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
American athlete Lindsey Vonn fractured her leg in a downhill race — though many agree that her journey, despite its ending, is anything but a failure.
—
Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
Few within the industry would dispute that Phelps’ departure is anything but a loss.
—Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Three months after the Epstein Files Transparency Act was signed into law, the release of the files has been anything but transparent, the ad said.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2026
And while the event is undeniably cute, its reach is anything but small.
—Itay Hod, CBS News, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for anything but
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Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
Few within the industry would dispute that Phelps’ departure is anything but a loss.
—Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Three months after the Epstein Files Transparency Act was signed into law, the release of the files has been anything but transparent, the ad said.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2026
And while the event is undeniably cute, its reach is anything but small.
—Itay Hod, CBS News, 7 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 15 Feb. 2026.
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