pronoun / determiner / adjective / interjection
whatever
wut-EV-er/wətˈevər/
Anything that applies, without restriction.
You can choose whatever you like from the lunch menu.
Etymology
“What” identifies a thing, while “ever” broadens the scope to any circumstances. Together they developed from emphatic “what in the world” to “anything at all, no matter what.”
In context
Whatever it was, it caused people to behave in a mass-synchronized way.
People and approval and standards of whatever is popular at the time.
More examples
- We make soup with whatever vegetables we have.
- Whatever happens, you can count on me.
- There is no reason whatever to panic.
- She dismisses my suggestion with a shrug and a quiet “whatever.”
Similar words
- anything
- Names an unrestricted thing but cannot directly modify a noun.
- whichever
- Emphasizes a choice among particular options rather than unlimited possibilities.