although

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UK/ɔːlˈðəʊ/US/ɔlˈðoʊ/US, cot caught merger/ɑlˈðoʊ/

conjunction

Though, even though, in spite of or despite the fact that: introducing a clause that expresses a concession.

“Although it was very muddy, the football game went on.”

Very commonScrabble 15

Meanings

conjunction

alternative nonstandard altho · alternative nonstandard altho' · alternative obsolete allthough

  1. Though, even though, in spite of or despite the fact that: introducing a clause that expresses a concession.

    Although it was very muddy, the football game went on.

    5 more examples

    The patients, (al)though getting stronger, will not come off their medications.

    Although proven, the accusation was ignored by the court.

    And moreover, much leſs can this poyſonouíneſs be produced from the Lead. For although it being long detained in the Body, and there reſolved, likeunto other Metals, (if it contract any ruſtineſs) it may poſſibly do hurt: but yet neverthleſs, that in this its moment any paſſage through the Body there ſhould be any poyſon imprinted by it upon the Body, this can no waybe.

    1661, Daniel Sennertus, Nicholas Culpeper, Abdiah Cole, “Of the Wounds by Gunshot”, in The Art of Chirurgery (Fifth Book of Of Practical Phyſick), Part IV Chap. 20, page 2695

    Although the Celebrity was almost impervious to sarcasm, he was now beginning to exhibit visible signs of uneasiness, the consciousness dawning upon him that his eccentricity was not receiving the ovation it merited.

    1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 78

    The story struck the depressingly familiar note with which true stories ring in the tried ears of experienced policemen.[…]The second note, the high alarum, not so familiar and always important since it indicates the paramount sin in Man's private calendar, took most of them by surprise although they had been well prepared.

    1963, Margery Allingham, “Eye Witness”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 249

    Synonyms: notwithstanding

  2. But, except.

    It was difficult, although not as difficult as we had expected.

Synonyms & antonyms

conjunctionThough, even though, in spite of or despite the fact that: introducing a clause that expresses a concession.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-der.?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂elnós
  3. Proto-Germanic*allaz
  4. Proto-West Germanic*all
  5. Old Englisheall
  6. Proto-Indo-European*to-
  7. Proto-Germanic*þau
  8. Proto-Germanic*þauh
  9. Proto-West Germanic*þauh
  10. Old Englishþēah
  11. Middle Englishalthagh
  12. Englishalthough

