anything but








pronoun

  1. any thing whatever; something, no matter what: Do you have anything for a toothache?

noun

  1. a thing of any kind.

adverb

  1. in any degree; to any extent; in any way; at all: Does it taste anything like chocolate?
Idioms
  1. anything but, in no degree or respect; not in the least: The plans were anything but definite.
  2. anything goes, any type of conduct, dress, speech, etc., is considered acceptable or valid or is likely to be encountered and tolerated: That resort is a place where anything goes!

pronoun

  1. any object, event, action, etc, whateveranything might happen

noun

  1. a thing of any kindhave you anything to declare?

adverb

  1. in any wayhe wasn’t anything like his father
  2. anything but by no means; not in the leastshe was anything but happy
  3. like anything (intensifier; usually euphemistic)he ran like anything
n.

late Old English aniþing, from any + thing. But Old English ænig þinga apparently also meant “somehow, anyhow” (glossing Latin quoquo modo).

By no means, not at all, as in He is anything but ambitious for a promotion. William Wordsworth in his long poem, The Prelude (1805–1806), wrote: “Grief call it not, ’twas anything but that.”

In addition to the idioms beginning with anything

  • anything but
  • anything goes
  • anything like

also see:

  • can’t do anything with
  • if anything
  • like anything
  • not anything like
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