Blog sulla lingua inglese

Word of the Day: Whatever

Today’s word of the day is: Whatever

 

Whatever is a word that can be used in a wide range of contexts, and can be both extremely rude and extremely polite. It’s just that meaningful!

We’ll start with the nicest of versions: whatever as a polite word.

  1. A buffet at a restaurant offers unlimited food. This means the waiter will tell you:

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“You can eat whatever you want.”

  1. If you and your friends are going to a party and you’re unsure about what to wear, just ask. They respond saying it is informal, so:

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“You can wear whatever you want”.

  1. If your boss calls you for a favor, you can respond by saying you are completely at his/her disposal:

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“I’ll do whatever you need.”

But the word doesn’t stop there, that’s for sure. If you want to show that you really don’t care about something (rude/unpolite), whatever is the perfect single word to describe your mood.

Exhibit A:

Emma: Johnny, there’s a coffee stain on your shirt!

Johnny: Whatever. (Read: I don’t care, can we talk about something else?)

Exhibit B:

Chris: See that whale over there? That is one big animal!

Eric: Actually, it’s a mammal.

Chris: Whatever. (Read: Don’t judge me!)

Exhibit C:

Liz: I didn’t learn to ride a bike until I was eleven!

Mom: Actually, you were twelve.

Liz: Whatever. (Read: That’s not the point, I was old!)

 

I think this GIF explains the “rude” version of whatever quite well, taken from the “Gif-able” tumbler and a clip from movie Clueless:

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So what do you readers think? Is it a word you have ever used before? If it isn’t, beware: it’s not the nicest word to use in certain contexts!

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