despite

D2E1S1P3I1T1E1
UK/dɪˈspaɪt/

preposition

In spite of, notwithstanding.

“Despite being a near-mirror image my of right, my left hand is terrible at these stuff.”

Similar
in spite ofmaugrewithfor allirrespective ofnotwithstandingregardless ofwithout considering
Opposite
because of
OriginMiddle English despit ← Old French despit ← Latin dēspectum →
Very commonScrabble 10
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Meanings

despite1

preposition

alternative obsolete despight

  1. In spite of, notwithstanding.

    Despite being a near-mirror image my of right, my left hand is terrible at these stuff.

    5 more examples

    So thou through windowes of thine age ſhalt ſee, Diſpight of wrinkles this thy goulden time.

    1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 3”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC

    Yet doe thy worſt old Time diſpight thy wrong, My loue ſhall in my verſe euer liue young.

    1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 19”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC

    The highway to the East Coast which ran through the borough of Ebbfield had always been a main road and even now, despite the vast garages, the pylons and the gaily painted factory glasshouses which had sprung up beside it, there still remained an occasional trace of past cultures.

    1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 7, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC

    Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage.

    1995, Billy Corgan, “Bullet with Butterfly Wings”, in Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, performed by Smashing Pumpkins

    Despite personal schisms and differences in spiritual experience, there is a very coherent theology of Snape shared between the wives. To examine this manifestation of religious fandom, I will first discuss the canon scepticism and anti-Rowling sentiment that helps to contextualise the wider belief in Snape as a character who extends beyond book and film.

    2014 March 3, Zoe Alderton, “‘Snapewives’ and ‘Snapeism’: A Fiction-Based Religion within the Harry Potter Fandom”, in Religions, volume 5, number 1, MDPI, →DOI, pages 219–257

    Synonyms: in spite of, maugre, with, for all, irrespective of, notwithstanding, regardless of, without considering

noundespite (countable and uncountable, plural despites)

plural despites · alternative obsolete despight

  1. countableobsoleteuncountableDisdain, contemptuous feelings, hatred.

    all thy despite against the land of Israel

    1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Ezekiel 25:6
    2 more examples

    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,

    c. 1515–1516, published 1568, John Skelton, Againſt venemous tongues enpoyſoned with ſclaunder and falſe detractions &c.

    Thou waſt euer an obſtinate heretique in the deſpight of Beautie.

    1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]
  2. archaiccountableuncountableAction or behaviour displaying such feelings; an outrage, insult.

    a deſpite done againſt the Moſt High

    1667, John Milton, “Book VI”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC
    2 more examples

    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

    1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “iiij”, in Le Morte Darthur, book II

    Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye, shall hee be thought worthy, who hath troden vnder foote þe Sonne of God, and hath counted the blood of the couenant wherwith he was sanctified, an vnholy thing, and hath done despite vnto the spirit of grace?

    1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Hebrews 10:29
  3. countableuncountableEvil feeling; malice, spite, annoyance.

    And for these Corcyraeans—neither receive them into alliance in our despite, nor be their abettors in crime.

    1874, Thucydides, translated by Richard Crawley, The Peloponnesian War
    1 more example

    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.

    1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter I, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 3

despite2

verbdespite (third-person singular simple present despites, present participle despiting, simple past and past participle despited)

present singular third person despites · participle present despiting · participle past despited · past despited · alternative obsolete despight

  1. obsoleteTo vex; to annoy; to offend contemptuously.

    to despite his opposites

    1614, Walter Ralegh [i.e., Walter Raleigh], The Historie of the World […], London: […] William Stansby for Walter Burre, […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=1 to 5)

Synonyms & antonyms

prepositionIn spite of, notwithstanding.

Similar
in spite ofmaugrewithfor allirrespective ofnotwithstandingregardless ofwithout consideringwithout regard for
Opposite
because of

More synonyms by meaning

nounlack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike

Similar
contemptdisdainscorn
Broader
dislike
Also see
contemptdisdainin spite ofirrespective ofmaugrenotwithstandingregardless ofscorn

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

despite · preposition, noun

  1. Middle Englishdispit
  2. Latindēspectum“looking down on”
  3. Old Frenchdespit
  4. Middle Englishdespit
  5. Englishdespite

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).

More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

despite · verb

  1. Old Frenchdespitier
  2. Middle Englishdespite
  3. Englishdespite

From Middle English despite, dispite, dyspite, dyspyte, from Old French despitier.

