Standard Lemma guide

whenever

adv · conj · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /wəˈnɛvə/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /wɛnˈɛvə/
  • General-American: /wəˈnɛvɚ/
  • General-American: /hwəˈnɛvɚ/
  • General-American: /wɛnˈɛvɚ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛvə(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: W EH0 N EH1 V ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: HH W EH0 N EH1 V ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adv

Meaning 1

When ever: emphatic form of when.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated, interrogative

Examples

  • Whenever will I find time to finish that jigsaw?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adv

Meaning 2

At any time.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: colloquial

Examples

  • Feel free to visit whenever.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

conj

Meaning 3

At any time that.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Visit whenever you want to.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

conj

Meaning 4

At the (single) time that, no matter when.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Tomorrow I'll get up whenever the sun rises.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

conj

Meaning 5

Every time that.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Whenever he has a pair of aces, his eyelids twitch.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

conj

Meaning 6

Regardless of the time that.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Income must be reported in the period in which it is earned, whenever payment is actually received.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

conj

Meaning 7

When.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Ireland, US, nonstandard, regional

Examples

  • Whenever I was a child, I lived in Arkansas.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English whan evere, whanne ever, whanne evere, whener, when ever; equivalent to when + ever.

Across languages

Translations

78 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: koska vaan — at any time
  • French: n'importe quand — at any time
  • Indonesian: kapan saja — at any time
  • Plautdietsch: wanemma — at any time
  • Russian: когда́ уго́дно (kogdá ugódno) — at any time
  • Arabic: مَتَى (matā) — at any time that
  • Arabic: مَتَى مَا (matā mā) — at any time that
  • Bulgarian: когато и да е (kogato i da e) — at any time that
  • Chinese Mandarin: 無論何時 /无论何时 (wúlùn héshí) — at any time that
  • Chinese Mandarin: 哪會兒 /哪会儿 (nǎhuìr) — at any time that
  • Czech: kdykoliv — at any time that
  • Danish: når som helst — at any time that
  • Esperanto: kiam ajn — at any time that
  • Faroese: nær sum helst — at any time that
  • Finnish: milloin tahansa — at any time that
  • Finnish: koska vaan — at any time that
  • French: n'importe quand — at any time that
  • German: wenn — at any time that
  • German: wann immer — at any time that
  • German: wann auch immer — at any time that
  • Greek: όποτε (ópote) — at any time that
  • Greek: οποτεδήποτε (opotedípote) — at any time that
  • Ancient Greek: ὅταν (hótan) — at any time that
  • Ancient Greek: ἐπειδάν (epeidán) — at any time that
  • Hungarian: akármikor — at any time that
  • Hungarian: bármikor — at any time that
  • Italian: in ogni momento — at any time that
  • Japanese: いつでも — at any time that
  • Kapampangan: kapilanman — at any time that
  • Khmer: ពេលណា (peil naa) — at any time that
  • Latin: quandōque — at any time that
  • Latin: quandōcumque — at any time that
  • Polish: kiedykolwiek — at any time that
  • Portuguese: quando — at any time that
  • Russian: когда́ бы ни (kogdá by ni) — at any time that
  • Scottish Gaelic: ge be cuin — at any time that
  • Scottish Gaelic: ge be uair — at any time that
  • Serbo-Croatian: kadgod — at any time that
  • Serbo-Croatian: кадгод — at any time that
  • Spanish: cuando quiera — at any time that
  • Spanish: cuandoquiera — at any time that
  • Spanish: cuandoquier — at any time that
  • Spanish: cuando sea — at any time that
  • Swedish: närsom — at any time that
  • Swedish: när som helst — at any time that
  • Swedish: närhelst — at any time that
  • Ukrainian: коли б не (koly b ne) — at any time that
  • Indonesian: setiap — at the (single) time that
  • Arabic: كُلَّمَا (kullamā) — every time that
  • Bulgarian: всеки път (vseki pǎt) — every time that
  • Chinese Mandarin: 每當 /每当 (měidāng) — every time that
  • Danish: hver gang — every time that
  • Finnish: joka kerta kun — every time that
  • Finnish: aina kun — every time that
  • French: chaque fois que — every time that
  • French: à chaque fois que — every time that
  • German: sooft — every time that
  • German: immer wenn — every time that
  • German: jedes Mal, wenn — every time that
  • Hungarian: valahányszor — every time that
  • Hungarian: ahányszor — every time that
  • Indonesian: setiap — every time that
  • Italian: ogni volta che — every time that
  • Japanese: いつでも — every time that
  • Kapampangan: balang — every time that
  • Polish: ilekroć — every time that
  • Portuguese: sempre que — every time that
  • Portuguese: toda vez que — every time that
  • Russian: ка́ждый раз (káždyj raz) — every time that
  • Scottish Gaelic: ge be cuin — every time that
  • Scottish Gaelic: ge be uair — every time that
  • Spanish: siempre que — every time that
  • Spanish: siempre y cuando — every time that
  • Spanish: cuandoquiera — every time that
  • Swedish: närhelst — every time that
  • Swedish: varje gång — every time that
  • Swedish: jämt när — every time that
  • Ukrainian: щоразу (ščorazu) — every time that
Real reading context

whenever in complete knowledge articles