German word

ohnehin

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈoːnəhɪn/

Meaning

  • adverbanyway

Example

Das brauchst du ohnehin nicht zu tun.

You don't need to do that anyway.

Illustration for ohnehin (anyway)

More examples

Das musst du ohnehin nicht mitbringen.

You don't have to bring that anyway.

Core concept

A conclusion remains in place while other events and reasons gather around it.

Common phrases

  • ohnehin nicht

    not anyway

  • ohnehin schon

    anyway already

  • ohnehin egal

    doesn't matter anyway

Similar words

sowieso: Already decided, so the outcome will be the same anyway.
jedenfalls: In any case, the judgment or fact still applies.
eh: A casual way to point to something already taken for granted.

Definition in German

In jedem Fall, unabhängig von anderen Umständen; etwas ist bereits so oder bleibt so.

Word origin

Historically, ohnehin developed from Middle High German enwegin, which goes back to Old High German in wegin, meaning 'in any way'.

Usage tips

  • In a negative clause, ohnehin often presents an action as unnecessary because the result is already settled.

Other meanings

  • in any eventadverb
  • regardlessadverb

Word lists with this word