[Idiom] if anything?

[atssarbia]

The situation is, if anything, worsening rather than improving.

If anything, we have too much food rather than too little.


I can't understand the meaning of 'if anything', although I looked in many dictionaries.

Can you explain it to me easily?

 

[2006]

'If anything, it will be A rather than B.' means that if there is or is going to be a change or difference, the (change)(difference) will be A rather than B.

The situation is, if anything, worsening rather than improving. This means that the situuation may be staying the same, but if it is changing it is getting worse. It's not improving.


If anything, we have too much food rather than too little. We may have just the right amount of food. But if it is not exactly the right amount, it is too much, not too little.

Can you explain it to me easily? Do you mean that, or do you mean 'Can you explain it to me in a way that I can easily understand it?'

2006

 

[dltc]

hi there,

if you take a look at your sentences you may be able to get an idea of what 'if anything' means. Both sentences are making opposing statements to a suggested fact.
In sentence one, clearly a suggestion has been made prior to the sentence that the situation is improving but the speaker wants to state that he believes that either the opposite is in fact true or at the very least, there is no change to the situation i.e. "if there is any change at all to the situation, it is in fact getting worse and not improving"

Another topical example from the news today:
Researchers at a university in the UK say that the world is getting warmer. Our statistics show that, if anything, average temperatures are decreasing.

Hope this helps,
Bob

 

[2006]

In sentence one, clearly a suggestion has been made prior to the sentence that the situation is improving not necessarily
Improvement may only be a goal and/or a hope. We might not have any suggestion that the situation is actually improving.

2006

 

[dltc]

You mean like ..
"While our hope is that the situation would improve soon, it is, if anything, getting worse."
.. yes, that works too.