Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adv. At all; in any way: "Space to breathe, how short soever” ( Ben Jonson).
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- A word generally used in composition to extend or render indefinite the sense of such words as who, what, where, when, how, etc., as in whosoever, wheresoever, etc. (See these words.) It is sometimes used separate from who, how, etc.
Wiktionary
- adv. archaic In any fashion, of any kind; used for emphasis after words such as how, what, which etc.
GNU Webster's 1913
- A word compounded of
so andever , used in composition withwho ,what ,where ,when ,how , etc., and indicating any out of all possible or supposable persons, things, places, times, ways, etc. It is sometimes used separate from the pronoun or adverb.
Etymologies
- From so + ever. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“To conclude all: That man that can dispense with himself, as to moral duties, that makes no conscience of telling a lie, or breaking his word; what badge soever he may wear, what title soever he may call himself by, it is as impossible that such a man should be a true”
The Works of Dr. John Tillotson, Late Archbishop of Canterbury. Vol. 06.
“The sickness of good people, how threatening soever, is nor unto death, for it is not unto eternal death.”
“See what reason we have to honour those that fear the Lord; how mean and despicable soever the saints now appear in the eye of the world, and how much contempt soever is poured upon them; they are the saints of the Most High; they are near and dear to God, and he owns them for his, and judgment is given to them.”
“Right or wrong, they would adhere to that, how vain soever, which they had received by tradition from their fathers.”
Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume VI (Acts to Revelation)
“Christ, because it calls men off from those crafts which are unlawful, how much wealth soever is to be obtained by them.”
Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume VI (Acts to Revelation)
“The first of these is usually referred to metaphysicks: but under what title soever the consideration of spirits comes, I think it ought to go before the study of matter and body, not as a science that can be methodized into a system, and treated of upon principles of knowledge; but as an enlargement of our minds towards a truer and fuller comprehension of the intellectual world to which we are led both by reason and revelation.”
“The purport of this association was to defend the queen, to revenge her death, or any injury committed against her, and to exclude from the throne all claimants, what title soever they might possess, by whose suggestion or for whose behoof any violence should be offered to her majesty, [***] The queen of Scots was sensible that this association was levelled against her; and to remove all suspicion from herself, she also desired leave to subscribe it.”
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.I., Part D. From Elizabeth to James I.
“But now I have dismissed thee, -- thee, I say, N., the daughter of N., by what name soever thou art called, of the city N.”
“By what word soever Christ expressed this children to them, it seems to be a very familiar and gentle compellation, that his disciples, from that very salutation of his, might discern him.”
“Koinōnia idiōmatōn, — that communication of attributes in the person, whereby the properties of either nature are promiscuously spoken of the person of Christ, under what name soever, of God or man, he be spoken of, Acts xx. 28, iii.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘soever’.
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RELI - words with Biblical connotations
Words in the Bible evoking biblical stories or with special spiritual meaning. Proper names have been reduced to the minimum.
ark, judgement, holy, saint, baptism, spirit, love, eternal, altar, balsam, covenant, flood and 1115 more...
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What . . .
For more fun with phrase fragments, see That's... and Where is...?
now, next, in the world, were you thinking, a wonderful world, do you know, would jesus do, else is new, the heck, evil lurks, if, ever and 17 more...
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Adverbia
A long list of adverbs, beginning with full-drive. Someone had to list them. This list in continued in the list More Adverbia.
Read some sniping and some informative commentary about a...full-drive, portentously, unlawfully, legally, heterogeneously, consumingly, clancularly, inconsolably, prepositionally, retrogressively, symptomatically, decrepitly and 2460 more...
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Doctor Faustus
Various words from the play by Christopher Marlowe.
Good Angel, Bad Angel, pride, covetousness, envy, wrath, gluttony, sloth, lechery, vintner, horse-courser, Helen of Troy and 148 more...
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Thrown - about tossed - Words
bal-; bol-; -bol; -ble and incau(gh)tious others
ballistic, ballad, symbol, bolide, ballet, problem, ball, parabola, parable, amphibole, boule, diabolical and 184 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for soever.

fbharjo At all; in any way: “Space to breathe, how short soever�? (Ben Jonson). Mar 22, 2009