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
Italian seasoning, Gruyère cheese, and roasted red peppers make this chicken anything but bland.
—
Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 16 Feb. 2026
Call it beautiful, annoying, inspiring or dangerous, snow is anything but boring.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 15 Feb. 2026
Denver’s return from the bye week in Washington was anything but pretty defensively until Nik Bonitto made one of the plays of the season, batting down a deciding two-point conversion attempt in overtime and sealing the Broncos’ eighth straight win.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2026
Senior guard Vince Ellis scored six of his 17 points in the fourth period for Clayton Valley but was anything but a one-player show.
—Darren Sabedra, Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for anything but
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Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 16 Feb. 2026
Call it beautiful, annoying, inspiring or dangerous, snow is anything but boring.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 15 Feb. 2026
Denver’s return from the bye week in Washington was anything but pretty defensively until Nik Bonitto made one of the plays of the season, batting down a deciding two-point conversion attempt in overtime and sealing the Broncos’ eighth straight win.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2026
Senior guard Vince Ellis scored six of his 17 points in the fourth period for Clayton Valley but was anything but a one-player show.
—Darren Sabedra, Mercury News, 15 Feb. 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 18 Feb. 2026.
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