whatever

Unexceptional or unimportant; blah.

Adjective

  1. Unexceptional or unimportant; blah.
    • All in all, I guess I shouldn't be complaining, but the rest of the show, imho, was very whatever-ish. - 1996, Mathias, “Lake Placid Comments”, in rec.music.phish (Usenet):
    • She's like so whatever / You can do so much better - 2007, Avril Lavigne, “Girlfriend”, in The Best Damn Thing:

Origin

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

Forms

more whatever most whatever

Adverb

  1. At all; in any way; whatsoever.
    • There is no point whatever in going on with this discussion.
    • He is quite unconscious; and, though your presence is a relief to me, you must remember that there is no hope - no hope whatever. - 1874, Dorothy Henrietta Boulger, True to her trust; or, 'Womanly past question', page...
    • So then arose the horrible confusion perpetuated ever since, of perversely different kinds of weights, jostling each other in Britain; Troy weight and Avoirdupois weight and Apothecaries' weight, wherein or whereamongst...
  2. In what way; to what extent.
    • Whatever does it matter now?

    Coordinate Terms: however

Related

howsoever

Determiner

  1. What ever; emphatic form of 'what'.
    • Good heavens! Whatever time is it?!
  2. Regardless of the ... that; for any ... that.
    • Whatever your choice, there will be consequences.
    • I will stick with you, whatever fate befalls us.
  3. Any ... that; of no matter what type or kind that.
    • Whatever doubts I had were quickly dispelled.
    • Write down whatever thoughts come into your mind.
    • So may whatever tempest mars ⁠Mid-ocean, spare thee, sacred bark; ⁠And balmy drops in summer dark Slide from the bosom of the stars. - 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XVII”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon,...
  4. Any; of no matter what type or kind.
    • He must be stopped, whatever the cost.

Derived

Two Whatevers whatever helps you sleep at night whateverism whateverist whateverness whatever next whatever the case may be whatever you do whatsoever what-so-ever

Interjection

  1. A holophrastic expression used to dismiss something that the speaker doesn't care about, doesn't think important, or doesn't want to consider or discuss any further. Sometimes conceived as an ellipsis of whatever you say, implying feigned deference: whatever you say [apparently must be true].
    • Near-synonyms: meh, so what
    • So you broke it? Whatever! Get a grip.
    • Go brush your teeth. – Whatever!

    Synonyms: whatev whevs what the fuck ever whatever you say whoopee do if you say so meh so what

Noun slang

  1. A thing or person whose actual name is unknown or forgotten.
    • As far as I'm concerned Alec is dead. Whatever they've got in there, that...whatever. - 1965 January 2, Sidney Ellis (story), Robert C. Dennis (teleplay), “The Brain of Colonel Barham”, in The Outer Limits, season 2,...

Forms

whatevers

Noun colloquial

  1. Something whose exact kind or nature is unimportant; a thingy.
    • How would you feel if you're a plant elf, and your daily bonus is tied to the number of whatevers you produce, and then this big clumsy thing barges in and knocks your rate back for the whole week? - 2003, David Soubly,...
    • I think it's the HYDRA, the group of whatevers that rule the world, those elitists that laugh at us, joke about their environmentalist sheeples doing their bidding while they sip the best wine on the planet, ride around...

Forms

whatevers

Related

however howsoever no matter what whatsoever whenever whensoever wheresoever wherever whichever whichsoever whoever whomever whomsoever whosoever whyever whysoever — henceafter henceforth henceforward henceforwards hencefrom hereabout hereabouts

Pronoun

  1. What ever; emphasised form of 'what', used to ask which thing, event, circumstance, etc.
    • Whatever do you mean?
    • Whatever happened to Leon Trotsky? He got an ice pick That made his ears burn - 1977, Hugh Cornwell, Jean-Jacques Burnel, Jet Black, “No More Heroes”, in No More Heroes, performed by The Stranglers:
  2. Regardless of anything that.
    • Whatever he does, he will still lose the game.
    • Whatever happens, stay calm.
  3. Anything that; all that.
    • Do whatever works.
    • I’ll do whatever I can.
    • And ſpight of Pride, and in thy Reaſon's ſpight, / One truth is clear; "Whatever Is, is Right." - 1733, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Man. […], epistle I, London: […] J[ohn] Wilford, […], →OCLC, page 16, lines 280–281:
  4. Anything; thing(s) of unspecified kind, or no matter what kind; sometimes used to indicate that the speaker does not care about options.
    • I don't need any of this stuff, so take whatever.
    • "As far as I'm concerned, Alec is dead. Whatever they've got in there, that — whatever —." - 1965 January 2, “The Brain of Colonel Barham”, in The Outer Limits, season 2, episode 15:
    • There's a pile of stuff on that table; clippings, pamphlets, posters, whatever, that needs to be sorted and filed. - 2021, Michael Kurland, Whatever the Cost:

Related

whatever butters your biscuit whatever butters your biscuits whatever butters your bread whatever butters your muffin whatever butters your toast whatever creams your twinkie whatever floats your boat whatever humps your camel whatever it takes whatever melts your butter whatever sizzles your bacon whatever tickles your pickle whatever winds your clock