From Middle English althagh, from Old English compound of eall (“all (emphatic)”) + þēah (“though”). By surface analysis, al(l) + though.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek καίπερ
  • καίπερ (kaíper)in spite of the fact that
Arabic رَغْم أَنَّ, مَعَ أَنَّ
  • رَغْم أَنَّ (raḡm ʔanna)in spite of the fact that
  • مَعَ أَنَّ (maʕa ʔanna)in spite of the fact that
  • وَلَوْ (walaw)in spite of the fact that
Bulgarian макар че, въпреки че
  • макар че (makar če)in spite of the fact that
  • въпреки че (văpreki če)in spite of the fact that
  • при все че (pri vse če)in spite of the fact that
Catalan tot i que, malgrat que
  • tot i quein spite of the fact that
  • malgrat quein spite of the fact that
  • encara quein spite of the fact that
  • tot i quebut
  • malgrat quebut
Chinese Cantonese 雖然 /虽然, 儘管 /尽管
  • 雖然 /虽然 (seoi¹ jin⁴)in spite of the fact that
  • 儘管 /尽管 (zeon⁶ gun²)in spite of the fact that
Chinese Mandarin 雖然 /虽然, 儘管 /尽管
  • 雖然 /虽然 (suīrán)in spite of the fact that
  • 儘管 /尽管 (jǐnguǎn)in spite of the fact that
  • 雖說 /虽说 (suīshuō)in spite of the fact that
  • 但是 (dànshì)but
  • 可是 (kěshì)but
  • 不過 /不过 (bùguò)but
  • 然而 (rán'ér)but
Czech ač, ačkoliv
  • ačin spite of the fact that
  • ačkolivin spite of the fact that
Danish selvom, selv om
  • selvomin spite of the fact that
  • selv omin spite of the fact that
  • skøntin spite of the fact that
Dutch hoewel, hoewel
  • hoewelin spite of the fact that
  • hoewelbut
  • maarbut
Esperanto kvankam, tamen
  • kvankamin spite of the fact that
  • tamenbut
Finnish vaikka, joskin
  • vaikkain spite of the fact that
  • joskinin spite of the fact that
  • paitsibut
French bien que, combien que
  • bien quein spite of the fact that
  • combien quein spite of the fact that
  • encore quein spite of the fact that
  • nonobstant quein spite of the fact that
  • quoiquein spite of the fact that
  • tandis quein spite of the fact that
  • maisbut
German obwohl, trotzdem
  • obwohlin spite of the fact that
  • trotzdembut
Greek αν και, παρά
  • αν και (an kai)in spite of the fact that
  • παρά (pará)but
  • ωστόσο (ostóso)but
  • παρ’ όλ’ αυτά (par’ ól’ aftá)but
  • μολαταύτα (molatáfta)but
  • εντούτοις (entoútois)but
Hebrew למרות ש־, אף על פי ש־
  • למרות ש־ (lamrót she-)in spite of the fact that
  • אף על פי ש־ (af al pi she-)in spite of the fact that
  • אֲבָל (avál)but
  • אֶלָּא (éla)but
Hindi यद्यपि, हालाँकि
  • यद्यपि (yadyapi)in spite of the fact that
  • हालाँकि (hālā̃ki)in spite of the fact that
  • अगरचे (agarce)in spite of the fact that
Hungarian bár, de
  • bárin spite of the fact that
  • debut
  • viszontbut
  • azonbanbut
  • ámbut
  • ugyanakkorbut
Icelandic þó að, enda þótt
  • þó aðin spite of the fact that
  • enda þóttin spite of the fact that
Indonesian walau, walaupun
  • walauin spite of the fact that
  • walaupunin spite of the fact that
  • meskiin spite of the fact that
  • meskipunin spite of the fact that
  • tapibut
  • tetapibut
Irish cé go
  • cé goin spite of the fact that
Italian sebbene, benché
  • sebbenein spite of the fact that
  • benchéin spite of the fact that
  • ancorchéin spite of the fact that
Japanese ...のに, ...だけれども
  • ...のに (...noni)in spite of the fact that
  • ...だけれども (...da keredomo)in spite of the fact that
  • しかし (shikashi)but
  • でも (demo)but
Korean 하지만, -지만
  • 하지만 (hajiman)in spite of the fact that
  • -지만 (-jiman)in spite of the fact that
  • 비록 (birok)in spite of the fact that
Latin quamquam, ut
  • quamquamin spite of the fact that
  • utin spite of the fact that
Malay walau, walaupun
  • walauin spite of the fact that
  • walaupunin spite of the fact that
  • meskipunin spite of the fact that
  • tetapibut
Māori ahakoa
  • ahakoain spite of the fact that
Norwegian Bokmål selv om, om enn
  • selv omin spite of the fact that
  • om ennin spite of the fact that
  • skjøntin spite of the fact that
Polish choć, chociaż
  • choćin spite of the fact that
  • chociażin spite of the fact that
  • mimo żein spite of the fact that
  • aczkolwiekin spite of the fact that
  • luboin spite of the fact that
  • aczin spite of the fact that
  • jednakżebut
Portuguese embora, conquanto
  • emborain spite of the fact that
  • conquantoin spite of the fact that
  • apesar dein spite of the fact that
  • emborabut
  • apesar debut
Romanian deși, cu toate că
  • deșiin spite of the fact that
  • cu toate căin spite of the fact that
  • însăbut
Russian хотя́, несмотря́ на то́, что
  • хотя́ (xotjá)in spite of the fact that
  • несмотря́ на то́, что (nesmotrjá na tó, što)in spite of the fact that
  • хоть и (xotʹ i)in spite of the fact that
  • хоть (xotʹ)in spite of the fact that
  • одна́ко (odnáko)but
  • хотя́ (xotjá)but
Slovak hoci, aj keď
  • hociin spite of the fact that
  • aj keďin spite of the fact that
Spanish aunque, maguer
  • aunquein spite of the fact that
  • maguerin spite of the fact that
  • si bienin spite of the fact that
  • bien quein spite of the fact that
  • si quein spite of the fact that
  • aun cuandoin spite of the fact that
  • aunquebut
Swahili ingawa
  • ingawain spite of the fact that
Swedish fastän, trots att
  • fastänin spite of the fact that
  • trots attin spite of the fact that
  • ehuruin spite of the fact that
  • menbut
Thai แม้, ถึงจะ
  • แม้ (mɛ́ɛ)in spite of the fact that
  • ถึงจะin spite of the fact that
  • ทั้งที่ (táng-tîi)in spite of the fact that
  • ถึงแม้in spite of the fact that
  • ทั้ง ๆ (táng-táng)in spite of the fact that
Turkish rağmen, gerçi
  • rağmenin spite of the fact that
  • gerçibut
Ukrainian хоча́, хоч
  • хоча́ (xočá)in spite of the fact that
  • хоч (xoč)in spite of the fact that
  • не дивлячи́сь на те, що (ne dyvljačýsʹ na te, ščo)in spite of the fact that
Urdu حالان٘کِہ, اَگَرْچِہ
  • حالان٘کِہ (hālā̃ki)in spite of the fact that
  • اَگَرْچِہ (agarci)in spite of the fact that
  • اَلْبَتَّہ (albatta)in spite of the fact that
  • لیکِن (lekin)but
  • مَگَر (magar)but
Vietnamese dù, mặc dù
  • dùin spite of the fact that
  • mặc dùin spite of the fact that
  • dầuin spite of the fact that
  • nhưngbut
  • nhưng màbut
  • dưng cơbut
  • dưng cơ màbut
Welsh er
  • erin spite of the fact that
Yiddish הגם, כאָטש
  • הגם (hagam)in spite of the fact that
  • כאָטש (khotsh)in spite of the fact that

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with although

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

although. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/although

MLA

“although.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/although. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “although,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/although.

Source: although on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.