noun
adverb
Related Words
See therefore.
Etymology
Origin of wherefore
Middle English word dating back to 1150–1200; see origin at where, for
Explanation
Even though you might think wherefore means "where," it really means the "why" behind something. You're most likely to see wherefore in an old book, as it's not used often today. Occasionally writers still use the phrase "the whys and wherefores," to mean all of the underlying causes of something. Possibly the most famous use of the word is in "Romeo and Juliet," when Juliet says, "Wherefore art thou Romeo?" She doesn't mean "where are you?" but "why are you Romeo," or "why do you have to be a Montague, enemy of my family?"
Vocabulary lists containing wherefore
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 2
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Tolkien Reading Day, List 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The musicians, especially but not exclusively Jerry Garcia, whose death in 1995 only technically ended the Dead, prove remarkably articulate about the why and wherefore of their music and the group mind that created it.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 26, 2024
In addition to gleaning the why and wherefore behind America’s foundational document, teenage listeners will meet up with the Declaration of Independence and a roster of seminal Supreme Court decisions.
From New York Times • May 28, 2018
But where "Lost" scrambled for an explanation, to assign some causes and effects to its kooky island, "The Leftovers" keeps the why and the wherefore dark.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 27, 2014
But when I heard in their sweet melodiesCompassion for me, more than had they said,"O wherefore, lady, dost thou thus upbraid him?"
From The Guardian • Aug. 16, 2010
“This is what it is to live,” he cried; “now I enjoy existence! But you, my dear Frankenstein, wherefore are you desponding and sorrowful!”
From "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
