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

See Examples For:

anything but

The students’ process of losing teachers they had bonded with, come to trust and looked forward to having again is anything but painless.

From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026

Its premise—the first, disastrous encounter between a family of placid Neanderthals and a ruthless “new people,” Homo sapiens—is simple, though its execution is anything but.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Regarded by some as a potential weak link in Spain's frontline before the World Cup, the 29-year-old striker has proved himself anything but.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

Nick Florko doesn’t want to brag or anything, but more than a year ago he wrote an article that has come to seem prescient.

From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026

He didn’t want to move, he didn’t want to sneeze, he didn’t want to do anything but disappear into the ether.

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly