different between while vs whatever
while
English
Etymology
From Old English hw?l, from Proto-West Germanic *hw?lu, from Proto-Germanic *hw?l? (compare Dutch wijl, Low German Wiel, German Weile), from Proto-Indo-European *k?yeh?- (“to rest”). Cognate with Albanian sillë (“breakfast”), Latin tranquillus, Sanskrit ??? (cirá), Persian ???? (š?d).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /?a?l/, /wa?l/
- (in accents without the "wine-whine" merger)
- (in accents with the "wine-whine" merger)
- Rhymes: -a?l
Noun
while (plural whiles)
- An uncertain duration of time, a period of time.
- It’s a long while since anyone lived there, so it’s a ruin now.
Synonyms
- spell; see also Thesaurus:uncertain period
Related terms
- in a while
- once in a while
- while loop
Translations
Conjunction
while
- During the same time that.
- 1948, Carey McWilliams, North from Mexico / The Spanish-Speaking People of The United States, J. B. Lippincott Company, page 25,
- While De Anza was exploring the Bay of San Francisco, seeking a site for the presidio, the American colonists on the eastern seaboard, three thousand miles away, were celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
- 1948, Carey McWilliams, North from Mexico / The Spanish-Speaking People of The United States, J. B. Lippincott Company, page 25,
- Although.
- 2013 September 28, Kenan Malik, "London Is Special, but Not That Special," New York Times (retrieved 28 September 2013):
- While Britain’s recession has been deep and unforgiving, in London it has been relatively shallow.
- 2013 September 28, Kenan Malik, "London Is Special, but Not That Special," New York Times (retrieved 28 September 2013):
- (Northern England, Scotland) Until.
- As long as.
- 1725, Isaac Watts, Logick, or The Right Use of Reason in the Enquiry After Truth With a Variety of Rules to Guard
- Use your memory; you will sensibly experience a gradual improvement, while you take care not to load it to excess.
- 1725, Isaac Watts, Logick, or The Right Use of Reason in the Enquiry After Truth With a Variety of Rules to Guard
- (media, public policy) Used to denote an individual experiencing racial profiling when performing a seemingly benign activity.
Usage notes
- See whilst.
Synonyms
- (during the same time that): whilst; see also Thesaurus:while
- (although): as much as; see also Thesaurus:even though
- (until): till; see also Thesaurus:until
- (as long as): provided that, providing, so long as
Translations
Preposition
while
- (Northern England, Scotland) Until.
- I may be conveyed into your chamber; I'll lie under your bed while midnight.
Verb
while (third-person singular simple present whiles, present participle whiling, simple past and past participle whiled)
- (transitive) to while away the time / hours; to pass (time) idly
- Synonyms: idle, laze, lounge
- To loiter.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Spectator to this entry?)
- Synonyms: hang around, linger
- (transitive) To occupy or entertain (someone) in order to let time pass.
Synonyms
- (loiter): see also Thesaurus:loiter
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
while From the web:
- what while mean
- what while loop
- what while loop in c
- what while high
- what while you were sleeping
- what while in java
- what while statement
- what while do
whatever
English
Etymology
what +? -ever
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /??t??v?/, /w?t??v?/
- (General American) IPA(key): /w?t??v?/, /w????v?/
- Rhymes: -?v?(r)
Unusually, the /t/ in whatever may be flapped in certain dialects, despite preceding a stressed syllable.
Determiner
whatever
- no matter what; for any
- (relative) Anything that.
Derived terms
- whateverism
- whateverness
- whatsoever
Related terms
- whatever creams your twinkie
- whatever floats your boat
- whatever it takes
Translations
Pronoun
whatever
- No matter what; for any
- (relative) Anything; sometimes used to indicate that the speaker does not care about options.
Translations
Interjection
whatever
- (colloquial, dismissive) A holophrastic expression used discourteously to indicate that the speaker does not consider the matter worthy of further discussion.
Usage notes
- Tone of voice is particularly important here in playing up or playing down the dismissive quality of the word.
Synonyms
- so what
- whoopee do
- meh
- whatev
Translations
Adjective
whatever (comparative more whatever, superlative most whatever)
- (colloquial) Unexceptional or unimportant; blah.
- (dated, postpositive) At all, absolutely, whatsoever.
- 1864, Charles Piazzi Smyth, Our Inheritance in the Great Pyramid (page 207)
- So then arose the horrible confusion perpetuated ever since, of perversely different kinds of weights, jostling each other in Britain; Troy weight and Avoirdupois weight and Apothecaries' weight, wherein or whereamongst every one is at sea with regard to testing them, and no one whatever is satisfied.
- 1864, Charles Piazzi Smyth, Our Inheritance in the Great Pyramid (page 207)
Noun
whatever (plural whatevers)
- (colloquial) Something whose exact kind or nature is unimportant; a thingy.
- 2003, David Soubly, Santa, CEO (page 91)
- How would you feel if you're a plant elf, and your daily bonus is tied to the number of whatevers you produce, and then this big clumsy thing barges in and knocks your rate back for the whole week?
- 2003, David Soubly, Santa, CEO (page 91)
Related terms
References
- whatever at OneLook Dictionary Search
Anagrams
- everwhat
whatever From the web:
- what whatever means
- what whatever it takes
- what whatever after character are you
- what whatever difference
- what whatever it takes lyrics
- what whatever means when a woman says it
- what whatever you want
- what whatever means in spanish
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