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
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Don’t let the term ‘first flat’ fool you—Diana’s early digs were anything but shabby. Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 23 Feb. 2026 Beyond Mendoza, though, this is anything but a quarterback-heavy class. Luca Evans, Denver Post, 23 Feb. 2026 While these types of sit-downs can often feel cold and anxiety-inducing in a corporate setting, our experience is anything but that. Ellen O’Brien, SELF, 23 Feb. 2026 Italian seasoning, Gruyère cheese, and roasted red peppers make this chicken anything but bland. Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 23 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for anything but

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“Anything but.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anything%20but. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.

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