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
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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
-
Their loss in Florida notwithstanding, the B’sBoston’s ability to score goals has far exceeded preseason expectations, even those of the team architects.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
3 Apr. 2026
-
That demand has proven difficult to meet within the traditional constraints of the Justice Department, and notwithstanding the fact that any potential prosecution brought against a Democrat is only as good as the facts that make up the case.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The committee previously held Bill and Hillary Clinton in contempt for refusing to comply with subpoenas related to the same Epstein investigation.—
Stephen Groves,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
For his followers, blaspheming the Holocaust and celebrating Hitler became a way to signal contempt for the political religion of postwar liberalism.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Nancy’s malice ran the gamut from the petty to the pivotal.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Officers arrested Granger on Tuesday and charged him with rape, aggravated assault, malice murder, and two counts of felony murder.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The era of the concert hall was at hand, and the same qualities that had made the mandolin attractive at home now put it at a disadvantage.—
Tim Parks,
New Yorker,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Those will be difficult headwinds for Whatley to combat, Bitzer and Roberts both said, especially since members of the sitting president’s party already tend to be at a disadvantage in competitive midterm elections.—
Mary Ramsey
April 9,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The disdain there is more visceral because of a 2017 incident in which Machado slid hard past the bag and had his spike collide with the calf of beloved second baseman Dustin Pedroia.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Apr. 2026
-
His first target of hatred and disdain?—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But that other supplier would have to try to reverse engineer that particular dye—formulas for dyes and colorants were, in spite of being in service to the war effort, still proprietary—and backward engineering color from a finished product is a crapshoot.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Apr. 2026
-
This was in spite of the defendants being allowed in the course of the trial to note that Gutierrez had a prior conviction.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The victim’s family launched an online fundraiser to help pay his funeral expenses.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
One alderman who employs pension-eligible part-time staffers showed the Tribune ward expense reports from 2024 and 2025 that did not account for their pension costs.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Gracie’s discovery is squelched and this character’s value to the play comes in establishing how institutional silence can have an equally pernicious impact on confronting social hatreds.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
7 Apr. 2026
-
There is nothing quite like the theater and hatred that comes when the Penguins and Flyers share a sheet of ice.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Despite.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despite. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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