whatsoever

American  

[hwuht-soh-ev-er, hwot-, wuht-, wot-] / ˌʰwʌt soʊˈɛv ər, ˌʰwɒt-, ˌwʌt-, ˌwɒt- /

pronoun

1. (an intensive form ofwhatever ).

   whatsoever it be; in any place whatsoever.

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whatsoever British  

/ ˌwɒtsəʊˈɛvə /

adjective

1. (postpositive) at all: used as an intensifier with indefinite pronouns and determiners such as none, any, no one, anybody , etc

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pronoun

1. an archaic word for whatever

Etymology

Origin of whatsoever

1200–50; Middle English, equivalent to what so whatever ( Old English swā hwæt swā ) + ever ever

Explanation

The word whatsoever is an old-fashioned way to emphasize a point. If you have no clue whatsoever who ate all the ice cream that was in the freezer, it means you truly have no idea at all who the culprit is. If you say that you have no doubt whatsoever that your cousin could be a model, you are placing emphasis on the fact that you're sure she's tall and thin enough to do the job. Whatsoever, originally quuat-so-euere, was first used in the thirteenth century, and while it's rare these days, it eventually led to the more modern and extremely popular word whatever.

Example Sentences

"Whatsoever thief or felon" takes refuge in a house of religion, said Wyclif, he can dwell there all his life "and no man empeche hym".

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2016

“Jesus taught us: Whatsoever you do for the least of my brothers and sisters, that you do unto me.”

From Washington Times • Jul. 3, 2014

He quoted the Bible, as he often does: "Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers... these seem like the least of our brothers."

From Salon • Sep. 24, 2010

Whatsoever is true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report�If there by any virtue, think on these things.

From Time Magazine Archive

Whatsoever, it was like entering a scene which, because of some devious circumstance, I had hitherto watched only from a distance.

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison