Approximately one thousand people now living here and raising children. Credit: Library of Congress.

We should support whatever the enemy opposes and oppose whatever the enemy supports. Credit: Library of Congress.

Whatever women do, they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good -- luckily, this is not difficult. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

If anyone holding of us a lay fief shall die, and our sheriff or bailiff shall exhibit our letters patent of summons for a debt which the deceased owed us, it shall be lawful for our sheriff or bailiff to attach and enroll the chattels of the deceased, found upon the lay fief, to the value of that debt, at the sight of law worthy men, provided always that nothing whatever be thence removed until the debt which is evident shall be fully paid to us; and the residue shall be left to the executors to fulfill the will of the deceased; and if there be nothing due from him to us, all the chattels shall go to the deceased, saving to his wife and children their reasonable shares. (reference)

Thus, notwithstanding whatever title the kings of Assyria had over Judah, by the sword, God assisted Hezekiah to throw off the dominion of that conquering empire. (Second Treatise of Government)

Clause 8: No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State. (reference)

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration. (reference)

In such cases, their acts are his acts; and whatever opinion may be entertained of the manner in which executive discretion may be used, still there exists, and can exist, no power to control that discretion. (reference)

But whatever form they may have taken, one fact is common to all past ages, viz., the exploitation of one part of society by the other. (reference)

The total effective strength of officers, including the personnel of staffs, whatever their composition, must not exceed four thousand. (reference)

Whatever conclusions may be drawn from these facts - and facts they are - this is certainly not the Liberated Europe we fought to build up. ("Iron Curtain" Speech)

Segregation with the sanction of law, therefore, has a tendency to [retard] the educational and mental development of negro children and to deprive them of some of the benefits they would receive in a racial[ly] integrated school system." Whatever may have been the extent of psychological knowledge at the time of Plessy v. Ferguson, this finding is amply supported by modern authority. (reference)

To those peoples in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required--not because the Communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. (reference)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Wherever I am, there's always Pooh, there's always Pooh and me. Whatever I do, he wants to do; 'Where are you going today

Men of sense, whatever you may chuse to say, do not want silly wives

And whatever is matters

But, whatever the feeling was, it is dead now.

There is no doubt whatever about that

This faith, more than anything else, steals the pith and availability out of whatever enterprise he may dream of undertaking

And so on, according to whatever hour it may be.

And his father had told him if he wanted anything to write home to him and, whatever he did, never to peach on a fellow

I was soon able to call for bread and drink, or whatever else I wanted

Whatever humanity I might conjure up against it was all factitious, and concerned my philosophy more than my feelings

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Health

The goal is to maintain normal blood sugar levels with whatever dosage of insulin is needed. (references)

Perform periodic physical examinations and whatever laboratory and radiographic tests are indicated. (references)

Use soft lighting, quiet music, brightly colored table settings, or whatever helps you feel good while eating. (references)

Business

Copying our publications in whole or in part, for whatever reason, is a violation of copyrights laws and can lead to penalties and fines. (references)

Whatever strategy an exporter chooses when entering Argentina, success or failure is directly related to the care with which personal contacts are cultivated. (references)

Waste avoidance (in secondary packaging, as an example) has become a priority, and it is strongly encouraged to reuse or recycle whatever waste cannot be avoided. (references)

Civil Liberties

Qatar

In cases of divorce, young children usually remain with the mother, whatever her religion. (references)

Chile

Military recruits, whatever their religion, are required at times to attend Catholic events involving their unit. (references)

Iraq

In November 2000, the U.N. General Assembly criticized the Government's "suppression of freedom of thought, expression, information, association, and assembly." The Special Rapporteur stated in October 1999 that citizens lived "in a climate of fear," in which whatever they said or did, particularly in the area of politics, involved "the risk of arrest and interrogation by the police or military intelligence." He noted that "the mere suggestion that someone is not a supporter of the President carries the prospect of the death penalty." In June the Human Rights Alliance reported that the Government had killed more than 500 journalists and other intellectuals in the past decade. (references)

Economic History

India

In the former, whatever was produced was sold easily, and advertising was hardly necessary. (references)

Colombia

They should also submit documents proving their existence and incumbency, whatever is the case. (references)

Trinidad

Businesses are generally free to price products at whatever price meets their marketing objectives. (references)

Human Rights

Cameroon

He instructed the personnel that any act that attempted to take away the dignity of those detained should be proscribed, whatever the reasons for their detention. (references)

