何とも|なんともnantomo[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. adverbreally; very; extremely; terribly; awfully
2. adverb(not) anything; (not) at all; (not) a bitwith neg. verb
   何なんとも言いいようがないなあ。↗

   I just don't know what to say.

• Synonym大変たいへんNeutralVery, in everyday speech; a strong degree. 「何とも」 often adds a sense that the degree is hard to put into words.
• Synonym甚だはなはだWrittenWritten prose for 'very, extremely', usually before negative things, as in 「甚だ遺憾」.
• Synonym至っていたってWritten'Extremely, very', often in set phrases like 「至って元気」; the tone is calm and matter-of-fact.
• SynonymまったくNeutral'Completely, really'; also an exclamation, 「まったく！」. It stresses thoroughness rather than degree.
• SynonymたいそうNeutral'Very', with an old-fashioned or exaggerated flavor, as in 「大層な口をきく」.
• SynonymひどくNeutral'Severely, badly', usually before negative words, as in 「ひどく疲れた」.
• RelatedずいぶんNeutral'Quite, rather', carrying the speaker's sense of surprise, as in 「随分寒い」.
• RelatedとてもNeutralThe kanji form is rare; usually written 「とても」. The most common everyday 'very'; with a negative it means 'no way, simply cannot'.
• RelatedごくごくNeutral'Extremely', stressing that the degree is at its peak, as in 「ごくごく普通」.
• RelatedやけにCasualColloquial 'awfully, unusually'; the speaker feels the degree is out of the ordinary.
• Related世にもよにもWrittenLiterary and heightened: 'extremely', as if rarely seen in this world, as in 「世にも恐ろしい話」; often modifies strange things.
• RelatedほとほとNeutral'Really, utterly', often in contexts of exasperation like 「ほとほと困る」.

Use 「何とも」 for a degree hard to put into words, or with a negative for 'not at all'. For everyday 'very' pick 「とても」 or 「大変」; in written prose 「甚だ」; for surprise 「随分」; for something out of the ordinary 「やけに」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 程度ていどが甚はなはだしいさま。
2. 特とくに限定げんていしないさま。
3. （打ち消うちけしの語ごを伴ともない）特とくに問題もんだいにしないさま。