🔹 Any object or thing ❓ At all

anything

1.0

Appears in questions and negative sentences to mean not at all or in any way

adverb
/ˈɛnɪˌθɪŋ/

: en absoluto

And so I didn't say anything else the whole ride.

It doesn't look shimmery or anything, which is good.

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Examples

No, Was there anything that came close to perfect?
I can't think of anything more relaxing than reading a good book.
Did you see anything like that comes to mind?
OK, And is anything going to fall off OK?
I kind of go, yeah, anything for beauty, right?

Tati
Is there anything you could expand on that?
And I just don't take anything too seriously.
You don't do anything and you have to live with that.
I don't think they add anything to your portfolio.
But that doesn't mean you don't have anything at all.

Synonyms

at all

vsanything

∞ 1.0

It means in any way or to any extent and often makes negative sentences and questions stronger

expresses degree without added emphasis in questions or negatives

any

vsanything

∞ 1.0

In negative or comparative sentences to mean not at all

appears mainly in questions or negative statements rather than comparatives

anywise

vsanything

Archaic

9.9

In any way at all

focuses on degree or way mainly in questions or negative statements

Antonyms

nothing

∞ 1.0

Not anything of interest or value

Idioms

just about anything

42 3.2

Almost anything you can think of, with only a few exceptions

not much of anything

2 4.3

Almost nothing of value

Surface Forms

anything positive

Morphology

anything = any + thing (transparent) = any + thing

The adv sense ('to any degree/in any way') is a straightforward extension of 'any' + 'thing' used in negative and interrogative contexts and is inferable from the components.

Etymology

Anything can also work as an adverb — think any + thing as 'no matter what'. In questions or negatives it means 'in any way' or 'to any degree', so it asks about or denies even a small amount.