whatever

Noun (1)

whatever (plural whatevers)

1. (slang) 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, episode 15, spoken by Jennifer Barham (Elizabeth Perry), speaking of...

Determiner

whatever

1. (interrogative) 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.
4. Any; of no matter what type or kind.
   • He must be stopped, whatever the cost.

Pronoun

whatever

1. (interrogative) 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 burn1977, 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. (fused relative) Anything that; all that.
   • Do whatever works.
   • I’ll do whatever I can.
4. (informal) 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

Adverb

whatever (not comparable)

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 236
2. (interrogative) In what way; to what extent.
   • Whatever does it matter now?

Interjection

1. (colloquial) 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.

   Synonyms:

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

Adjective

whatever (comparative more whatever, superlative most whatever)

1. (colloquial) 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 better2007, Avril Lavigne, “Girlfriend”, in The Best Damn Thing

Noun (2)

whatever (plural whatevers)

1. (colloquial) 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, Santa, CEO, page 91
   • 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 in private jets, […]2011, Carol Ann Lindsay, The Planet of Comet Sense, page 55