What does whatsomever mean?
Whatsomever is a formal, emphatic English indefinite pronoun meaning “whatever” or “anything at all.” It is used when the writer wants to stress that no particular thing, circumstance, or material consideration is excluded, as in “I would accept any offer whatsoever.” The word can also stand in the place of “whatever” in formal constructions, although “whatever” is much more common in modern conversation and prose. Its tone is literary, archaic, or legal rather than conversational, and its emphatic force distinguishes it from the ordinary indefinite pronoun “whatever.” In older and formal contexts, whatsoever can introduce a concession meaning “whether” or “no matter,” though this conjunctional use is now uncommon. The form belongs to a family of English expressions built around the element “ever,” including “whenever,” “wherever,” and “whoever,” and its combination of “what,” “so,” and “ever” makes its emphatic meaning transparent. Learning it is useful chiefly for reading older literature, legal language, and deliberately elevated prose.
An emphatic indefinite pronoun meaning “whatever” or “anything at all,” without qualification or exception.
"The judge expressed no view whatsoever about the proposed sentencing changes."
Chiefly formal, literary, archaic, or legal; it is more emphatic than whatever.
A formal or archaic conjunction meaning “whether” or “no matter whether.”
"Whatsoever the committee decides, the inquiry will continue."
This use is uncommon in contemporary English and is chiefly encountered in formal, literary, or archaic writing.
Whatsomever carries the full force of “not one thing, no matter what”—a useful weapon of emphasis in legal prose and elevated writing.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of whatsomever
The word is English in origin and developed in Middle English from the elements what, so, and ever, which were eventually written together as whatsoever. In this formation, so intensifies the expression, while ever contributes the sense “at all” or “in any degree.” It belongs to a wider English pattern of formations involving ever, including whenever, wherever, whoever, and whosoever.
How whatsomever is actually used
The word is more emphatic than whatever and sounds formal, literary, archaic, or legal rather than conversational. Its conjunctional use is especially dated.
Easily confused with whatsomever
Whatever is the ordinary modern form, whereas whatsoever is a more emphatic and markedly formal or literary alternative.