anything but

A

anything but

Meaning | Synonyms

  • by no means
  • it’s not the case at all
  • certainly not
  • the opposite of what you imagined
  • didn’t turn out as planned
  • nothing like it should have been

Example Sentences

  1. We went to see that new action film on Thursday night and it was anything but good, in fact, I fell asleep.
  2. My daughter was anything but a sound sleeper, she kept me awake all night most of the first year.
  3. He has no idea about money. He said it would be a cheap holiday; it turned out to be anything but.
  4. The new boss is anything but charming when I met him.
  5. Our meeting schedule is anything but definite.

Origin

This phrase is used to give emphasis to your opinion on something and to say that it wasn’t at all how you thought it was going to be. Especially when something was clearly the polar-opposite of what you imagined, or not up to the standard or quality it was supposed to be. It adds weight to your argument.

It can be used on its own in response to a question. Here’s an example;

Question: “Was the new restaurant good last night?”
Answer: “Anything but”

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