in any case
51
2.8
- idiom
:
en cualquier caso
- In any case, I will be there to support you no matter what happens.
- in any case already
So yeah, in any case, that's option number two.
- So yeah, in any case, that's option number two.
- Maybe she did, but in any case she had very strong ties to Harvard.
- Well, it depends which CEO you ask, and in any case, it isn't true.
- But in any case, you might want to know how the cost would compare.
- They can't catch us in any case.
- And in any case, I was in the Skinner box.
- Very heavy price to pay in any case.
- They've retreated from that life in any case.
- It's certainly the most traditional of his films in any case.
- It isn't proper science in any case.
- But in any case, I tend to be.
Examples
-
Perhaps the dog would not have survived the journey to the mountains in any case.
Fiction book (1994) -
But in any case, between fifteen and twenty percent is a big change.
Academic text (1997) -
But in any case, he goes, he goes on.
-
All right, in any case, then this game looks great.
-
But in any case, this book should be free because it's so old.
-
We do our share, in any case.
-
In any case, it's time we finally talked.
-
In any case, I want to take this opportunity to speak as an Expedition Commander.
-
In any case, on your behalf, I have already contacted a certain gentleman in Amsterdam.
-
In any case, we are grateful to King Horus for his assistance.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To return to the main topic or add a new point after a pause
660
3.1
Despite something that might stop you
149
3.5
Shows that something happens or is true despite what was said
98
3.3
To say something is true despite what was just said
94
3.2
A phrase that says something will happen despite problems
63
2.1
To say something that adds to or explains something said before
56
3.9
Whatever else happens, the fact remains true or will still happen
27
3.7
To say something is true despite what was said before
22
8.0
To return to or change the topic and show the earlier point does not matter
1
3.5
In any case, whatever happens
In any way at all
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'regardless/anyway' is directly derivable from combining 'in' (within), 'any' (non-specific), and 'case' (situation) to mean 'in any situation'. This compositional logic is common across many languages (e.g. Spanish 'en cualquier caso'), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
The phrase in any case may come from thinking of a case as a box or a situation; imagine many boxes and the same thing is true no matter which one you open. That's why in any case means 'anyway' or 'whatever the situation'.