anything but

Idioms  

1. 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.”

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Example Sentences

Here, Colman Domingo’s renegade intelligence operative also refuses to tell anyone anything, but all the unspoken beats just feel like plot holes.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

People can say anything, but their actions speak volumes.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026

This supposedly low-danger assignment proves anything but for Kendal, as the manipulative Rico plays his own double game.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

The Luce "looks like anything but a car from the prancing horse", he added.

From BBC • May 30, 2026

Father may not be willing to do anything, but I am.

From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman