as in notwithstanding
without being prevented by
we went to the party despite the bad weather outside
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in contempt
open dislike for someone or something considered unworthy of one's concern or respect
pointedly ignored his false friend out of despite
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in malice
the desire to cause pain for the satisfaction of doing harm
sheer despite was the sole reason for her hurtful comments
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in disadvantage
the negative result caused by something that creates difficulty for achieving success
baffled as to why working-class voters would vote in despite of their own economic interests
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of despite
al, 6 May 2020
Los Angeles County beaches will remain closed for the time being, despite other coastal stretches reopening — with limitations — this week in nearby Orange County with the state’s blessing.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2020
Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2023
Westbrook recently scored a triple-double despite shooting 7-for-27 from the floor.
—Bruce Jenkins, SFChronicle.com, 7 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for despite
Preposition
Through the family’s ups and downs, Copeland was a steadying presence, despite his disability.
—al, 6 May 2020
Los Angeles County beaches will remain closed for the time being, despite other coastal stretches reopening — with limitations — this week in nearby Orange County with the state’s blessing.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2020
Noun
Despite the fact that the age of female winners has been steadily increasing in the last despite, the average female Oscar winner is 39 years old, according to a Sky News 2023 report—almost a decade younger than the average male winner at 47.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2023
Westbrook recently scored a triple-double despite shooting 7-for-27 from the floor.
—Bruce Jenkins, SFChronicle.com, 7 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for despite
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despite
Preposition
-
Injuries to others notwithstanding, some might have questioned the inclusion of Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins in the starting line-up given Aston Villa’s poor start to the season.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
-
My life has been pretty much pain-free thankfully (existential crises notwithstanding).—
Ronnie Koenig,
SELF,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The arrest comes days after a federal judge in Utah issued a warrant ordering authorities to arrest Sparks for contempt of court in connection with a Clean Air Act lawsuit filed by Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment in 2017.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
7 Oct. 2025
-
The upshot of this contempt is a season that layers hypocrisy as well as sanctimony over the grubby, tedious nihilism that made Dahmer so miserable to watch.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Portrayed throughout the season as an unholy fool of sorts, free of malice and premeditation and utterly harmless once properly medicated, Ed redeems himself to a certain extent.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Understand that controlling behaviors may stem from fear and insecurity rather than malice.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Japan and the European Union now have tariffs at that level, putting South Korea at a competitive disadvantage.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
10 Oct. 2025
-
In the weeks and months leading up to Ruiz’s trial, Judge Bill Lewis made several decisions that, according to Ruiz’s lawyer, put his client at a disadvantage.—
Amy Yurkanin,
ProPublica,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Some earlier African intellectuals looked at Black America with pity, even disdain.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Monster doesn’t have answers for these questions, just a general disdain for Americans and broad observations about our own cowardice.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The Giants didn’t finish with an 81-81 record because of Melvin or in spite of him.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
The housing authority's board later renominated Lowe in spite of the earlier denial, a move that put the decision on a successor in the hands of the Board of Directors.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Marco Aguilera, the Fort Lauderdale chief waterways officer, applied for the grant, which will cover 75 percent of eligible expenses for five years.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Jenny Rosales’ brother, Fernando Rosales, organized a GoFundMe to raise money for funeral expenses.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Historically, political movements die when they become subsumed by paranoid Jew-hatred.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
-
This isn’t quite like other rivalries, such as the Iron Bowl or Georgia-Georgia Tech, where coaches motivate their players by talking up their hatred of the other team.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Despite.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despite. Accessed 12 Oct. 2025.
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