Dominican Republic

Inmates surveyed said that the food provided was unacceptable, and most chose to eat whatever they could beg for or purchase from persons in the vicinity of the prison or from family members. (references)

Minorities

Somalia

These groups have limited access to whatever social services are available, including health and education. (references)

Political Economy

Moldova

Despite all of that, local governments appear to understand the key role they play in sustaining small business development in their territories and often find ways to actually exercise that role with whatever small means available. (references)

Trade

Spain

Regulations establish fines for whatever actions delay the normal customs procedure. (references)

Travel

Indonesia

When requesting residence visas, one should allow sufficient time to meet whatever requirements may be imposed (e.g. sponsorship letters). (references)

Women

Dominica

In the civil service, the law establishes fixed pay rates for specific jobs, whatever the gender of the incumbent. (references)

Worker Rights

Cuba

According to the Labor Code, the worker remains obligated to work temporarily in whatever other position may be assigned him at a salary provided for under the law. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Expressions using "whatever": have no chance whatever ♦ let us know whatever you do ♦ none whatever ♦ nothing whatever ♦ say whatever comes uppermost ♦ there is no doubt whatever ♦ whatever happens ♦ whatever he may say ♦ whatever he might do ♦ whatever it may cost! ♦ whatever may befall ♦ whatever may come ♦ whatever may happen ♦ whatever reason he may have ♦ whatever the meaning of the word ♦ whatever the weather ♦ whatever was he doing there? ♦ whatever you like! ♦ whatever you say ♦ whatever you wish ♦ who cares? whatever you like. Additional references.

Beginning with "whatever": whatever-it-is-these-days, whatever-it-was, whatever-negative-description-you-can-come-up-with.

Ending with "whatever": amnio-whatever, details-whatever, fake-fur-leopard-print-whatever, le-whatever, post-whatever, seventeen-whatever.

Containing "whatever": attained-by-whatever-means, carla-whatever-her-name-is, gala-whatever-rice, God-knows-whatever-else, processed-whatever-by.

Albanian

sidoqoftë (at all events, at any rate, in any case, leastways, leastwise, nevertheless, soever, whatsoever, yet), fare (at all, dead, entirely, none, not at all, not in the least, nothing, plenty, quite, scarcely, spermatic, very, wholly), cilido (any, either, every, everybody, whoever), aspak (at all, entirely, far from, none, not a bit, not at all, not in the least, nothing, quite, wholly), çfarëdo (all). (various references)

Arabic 

‏كل ما, ‏مهما (whatsoever), ‏أيما (any, whatsoever, whichever), ‏أيا كان (ordinary, whatsoever, whoever), ‏أي شيء (whichever). (various references)

Bulgarian 

какъвто и (whatsoever), какъвто (what, whatsoever), каквото и (whatsoever). (various references)

Chinese 

任何 (any, whatsoever, whichever). (various references)

Czech

všechno (all, at the lot, everything, the lot, the whole lot, whole), jakýkoliv (whatsoever, whichever), cokoliv (anything, aught, whatsoever, whichever). (various references)

Danish

universitet (university), uanset hvilket system der benyttes til oplagring til havs,maa der anlagges et eller flere lastesteder,f.eks.flydende lasteboejer,der er forankret paa havbunden,og som udelukkende benyttes til fortoejning for olietankere,som kommer for at laste (there must be at least one loading point, whatever the system of offshore storage used, which will be a single-point mooring buoy anchored to the sea bed), pladeformige produkter, der er belagt med tin og som ikke er hvidblik, kaldes fortinnet baand eller plade, uanset deres tykkelse (are called tinned sheets or tinned strip whatever their thickness, flat products coated with tin, other than tinplate), militærpersoner,som er indkaldt fra landets samlede erhvervsaktive befolkning,og som i den pågældende periode er i aktiv tjeneste i de væbnede styrker,uanset hvor de er stationeret,og hvad deres status er (and who are on active service in the armed forces during the period under consideration, drawn from the total population of working age, military personnel, originating from the country, wherever they are stationed and whatever their status), de markedsmaessige brancher omfatter alle homogene produktionsenheder i alle de institutionelle sektorer,der udelukkende beskaeftiger sig med at producere varer og markedsmaessige tjenester (the market branches consist of all units of homogeneous production of whatever institutional sector, which are exclusively engaged in the production of goods and market services). (various references)

Dutch

wat dan ook. (various references)

Esperanto

kio ajn. (various references)

