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Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English anything, enything, onything, from Late Old English aniþing, from earlier ǣniġ þing (literally any thing), equivalent to any +‎ thing.



  1. Any object, act, state, event, or fact whatever; a thing of any kind; something or other.
    Synonym: aught
    I would not do it for anything.
  2. (with “as” or “like”) Expressing an indefinite comparison.
    • 1916, Edward S. Moffat, Go Forth and Find, page 81-82:
      Perhaps it was this atmosphere of misplacedness and loneliness as much as anything which led her to speak to him one evening in early summer when the office had closed.
Derived terms[edit]


anything (plural anythings)

  1. Someone or something of importance.
    • 1986, David Henry Hwang, M. Butterfly:
      How long does it take to turn you actors into good anythings?
    • 2007 May 6, Cindy Chupack, “An Ancient Coda to My 21st-Century Divorce”, in New York Times[1]:
      So we tried not to talk about first or second anythings until our meeting with the rabbi.
Related terms[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

From Middle English anything, enything, onything, onythynge, from Old English ǣniġe þinga, ǣnġi þinga (literally by any of things), from ǣniġe, instrumental form of ǣniġ (any) + þinga, genitive plural of þing (thing).


anything (not comparable)

  1. In any way, any extent or any degree.
    That isn't anything like a car.
    She's not anything like as strong as me.