anything but
idiom
: not at all
He looked anything but happy.
Though he said he was happy, he looked anything but.
This problem is anything but new.
Examples of anything but in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Whether a polar vortex, a bomb cyclone, even two earthquakes in my home state of Kentucky, things have been anything but average.
—
Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 9 Jan. 2026
Government responses to homelessness have been anything but inspiring.
—Sal Rodriguez, Oc Register, 9 Jan. 2026
The best beanies for women are quintessential cold-weather hats that strike a delicate balance between staying warm and looking polished, even when the weather is anything but fashion-friendly.
—Alison Syrett Cleary, InStyle, 9 Jan. 2026
But there’s no one on any planet that could read anything but a small sampling of the books that come out in a particular time period, even in a certain category.
—Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for anything but
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Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 9 Jan. 2026
Government responses to homelessness have been anything but inspiring.
—Sal Rodriguez, Oc Register, 9 Jan. 2026
The best beanies for women are quintessential cold-weather hats that strike a delicate balance between staying warm and looking polished, even when the weather is anything but fashion-friendly.
—Alison Syrett Cleary, InStyle, 9 Jan. 2026
But there’s no one on any planet that could read anything but a small sampling of the books that come out in a particular time period, even in a certain category.
—Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for anything but
Cite this Entry
“Anything but.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anything%20but. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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