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

The tone in the stock market is looking anything but festive as December kicks off, though it should be pointed out that despite the Santa Claus rally tradition, the 12th month of the year hasn’t always been favorable to stocks, with sizeable declines last year, in 2022, and in 2018.

From MarketWatch

Yet they were anything but shills and dupes.

From The Wall Street Journal

They didn't steal anything but the cost to replace the window was about £200, a "large cost for a small business owner".

From BBC

"He's a funny character. I walked past him in the corridor, didn't do anything, but when security is around he wants to talk funny," 32-year-old TKV said.

From BBC

“Hugely wealthy parents should leave their children enough so they can do anything but not enough that they can do nothing,” Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffett wrote in a letter to shareholders.

From The Wall Street Journal