despite

de·spite

 (dĭ-spīt′)

prep.

In spite of; notwithstanding: won the game despite overwhelming odds.

n.

1. Contemptuous defiance or disregard.

2. Spite; malice: "He died soon after ... of pure despite and vexation" (Sir Walter Scott).

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[Short for in despite of, from Middle English despit, spite, from Old French, from Latin dēspectus, from past participle of dēspicere, to despise; see despise.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

despite

(dɪˈspaɪt)

prep

in spite of; undeterred by

n

1. archaic contempt; insult

2. in despite of (preposition) rare in spite of

vb

(tr) an archaic word for spite

[C13: from Old French despit, from Latin dēspectus contempt; see despise]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

de•spite

(dɪˈspaɪt)

prep., n., v. -spit•ed, -spit•ing. prep.

1. in spite of; notwithstanding.

n.

2. contemptuous treatment; insult.

3. malice, hatred, or spite.

v.t.

4. Obs. to anger; annoy.

Idioms:

in despite of, in spite of; notwithstanding.

[1250–1300; orig. in despite of; Middle English despit < Old French < Latin dēspectus view from a height, scorn]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

in spite of

– despite

1. 'in spite of'

You use in spite of when you are mentioning something that surprisingly does not prevent something else from being true. The spelling is in spite of, not 'inspite of'.

The air was clear and fresh, in spite of all the traffic.

In spite of his ill health, my father was always cheerful.

Be Careful!
Don't use 'in spite of' to say that something is not affected by any circumstances. Don't say, for example, 'Everyone can take part, in spite of their ability'. Say 'Everyone can take part regardless of their ability' or 'Everyone can take part whatever their ability'.

If she is determined to do something, she will do it regardless of what her parents say.

The gardens look beautiful whatever the time of year.

Be Careful!
Don't use 'in spite of' as a conjunction. Don't say, for example, 'In spite of we objected, they took our phones away '. Say 'Although we objected, they took our phones away'.

Maria kept her coat on, although it was warm in the room.

2. 'despite'

Despite means the same as in spite of. Don't say 'despite of'.

Despite the difference in their ages, they were close friends.

The school is going to be closed despite protests from local people.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

despite

Past participle: despited
Gerund: despiting

Imperative

despite

despite

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	despite - lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike; "he was held in contempt"; "the despite in which outsiders were held is legendary" contempt, disdain, scorn dislike - a feeling of aversion or antipathy; "my dislike of him was instinctive"
	2.	despite - contemptuous disregard; "she wanted neither favor nor despite" disregard, neglect - willful lack of care and attention

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

despite

preposition in spite of, in the face of, regardless of, even with, notwithstanding, in defiance of, in the teeth of, undeterred by, in contempt of Despite a thorough investigation, no sign of him has been found.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

despite

noun

1. The disposition boldly to defy or resist authority or an opposing force:

contempt, contumacy, defiance, recalcitrance, recalcitrancy.

2. The feeling of despising:

contempt, despisal, disdain, scorn.

3. An act that offends a person's sense of pride or dignity:

affront, contumely, indignity, insult, offense, outrage, slight.

Idiom: slap in the face.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

بِالرَّغْمبالرَّغْمِ من

navzdory

på trods aftrods

trotzBeleidigung

παρά

malgraŭ

a pesar de

jostakin huolimatta

malgréen dépit decontre

unatoč

òrátt fyrir

nonostantesebbenea dispetto diconmalgrado

･･･にもかかわらず

...에도 불구하고

nežiūrint

neraugoties uzpar spīti

ondanks

på tross avtil tross for

pomimo

apesar de

несмотря на

kljub

trots

แม้ว่า

karşınrağmen

mặc dù

尽管

despite

[dɪsˈpaɪt] PREP → a pesar de, pese a

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

despite

[dɪˈspaɪt] prep → malgré, en dépit de
despite being → en dépit du fait d'être
despite the fact that ... → en dépit du fait que ...

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

despite

prep → trotz (+gen); in despite of (old, liter) → trotz, ungeachtet (+gen); despite his warnings → seinen Warnungen zum Trotz; despite what she says → trotz allem, was sie sagt; I smiled despite myself → ich konnte mir ein Lächeln nicht verkneifen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

despite

[dɪsˈpaɪt] prep → malgrado, a dispetto di, nonostante

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

despite

(diˈspait) preposition

in spite of. He didn't get the job despite all his qualifications. in weerwil van, nieteenstaande بالرَّغْمِ من въпреки apesar de navzdory trotz trods; på trods af παρά, παρόλο που a pesar de (millelegi) vaatamata علی رغم؛ باوجود huolimatta malgréלמרות होने पर भी, बैर usprkos vminek ellenére walaupun þrátt fyrir malgrado ～にもかかわらず (~임에도) 불구하고 nežiūrint par spīti; neraugoties uz meskipun ondankstil tross for, på tross avmimo سره له دې: كينه: نفرت، كركه apesar de în ciuda несмотря на napriek kljub uprkos trots, oaktat ถึงอย่างไรก็ตาม rağmen 儘管 незважаючи на; всупереч باوجود یکہ mặc dù 尽管

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

despite

→ بِالرَّغْم navzdory på trods af trotz παρά a pesar de jostakin huolimatta malgré unatoč nonostante ･･･にもかかわらず ...에도 불구하고 ondanks på tross av pomimo apesar de несмотря на trots แม้ว่า karşın mặc dù 尽管

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009