whichever


Also found in: Idioms, Wikipedia.

which·ev·er

 (wĭch-ĕv′ər, hwĭch-)
pron.
Whatever one or ones.
adj.
Being any one or any number of a group: Read whichever books you please. It's a long trip whichever road you take. See Usage Note at whatever.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

whichever

(wɪtʃˈɛvə)
determiner
1.
a. any (one, two, etc, out of several): take whichever car you like.
b. (as pronoun): choose whichever appeals to you.
2.
a. no matter which (one or ones): whichever card you pick you'll still be making a mistake.
b. (as pronoun): it won't make any difference, whichever comes first.
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

which•ev•er

(ʰwɪtʃˈɛv ər, wɪtʃ-)

pron.
1. any one that: Take whichever you like.
2. no matter which: Whichever you choose, the others will be offended.
adj.
3. no matter which.
[1350–1400]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

whichever

Whichever can be a determiner or a pronoun. It is used in two different ways.

You can use it to say that it does not matter which of a range of alternatives happens or is chosen.

The United States would be safe whichever side won.
Whichever way you look at it, neutrality is folly.
We will immediately refund your money in full, or replace the item, whichever you prefer.

You can also use whichever when you are indicating which of a range of things is the right one or the one you mean.

Use whichever soap powder is recommended by the manufacturer.
Use whichever of the forms is appropriate.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
Translations
أي، أيُّهُماأَيّالى أي، في أي
kterýkoli
hvilken som helstligegyldigt hvilkenuanset hvordan
mikä t. kuka t. miten tahansa
kako god
amelyik csak
hver/hvor/hvaîa semsama hver/hvaîa
どちらでも
어느~이든
ktorýkoľvekten, ktorý
katerikoli
vilken…än
คน/สิ่งใดก็ตาม
hangi ...-sehangisi olursaistediğin şekilde
bất cứ người/vật nào

whichever

[wɪtʃˈevəʳ]
A. PRON
1. (= no matter which) whichever of the methods you choosecualquiera de los métodos que escojas, no importa el método que escojas
2. (= the one which) → el/la que
choose whichever is easiestelige el que sea más fácil
B. ADJ
1. (= no matter which) whichever system you have there are difficultiesno importa el sistema que tengas, hay problemascualquiera que sea el sistema que tengas, hay problemas
whichever way you look at itse mire como se mire
2. (= any, the ... which) → el ... que/la ... que
you can choose whichever system you wantpuedes eligir el sistema que quieras
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

whichever

[hwɪtʃˈɛvər]
adj
(= whatever) → n'importe quel(le)
Take whichever book you prefer → Prenez le livre que vous préférez, peu importe lequel.
whichever book you take → quel que soit le livre que vous preniez
whichever way you do it (= however) → de quelque façon que vous vous y preniez, quelle que soit la manière dont vous vous y prenez
whichever way you look at it → quel que soit l'angle sous lequel on se place
pronquel(le) que soit
Whichever you choose, I hope you're happy with it → Quel que soit celui que vous choisirez, j'espère que vous en serez content.
whichever you prefer → selon ce que vous préférez
We will gladly exchange your goods, or refund your money, whichever you prefer → Nous serons ravis d'échanger vos produits ou de vous rembourser, quelle que soit la solution que vous retiendrez.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

whichever

adjwelche(r, s) auch immer; (= no matter which)ganz gleich or egal or einerlei welche(r, s)
pronwelche(r, s) auch immer; whichever (of you) has the most moneywer immer (von euch) das meiste Geld hat
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

whichever

[wɪtʃˈɛvəʳ]
1. adj (that one which) → quello/a che; (no matter which) → qualsiasi + sub, qualunque + sub
take whichever one you prefer → prendi quello che preferisci
take whichever book you prefer → prendi il libro che preferisci
whichever book you take → qualsiasi libro tu prenda
you can choose whichever system you want → puoi scegliere il sistema che vuoi
whichever system you have there are difficulties → qualsiasi sistema tu abbia ci sono delle difficoltà
whichever way you look at it → da qualunque punto di vista lo si consideri
2. pron (the one which) → quello/a che; (no matter which one) → qualsiasi + sub, qualunque + sub
whichever of the methods you choose → qualsiasi or qualunque metodo tu scelga
choose whichever you like → scegli quello che ti piace
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

which

(witʃ) adjective, pronoun
used in questions etc when asking someone to point out, state etc one or more persons, things etc from a particular known group. Which (colour) do you like best?; Which route will you travel by?; At which station should I change trains?; Which of the two girls do you like better?; Tell me which books you would like; Let me know which train you'll be arriving on; I can't decide which to choose.
relative pronoun
(used to refer to a thing or things mentioned previously to distinguish it or them from others. able to be replaced by that except after a preposition: able to be omitted except after a preposition or when the subject of a clause) (the) one(s) that: This is the book which/that was on the table; This is the book (which/that) you wanted; A scalpel is a type of knife which/that is used by surgeons; The chair (which/that) you are sitting on is broken; The documents for which they were searching have been recovered.
relative adjective, relative pronoun
used, after a comma, to introduce a further comment on something. My new car, which I paid several thousand pounds for, is not running well; He said he could speak Russian, which was untrue; My father may have to go into hospital, in which case he won't be going on holiday.
whichˈever relative adjective, relative pronoun
1. any (one(s)) that. I'll take whichever (books) you don't want; The prize will go to whichever of them writes the best essay.
2. no matter which (one(s)). Whichever way I turned, I couldn't escape.
which is which(?)
which is one and which is the other (?). Mary and Susan are twins and I can't tell which is which.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

whichever

أَيّ kterýkoli uanset hvordan Wie auch immer οποιοσδήποτε cualquiera sea, sea cual sea mikä t. kuka t. miten tahansa n'importe lequel kako god qualunque どちらでも 어느~이든 hoe dan ook uansett jakkolwiek qualquer que, qualquer um любой vilken…än คน/สิ่งใดก็ตาม istediğin şekilde bất cứ người/vật nào 任何人或事
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
Whether the flitting attendance of the one still and solitary jet had gradually worked upon Ahab, so that he was now prepared to connect the ideas of mildness and repose with the first sight of the particular whale he pursued; however this was, or whether his eagerness betrayed him; whichever way it might have been, no sooner did he distinctly perceive the white mass, than with a quick intensity he instantly gave orders for lowering.
Many a time he tried to attack them; but whenever he came near they turned their tails to one another, so that whichever way he approached them he was met by the horns of one of them.
In whichever of these circumstances the obstacle lies, it is no obstacle in my estimation.
But whichever of these we prefer some difficulty will arise.
Now, all our lines are EQUALLY and INFINITESIMALLY thick (or high, whichever you like); consequently, there is nothing in them to lead our minds to the conception of that Dimension.
"But, dinner or breakfast, the steward will be welcome, whichever he brings."
Whichever of the two are best able to guard the laws and institutions of our State--let them be our guardians.
The atmosphere of the earth, we now know, contains far more oxygen or far less argon (whichever way one likes to put it) than does Mars.
Whichever way his thoughts turned they were followed by the somber phantom of the desertion in the fields.
Read or sew, whichever you like--or read and do not sew.
To complete this grotesque equipment, the proud animal is bestreaked and bespotted with vermilion, or with white clay, whichever presents the most glaring contrast to his real color.
There was not much time for deep thinking, and his summing-up was: "It looks pretty bad, whichever we try; but, then, sir, you always do get out of a mess somehow."