anyway and anyhow

[jiang]

Dear teachers,

I found in my dictionary the following:

anyway
adverb (ALSO anyhow)
According to this dictionary the two words bear exactly the same meaning.

In another dictionary they are listed as different words:

anyhow
1 a: in any manner whatever b: in a haphazard manner2 a: at any rate b: in any event

anyway
1 : anywise
2 : in any case : anyhow

The second meaning of the word is of the same with 'anyhow'.
I consulted the meaning of "anywise":
: in any way whatever : at all

So may I say the first meaning of "anyway" is different from "anyhow"?

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you in advance.

Jiang

 

[banderas]

Dear teachers,

I found in my dictionary the following:

anyway
adverb (ALSO anyhow)
According to this dictionary the two words bear exactly the same meaning.

In another dictionary they are listed as different words:

anyhow
1 a: in any manner whatever b: in a haphazard manner2 a: at any rate b: in any event

anyway
1 : anywise
2 : in any case : anyhow

The second meaning of the word is of the same with 'anyhow'.
I consulted the meaning of "anywise":
: in any way whatever : at all

So may I say the first meaning of "anyway" is different from "anyhow"?

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you in advance.

Jiang

As a conjunction, anyhow= anyway, that is, in any case:
we were late, anyway the film wasn't very good.

Anyhow as an adverb means carelessly:
he laid the table anyhow, he laid the table in a slapdash way;

As I know "anywise" is quite archaic but I might be wrong:-?.

 

[David L.]

anyhow
adverb
1 another term for anyway .
2 in a careless or haphazard way : 'His room looked like he gets undressed and flings his clothes on the furniture anyhow.'

anyway
adverb
1 used to confirm or support a point or idea just mentioned : 'I told you, it's all right, and anyway, it was my fault' | 'it's too late now anyway.'
• used in questions to emphasize the speaker's wish to obtain the truth : “What are you doing here, anyway?”
2 used in conversations
• to change the subject or to resume a subject after interruption : 'John and she were invited to visit her mother. He, obnoxious as ever, didn't want to go. How she lives with him at all is beyond me. Anyway, so her mother gets all upset and..."
• to indicate that the speaker wants to end the conversation : “Anyway, John, I must go.”
• to indicate that the speaker is passing over less significant aspects of an account in order to focus on the most important points : “You remember John? We went to school together. I think you met him at my 21st. Anyway, he died last week and his funeral is on Tuesday, so I can't go with you to..”
3 used to indicate that something happened or will happen in spite of something else : "Nobody invited me to sit down so I just plonked (=sit/set something down heavily or carelessly) down anyway."

What dictionary are you using?

 

[banderas]

Hi David, I quess he is using this dictionary:
anyway - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
then click on anywise and it says:

in any way whatever : at all
Can you clear it, please?

 

[David L.]

So? She didn't invite me to her party. Who cares. She throws rotten parties anyway (=used to confirm or support a point or idea just mentioned , namely, that I 'don't care'. )
Anyway, (=in any case) the new Harry Potter movie starts that night and I'd rather see that than go to any party with her stuck-up friends.

 

[jiang]

Dear banderas,

Thank you very much for your explanation. Now I see.

Best wishes,

Jiang

As a conjunction, anyhow= anyway, that is, in any case:
we were late, anyway the film wasn't very good.

Anyhow as an adverb means carelessly:
he laid the table anyhow, he laid the table in a slapdash way;

As I know "anywise" is quite archaic but I might be wrong:-?.

 

[jiang]

Dear David,

Thank you very much for your explanation. Could you please explain in which sense can "anyhow" replace "anyway"?
I used dictionary online. The first one is Cambridge Dictionary. The second one is Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online.

Jiang

anyhow
adverb
1 another term for anyway .
2 in a careless or haphazard way : 'His room looked like he gets undressed and flings his clothes on the furniture anyhow.'

anyway
adverb
1 used to confirm or support a point or idea just mentioned : 'I told you, it's all right, and anyway, it was my fault' | 'it's too late now anyway.'
• used in questions to emphasize the speaker's wish to obtain the truth : “What are you doing here, anyway?”
2 used in conversations
• to change the subject or to resume a subject after interruption : 'John and she were invited to visit her mother. He, obnoxious as ever, didn't want to go. How she lives with him at all is beyond me. Anyway, so her mother gets all upset and..."
• to indicate that the speaker wants to end the conversation : “Anyway, John, I must go.”
• to indicate that the speaker is passing over less significant aspects of an account in order to focus on the most important points : “You remember John? We went to school together. I think you met him at my 21st. Anyway, he died last week and his funeral is on Tuesday, so I can't go with you to..”
3 used to indicate that something happened or will happen in spite of something else : "Nobody invited me to sit down so I just plonked (=sit/set something down heavily or carelessly) down anyway."

What dictionary are you using?

 

[David L.]

I think 'anyhow' would be more common in the States than in the UK where we tend more to use 'anyway'. We use 'anyhow' in its second meaning,
in a careless or haphazard way : 'His room looked like he gets undressed and flings his clothes on the furniture anyhow.'
...though I'm more familiar with, and would say myself, "...and flings his clothes on the furniture any old how."
If I did use it as a substitute for 'anyway', it would be:
"Anyhow, it's been nice talking with you (((on the phone) but I'd better head off - I've got to pick up my girlfriend after work."

 

[jiang]

Dear David L.,

Thank you very much for your explanation. Now I see.

Jiang

I think 'anyhow' would be more common in the States than in the UK where we tend more to use 'anyway'. We use 'anyhow' in its second meaning,
in a careless or haphazard way : 'His room looked like he gets undressed and flings his clothes on the furniture anyhow.'
...though I'm more familiar with, and would say myself, "...and flings his clothes on the furniture any old how."
If I did use it as a substitute for 'anyway', it would be:
"Anyhow, it's been nice talking with you (((on the phone) but I'd better head off - I've got to pick up my girlfriend after work."