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
The palazzo pants have a high waistline with an adjustable drawstring, plus long, flowy legs that are anything but restrictive.
—
Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 12 July 2024
And this meeting was anything but a typical developer meet-and-greet.
—Rebecca San Juan, Miami Herald, 12 July 2024
Nobody is saying having an open audition in a free-for-all convention would be anything but messy.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 12 July 2024
That shift is felt most clearly on a warm summer night that’s anything but quiet.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 10 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for anything but 
Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 12 July 2024
And this meeting was anything but a typical developer meet-and-greet.
—Rebecca San Juan, Miami Herald, 12 July 2024
Nobody is saying having an open audition in a free-for-all convention would be anything but messy.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 12 July 2024
That shift is felt most clearly on a warm summer night that’s anything but quiet.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 10 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for anything but
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'anything but.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near anything but
Cite this Entry
“Anything but.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anything%20but. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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