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whatever

whatever

4 4.7
Things that are not named or not important
  • noun
  • /wətˈɛvər/
  • Informal
translation icon : cosas
  • Let's say twenty guys pushing really hard down the runway could do it, or twenty elephants or twenty whatevers.

I'll go build a whatever, a car hailing app.

Examples

  • A site for nerdy whatevers and random whatnots.

    Blog text (16)
  • Nezzer gives him a 'whatever' look and goes about his business.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • It's the "whatevers" that make the difference.

    Blog text (32)
  • I want my 4,000 whatevers back.

  • "I'm going to take a quick look," Jane said, "for any last-minute whatevers."

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Your conclusion that we're Tea Party types or right-wing whatevers is so far off the mark as to be laughable.

    Blog text (10)
  • He has a collection of old books, magazines, and other whatevers lying around the house.

  • When it comes to fashion, I often just pick up whatever looks good or feels comfortable, it’s all whatevers to me.

  • She tossed her bag onto the table, filled with notebooks, snacks, and a few other whatevers from her day out.

Synonyms

anything
vswhatever
1.0

A person, thing, or event, no matter what it is

has an informal tone and suggests items are unimportant
whatevs
vswhatever
  • Slang
4 9.9

A short informal word people say to show they do not care

is informal too but does not always show dismissive attitude
whatnot
vswhatever
  • Informal
1 5.5

Various small things kept together, such as pens and paper clips

refers broadly to any kind of thing rather than just extras
whatso
vswhatever
  • Archaic
9.9

Anything at all used to refer to no particular item

is used informally to refer to unspecified or unimportant items

Idioms

Willing to do anything needed to reach a goal, however hard

Accept a belief or excuse that makes someone feel better, even if it is not true

How Dismissive

to go to hell
  • Offensive
67 9.5
fuck it
  • Offensive
21 9.9
Billy-be-damned
  • NSFW
9.9
to care a hang
  • Archaic
1 9.9
whatever
  • Informal
4 4.7
welp
  • Slang
2 9.2

Surface Forms

whatever singular
whatevers plural

Morphology

whatever = what + ever (transparent) = what + ever

The noun use derives straightforwardly from the pronoun 'whatever' (what + ever) to mean 'unspecified things', so the composition is clear.

Etymology

Whatevers is a casual noun made from the pronoun whatever, used for a group of small or unimportant things. Because whatever already meant 'any thing', people started using whatevers like 'stuff' to talk about 'unspecified things'.