More words from Middle English, Old French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek κατά
  • κατά (katá)in spite of
Arabic رَغْمَ, بِالرَّغْمِ مِن
  • رَغْمَ (raḡma)in spite of
  • بِالرَّغْمِ مِن (bi-r-raḡmi min)in spite of
  • مَعَ (maʕa)in spite of
Basque gora-behera ere
  • gora-behera erein spite of
Bulgarian въ́преки
  • въ́преки (vắpreki)in spite of
Catalan malgrat, tot i que
  • malgratin spite of
  • tot i quein spite of
  • encara quein spite of
  • tot iin spite of
Chinese Mandarin 儘管 /尽管, 不顧 /不顾
  • 儘管 /尽管in spite of
  • 不顧 /不顾 (bùgù)in spite of
  • 不管 (bùguǎn)in spite of
  • 任憑 /任凭 (rènpíng)in spite of
  • 即使 (jíshǐ)in spite of
Czech přes, vzdor
  • přesin spite of
  • vzdorin spite of
  • navzdoryin spite of
Danish på trods af, trods
  • på trods afin spite of
  • trodsin spite of
Dutch ondanks
  • ondanksin spite of
Esperanto malgraŭ, spite, ke
  • malgraŭin spite of
  • spite, kein spite of
  • spite alin spite of
  • spitein spite of
Estonian hoolimata, vaatamata
  • hoolimatain spite of
  • vaatamatain spite of
Finnish huolimatta
  • huolimattain spite of
French en dépit de, malgré
  • en dépit dein spite of
  • malgréin spite of
German trotz
  • trotzin spite of
Greek παρά
  • παρά (pará)in spite of
Hebrew לַמְרוֹת
  • לַמְרוֹת (lamrót)in spite of
Hindi के बावजूद
  • के बावजूद (ke bāvjūd)in spite of
Hungarian ellenére, annak ellenére, hogy…
  • ellenérein spite of
  • annak ellenére, hogy…in spite of
  • dacárain spite of
  • dacára, hogy…in spite of
Icelandic þrátt fyrir
  • þrátt fyririn spite of
Irish in ainneoin, d'ainneoin
  • in ainneoinin spite of
  • d'ainneoinin spite of
  • ainneoinin spite of
Italian nonostante, sebbene
  • nonostantein spite of
  • sebbenein spite of
  • malgradoin spite of
Japanese ...にも関わらず
  • ...にも関わらず (...nimo kakawarazu)in spite of
Korean 에도 불구하고
  • 에도 불구하고 (-e-do bulguhago)in spite of
Latin quamquam
  • quamquamin spite of
Latvian par spīti
  • par spītiin spite of
Lithuanian nepaisant
  • nepaisantin spite of
Malay walaupun
  • walaupunin spite of
Norwegian Bokmål til tross for
  • til tross forin spite of
Persian علیرغم, بهرغم
  • علیرغم ('alâraġm-e)in spite of
  • بهرغم (be-raġm-e)in spite of
  • باوجود (bâvojud-e)in spite of
Polish mimo, pomimo
  • mimoin spite of
  • pomimoin spite of
  • wbrewin spite of
  • na przekórin spite of
Portuguese a despeito de, apesar de
  • a despeito dein spite of
  • apesar dein spite of
  • não obstantein spite of
Romanian în ciuda, cu toate că
  • în ciudain spite of
  • cu toate căin spite of
Russian несмотря́ на, вопреки́
  • несмотря́ на (nesmotrjá na)in spite of
  • вопреки́ (voprekí)in spite of
  • напереко́р (naperekór)in spite of
  • невзира́я на (nevzirája na)in spite of
Scottish Gaelic a dh'aindeoin
  • a dh'aindeoinin spite of
Slovak napriek, navzdor
  • napriekin spite of
  • navzdorin spite of
  • protiin spite of
Spanish pese a, maguer
  • pese ain spite of
  • maguerin spite of
Swahili licha ya
  • licha yain spite of
Swedish trots
  • trotsin spite of
Turkish rağmen, karşın
  • rağmenin spite of
  • karşınin spite of
Ukrainian незважа́ючи на, всу́переч
  • незважа́ючи на (nezvažájučy na)in spite of
  • всу́переч (vsúpereč)in spite of
  • по́при (pópry)in spite of
Urdu باوُجُود, کے باوُجُود
  • باوُجُود (bāvujūd)in spite of
  • کے باوُجُود (ke bāvujūd)in spite of
Vietnamese mặc dù, không kể
  • mặc dùin spite of
  • không kểin spite of
  • bất chấpin spite of

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with despite

sitecopyrightrightnightlightwritemightquiteflightfightheighttonightbrightsightovernightwrightknightinvitelitebyteslightfinitecitedelight
All rhymes →

Anagrams

septide
Cite this entry
APA

despite. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/despite

MLA

“despite.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/despite. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “despite,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/despite.

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