How to Respond to "Whatever" (10 Best Comebacks) (2024)

Let’s be honest, “whatever” is not the mark of a good argument. If someone comes out with “whatever,” it usually means they have nothing left to say. This article will explore how to respond to whatever when you find it being used against you.

The best replies are “do you have nothing better to say,” “is that all you can say,” and “clearly, I won. Replies like these show that you have won the argument. Once someone has to resort to using “whatever,” they have run out of useful things to say.

Do You Have Nothing Better To Say?

“Do you have nothing better to say?” highlights that someone has run out of things to reply to you. If they’ve had to settle on “whatever,” it means they’ve run out of comebacks or witty remarks.

You can use this phrase to show that you’re disappointed in their choice of words. It’s a great way to show someone that you’ve lost respect for what they said.

• Do you have nothing better to say? I must admit, I’m disappointed that you couldn’t come up with something a little better.
• Do you have nothing better to say? Well, I’m not surprised. I always knew you were weak when it came to debating.
• Really? Do you have nothing better to say? That clearly shows that I beat you. You have no more valid arguments to give.

Is That All You Can Say?

“Is that all you can say?” is a great question that works as a comeback to “whatever.” It implies that you know of plenty of better things that could have been said. Instead, someone settled on “whatever,” and you are disappointed by their choice.

This is a great way to highlight your disappointment. It shows that you were hoping for a more intense argument, but it seemed like the other party couldn’t keep up with you.

• Is that all you can say? “Whatever?” I thought you were more eloquent than that. I guess I was wrong about you.
• Is that all you can say? Color me surprised. I hope you realize that you’ve lost this fight. I’ll see you around.
• Is that all you can say? Well, I’m disappointed by that. I thought you were going to have something spicy to reply with.

Clearly, I Won

“Clearly, I won” is a great comeback to use when you’re trying to end an argument. If someone has used “whatever” as a response to you, it’s likely that they don’t have anything left to add. If you still have valid points, you would “win” the argument.

This phrase works really well to show that you have more to say than the other party. When it comes to arguing, the person with the most to say is usually the one that ends up “winning” the exchange.

• Clearly, I won. I don’t think many people will resort to “whatever” until they know there’s nothing else they can say.
• Clearly, I won. I’m not sure what you expected to get out of this one, but I definitely beat you overall based on your choice of words.
• Clearly, I won. Nobody resorts to “whatever” until they are completely out of things to say. That’s all I can say to you.

I See That You Don’t Have Much Else To Say

“I see that you don’t have much else to say” is a great choice to show that you know you’ve won. When someone doesn’t have much to say, they will resort to simple things like “whatever,” even though it won’t do much in their favor.

• I see that you don’t have much else to say. It’s okay. I understand that you must be lost for words right now.
• I see that you don’t have much else to say. I’m sure you’ll think of something eventually. I’ll see you around, though.
• I see that you don’t have much else to say. I’m not surprised. You never were good at arguing with me.

Your Intelligence Is Lacking

“Your intelligence is lacking” is a pretty cruel way of telling someone off for using “whatever.” It shows that you think less of them and their intelligence because they had to resort to a word like “whatever.”

Of course, this one comes across as very mean in many situations. Be careful using this one, as it’s likely to offend the person you’re speaking to. This could lead to an entirely different argument.

• Your intelligence is lacking right now, and it shows. You can’t think of a single better thing to say than “whatever.”
• Your intelligence is clearly lacking. If you want some lessons from me, I’ll be sure to provide them.
• Your intelligence is lacking here. I’m not sure what you expected to get from this argument but saying “whatever” didn’t help you.

I Think That Means I Won The Argument

“I think that means I won the argument” is a good comeback to “whatever.” It allows you to be funny in your delivery, showing that you took the win as soon as they mentioned “whatever” as an argument.

“Whatever” is never going to win an argument. That’s why it’s important to highlight that you’re the overall winner.

• I think that means I won the argument, right? I don’t know why you would have said that unless you’d given up fighting with me.
• I think that means I won the argument. I always knew I was better than you. Now, you’ve just proved it to me.
• I think that means I won the argument. I’m glad that we were able to get that laid out in front of us. Good bye.

What A Well-Thought-Out Response

“What a well-thought-out response” is a great comment if you’re trying to be sarcastic. As a comeback, it shows that you do not respect the use of “whatever” by the person you’re speaking to.

It lets them know that “whatever” doesn’t generate the desired results for them. After all, the only thing they’ve managed to do is show you that they can’t form another coherent argument.

• What a well-thought-out response that was. You must be so proud of yourself. It was a truly remarkable choice of words.
• What a well-thought-out response. I simply don’t know what else to say to you. “Whatever” is such a difficult thing to reply to!
• What a well-thought-out response. Seriously, it must have taken you years to come up with something as intelligent as that!

There Was So Much Meaning Behind That

“There was so much meaning behind that” is a great sarcastic reply you can use. You can say this when you know that someone didn’t put much time into coming up with “whatever.”

At the end of the day, “whatever” never requires a lot of thought. It also doesn’t carry a lot of meaning. That’s why a phrase like this is a great way to show that “whatever” was not a good thing to say.

• There was so much meaning behind that delivery. I never knew you could say “whatever” in such a powerful way.
• There was so much meaning behind that. “Whatever” is definitely one of the best words to use in an argument, right?
• Oh, wow. There was so much meaning behind that one! I really felt that sting me right down to my core.

You Got Me

“You got me” is another good funny comeback. Funny comebacks to whatever that follows this idea work best when you’re being sarcastic. Here, the implication is that you were beaten when someone said “whatever,” even though that clearly isn’t the case.

When someone uses “whatever,” it means they have nothing left to say. Saying “you got me” shows that you’ve conceded defeat.

Naturally, using “you got me” sarcastically means that you know you’ve won, but you’ll pretend you lost. It’s an effective way to shut down anyone using “whatever.”

• You got me! Man, I have no idea what to say now. You simply introduced the master argument, and I can’t beat you.
• You got me! Damn! I wish there was something I could say to reply to “whatever.” It’s such a smart response.
• You got me with that one. I had no idea you were so good at arguing with one-word responses like that.

Don’t “Whatever” Me

“Don’t “whatever” me” is a stern reply you can make. It shows that you’re not happy with someone using “whatever” against you. Most of the time, it’s frowned upon because it’s lazy, and it doesn’t come with any valid meanings.

It’s common for adults to use a phrase like this when speaking to children. It shows that you’re looking down on their language usage, which can be effective when in an argument.

• Don’t “whatever” me. You know, it shows a lack of intelligence and critical reasoning skills. It means you’ve lost.
• Don’t “whatever” me right now. You haven’t got the right to say something like that when I clearly won.
• Don’t “whatever” me, young man. You shouldn’t be allowed to say that word at the end of an argument.