Word.ws English Dictionary

if anything

Syllables: if any·thingUK/ɪf ˈɛnɪθɪŋ//ɪf ˈɛniθɪŋ/

if anything adverb: used to suggest or state tentatively that something may be the case (often the opposite of something previously implied).

Adverb

if anything (not comparable)

  1. (idiomatic) Used to suggest or state tentatively that something may be the case (often the opposite of something previously implied).
    • The situation is, if anything, worsening rather than improving.
    • “Do you think she’s tall?” / “Oh, no. If anything, she’s short.”
    Synonyms:
    on the contrary
  2. (idiomatic) Used in questions when the speaker does not know for sure if the listener will have an answer.
    • What can you tell me, if anything, about this book?
    • Question. What, if anything, did the Indians say respecting their ability to procure the white captives then in possession of the Sioux? Answer. That they thought it would be difficult to do so, […]1865 March 1, “Proceedings of a Military Commission Convened by Special Orders No. 23, Headquarters District of Colorado, Denver, Colorado Territory, Dated February 1, 1865, in the Case of Colonel...

Examples of if anything in a sentence

  • “Do you think she’s tall?” / “Oh, yes. If anything, she’s very tall.”
  • My sensitivity to the crystals has, if anything, increased.1997 September, Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Shadow Matrix (DAW Book Collectors; no. 1065), New York, N.Y.: DAW Books, →ISBN; republished as...
  • If anything, he acted like he was bored by instruction and training.2006 January, John G. Hemry, Against All Enemies: A Paul Sinclair Novel, New York, N.Y.: Ace Books, →ISBN, page 243:
  • What, if anything, make value judgments correct or incorrect?2009, Christopher Robichaud, “Bright Colors, Dark Times”, in Ben Dyer, editor, Supervillans and Philosophy: Sometimes, Evil is Its Own...

Synonyms of if anything

Questions about if anything

What does if anything mean?
If anything means used to suggest or state tentatively that something may be the case (often the opposite of something previously implied).
How do you use if anything in a sentence?
“Do you think she’s tall?” / “Oh, yes. If anything, she’s very tall.”
What part of speech is if anything?
If anything is an adverb.
How do you pronounce if anything?
If anything is pronounced /ɪf ˈɛnɪθɪŋ/ (UK).

Words near if anything in the dictionary

  1. if all else fails
  2. if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail
  3. if all you've got is a hammer, everything looks like a nail
  4. if and only if
  5. if and when
  6. if anything
  7. if applicable
  8. if at all
  9. if at first you don't succeed
  10. if at first you don't succeed, try try again
  11. if clause

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: if anything (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-if anything.ogg, en-au-if anything.ogg.

Cite this entry: “if anything.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/if_anything. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.