Farsi 

هرچه (What, Whatsoever), هرقدر (Whatsoever), هرانچه , انچه (What). (various references)

Finnish

mitä hyvänsä (anything), mikä tahansa (whichever). (various references)

French

quoi que (whatsoever). (various references)

German

was auch immer (whatsoever). (various references)

Greek 

οτιδήποτε (anything, whatnot). (various references)

Hebrew 

מאומה (anything, something), כלשהו (any, soever, whatsoever), כל מה ש-, כל שהו (slightly, somewhat), בכל מקרה (in any event, without fail). (various references)

Hungarian

bármi (any, anything, aught, whatsoever), akármi (any, anything, whatsoever). (various references)

Indonesian

apa saja. (various references)

Italian

qualunque (any, anyone, each, every, every one, everyone, ordinary, whichever). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

何等 (any kind of, nothing whatever, what, what sort of), 何なり (any, anything), 何ら (any, any kind of, nothing whatever, what, what sort of), 何と (how, what), 全体 (entirety, whole), どさ回りをやる (blunder or clumsiness, constantly, flump, heavily, noise, noisy, one after the other, plump, rapidly, slapstick, sound of tramping, sumo exclamation, to be on the road, to go on tour, whichever, with a flop, with a thud, without hesitation), いったい全体 (what on earth?), 一体全体 (what on earth?), 如何に (how much?, how?, however, in what way?). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

ぜんたい (entirety, eyepatch or bandage, the entire force, whole), なにら (any, what), なんなり (any, anything), なんら (any kind of, nothing whatever, what, what sort of), なんと (constellation in Sagittarius, how, southern capital, what), どちみち (whichever), いったいぜんたい (what on earth?), いかに (how much?, how?, however, in what way?). (various references)

Korean 

무엇이건. (various references)

Pig Latin

ateverwhay.(various references)

Portuguese

tudo que (whatsoever), tudo quanto (all, whatsoever), qualquer que (whatsoever). (various references)

Romanian

orice (all, any, anything, aught), oricare (all, any, anybody, anyone, either, whatsoever, whichever, whoever), indiferent de ceea ce, indiferent de, fiecare (all and sundry, anybody, anyone, each, either, every, every one, everybody, everyone, per head, several), de nici un fel. (various references)

Russian 

что....независимо от того какой, какой бы ни (however, whatsoever, whichever), все (all, all outdoors, all the, all you'll need, anything, each, each and all, each and every, every, every one, every thing else including, everybody, everyone, everything, the lot), никакой (neither, none, whatsoever), любой (any, either, whatsoever). (various references)

Scottish

co-dhiùbh (at any rate, whichever). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

ma koji (however, whatsoever, whichever), ma šta (whatsoever), koliko god, bilo koji (any, whatsoever, whichever), bilo šta (anything), štogod. (various references)

Spanish

cualquier (any, whichever). (various references)

Swedish

vad som helst (anything, aught). (various references)

Turkish

ne (how, nor, what, whatsoever), hiç (any, at all, aught, by any means, ever, far from, least of all, nary, naught, ne'er, never, nil, Nix, no, no whit, none, not a dreg, not a whit, not an iota, not at all, not exactly, not in the least, nothing, nought, null, nullity, ought, whatsoever, zero, zilch), herhangi (any, soever, whatsoever, whichever), her ne (any, whatsoever), hangi (what, whatsoever, which, whichever). (various references)

Ukrainian

усе, що (whatsoever), який-небудь (all, any, whatsoever), ніякий (any, neither, no, none, whatsoever), будь-який (all, any, anybody, anyone, either, every, which, whichever, whichsoever). (various references)

Vietnamese 

tất c cái gì mà dù thế nào, nào dù thế nào, dù gì, bất cứ cái gì mà. (various references)

cui, cuicumque, cuilibet, cuique, cuius, cuiuscumque, cuiusque, nequa, nequam, qua, quacumque, quae, quaecumque, quaeque, quaesumus, qualibet, quam, quamcumque, quamlibet, quantumcumque, quarum, quas, quascumque, quaslibet, quasque, quem, quemcumque, quemlibet, qui, quibus, quibuscumque, quicquid, quicumque, quilibet, quique, quis, quisque, quisquis, quo, quocumque, quod, quodcumque, quodlibet, quodque, quolibet, quoque, quorum, quos, quoscumque, quosque, unamquamque, unaquaeque, unaquaque, unicuique, uniuscuiusque, unoquoque, unumquemque, utcumque. (various references)

cîm, ci, cish. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.