whomever

Etymology

It is formed from English whom + ever,^[2][3][4][5] and the OED notes that it was at first written apart, as the pronoun followed by the adverb.^[2] Merriam-Webster gives the Middle English form as whom ever.^[5] It is the objective case of whoever, formed in the same way.^[2][4][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

As a relative pronoun meaning "any one whom", used as the object of a verb or preposition: about 1330, in the romance Arthour and Merlin.^[2] Etymonline dates it to the early 14th century,^[3] Merriam-Webster to the 14th century^[5] and Dictionary.com to 1300–50.^[6]

Semantic evolution

From about 1380, in Wyclif's English works, the form was also used where whoever would be expected, as the subject of a relative clause that follows a preposition; the OED treats this as a misuse.^[2] Merriam-Webster likewise notes that it is sometimes used as the subject of a verb.^[5] From 1762 it also introduced a clause meaning "no matter whom".^[2] The OED observes that it has always been less frequent than whomsoever,^[2] and the Shorter Oxford labels it chiefly literary, with a poetic contraction whome'er.^[4]

Timeline

• c. 1330 – any one whom, as object of a verb or preposition.^[2]
• c. 1380 – used in place of whoever as the subject of a clause after a preposition.^[2]
• 1762 – no matter whom, introducing a qualifying clause.^[2]

Meanings

Pronoun

1. The objective case of whoever: any person whom, used as the object of a verb or preposition: The prize will go to whomever the judges choose.^[5][7][8][2]
2. No matter whom: Whomever you consult, you will hear the same advice.^[2]
3. Used instead of whoever as the subject of a verb, especially after a preposition.^[5][2]

Related words

• whom
• whichever
• whoever
• whomsoever
• ever

Usage notes

Merriam-Webster records whomever used as the subject of a verb,^[5] a use the OED, which has examples from about 1380, calls a misuse for whoever.^[2] The Shorter Oxford marks the word as chiefly literary.^[4]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins