What does "despite" mean?
Disdain, contemptuous feelings, hatred.
Despite
noun, prep, verb
noun, prep, verb ·2 syllables ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Disdain, contemptuous feelings, hatred.
- Grammar: despite is listed as noun, prep, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abhorrence, abomination, affront, against.
- Useful contrasts: ar apps for learning, due, altho.
- Usage evidence: Despite the importance of sleep, its purpose is a mystery.
How to use "despite"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "despite" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "despite" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "despite" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "despite" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "despite" is acting as noun, prep, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abhorrence" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "despite", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Disdain, contemptuous feelings, hatred. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"A fals double tunge is more fiers and fell Then Cerberus the cur couching in the kenel of hel; Wherof hereafter, I thinke for to write,"
- 2 contemptuous disregard wordnet
- 3 Action or behaviour displaying such feelings; an outrage, insult. archaic, countable, uncountable
"he aſked kynge Arthur yf he wold gyue hym leue to ryde after Balen and to reuenge the deſpyte that he had done Doo your beſt ſaid Arthur I am right wroth ſaid Balen I wold he were quyte of the deſpyte that he hath done to me and to my Courte"
- 4 lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike wordnet
- 5 Evil feeling; malice, spite, annoyance. countable, uncountable
"How often am I obliged to speak mal à propos, because my features are not sufficiently charming in a state of repose!—how often is my ingenuity racked to find a word, when a look would have been far better! I am compelled to be amusing, in my own despite."
Verb
- 1 To vex; to annoy; to offend contemptuously. obsolete
"to despite his opposites"
Preposition
- 1 In spite of, not with standing.
"Despite being a near-mirror image my of right, my left hand is terrible at these stuff."
Example
"Despite the importance of sleep, its purpose is a mystery."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "despite"?
Common synonyms include: abhorrence, abomination, affront, against, airs, arrogance.
How do you use "despite" in a sentence?
Despite the importance of sleep, its purpose is a mystery.
Etymology
Etymology 1
The noun is derived from Middle English despit, dispit, from Old French despit, from Latin dēspectum (“looking down on”), from dēspiciō (“to look down, despise”). The preposition is derived from Middle English dispit, itself derived from the phrase in dispit of (in despite of). Compare typologically Russian несмотря́ на (nesmotrjá na) (< смотре́ть (smotrétʹ)); невзира́я на (nevzirája na) (< взира́ть (vzirátʹ)), презре́в (prezrév) (< презре́ть (prezrétʹ) <~ зреть (zretʹ)) (compare despite—despise relation).
Etymology 2
From Middle English despite, dispite, dyspite, dyspyte, from Old French despitier.