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any

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any

  • /ɛni/ US, UK
  • /æni/
  • /ɪni/ US, pin pen merger

Sounds like Annie (Ireland, Newfoundland), innie (US, pin–pen merger) · Rhymes with -ɛni, -æni, -ɪni

Where it comes from

From Middle English any, eny, ony, ani, aniȝ, eniȝ, æniȝ, from Old English ǣniġ (“any”), from Proto-West Germanic *ainīg, *ainag, from Proto-Germanic *ainagaz, from Proto-Germanic *ainaz (“one”), equivalent to one + -y.

Cognate with Saterland Frisian eenich (“some”), West Frisian iennich (“only”), Dutch enig (“any, some”), Afrikaans enig (“any”), German Low German enig (“some”), German einig (“some”); via Proto-Indo-European *óynos cognate with Latin ūllus (“any”), Latin ūnicus (whence Italian unico (“unique”), French unique (“unique”)). Piecewise doublet of unique.

adverb anie · anny · ony

  1. not comparable To even the slightest extent; at all. 'That wouldn't surprise me any.'
  2. not comparable Used before different, before comparatives with more and less, and idiomatically before other comparatives, generally in interrogative, hypothetical, or negative contexts. If you get any taller, you'll start having to duck through doorways!
  3. US, not comparable Used to modify a verb, generally a finite verb or a non-finite verb in object position. That doesn't bother me any.

determiner anie · anny · ony

  1. in the negative or interrogative, with plural or uncountable nouns One at all; at least one; at least one kind of; some; a positive quantity of. Near-synonyms: some, all

    Similar: some, all · Opposite: zero, no

  2. A/an, each or some, no matter its/their identity or nature. Choose any item you want.
  3. with time designations An unspecified but imminent (second, minute, day etc.). They'll be arriving any day.

pronoun anie · anny · ony

  1. Any thing(s) or person(s). Any may apply.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: whatsoever, whatever, some, immoderate, aught, anywhere, either, aye, undivided, altogether, whole, approximately, entire, entirely, completely, wholly

Translations

Every language

adv at all

Españolalgo
中文不再 buzai, 一点 yidian
Portuguêsmais
Françaisdu tout
Italianoaffatto
Русскийещё ješčó

det at least one (kind)

Españolalguno, ninguno
한국어어떤 eotteon
中文任意 rènyì, 任何 rènhé
हिन्दीकोई koī, कोई भी koī bhī
Portuguêsalgum, nenhum
Deutschirgendein, irgendwelche, kein, überhaupt kein
Italianoqualche
Ελληνικάκαθένας kathénas, όποιος ópoios
Русскийкако́й-нибудь kakój-nibudʹ, никако́й nikakój
العربيةأَيّ ʔayy
עבריתאַף af, שׁוּם shum

det no matter what kind

Españolcualquier, cualquiera
日本語任意 nin'i
Kiswahiliyoyote
Portuguêsqualquer
Françaisn'importe quel, quelconque
Deutschirgendein, jeder, jeglicher, jeder beliebige, jeder mögliche, welcher auch immer
Italianoqualsiasi
Românăorice, oricare, nici un, nici o
Русскийлюбо́й ljubój, -нибу́дь -nibúdʹ, вся́кий vsjákij, ка́ждый káždyj
العربيةأَيّ ʔayy
עבריתכלשהו kólshehu

pron Any things or persons

Españolcualquiera, alguno, ninguno
日本語どれも doremo, どれでも doredemo
中文誰 /谁 shuí, shéi
Portuguêsqualquer um
Françaisn'importe qui, tous, tout le monde
Deutschjeder
Românăorice, oricare, oricine
Русскийлюбо́й ljubój, вся́кий vsjákij
العربيةأَيّ ʔayy, كُلّ kull, أَيَّة ʔayya, أَيْمَا ʔaymā

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MLA

"any." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/any. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

any. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/any

Chicago

"any." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/any.

BibTeX
@misc{any_2026,
  title = {any},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/any},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}