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despite

[ dih-spahyt ]
/ dɪˈspaɪt /
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See synonyms for: despite / despites on Thesaurus.com

preposition
in spite of; notwithstanding.
noun
contemptuous treatment; insult.
malice, hatred, or spite.
verb (used with object), de·spit·ed, de·spit·ing.
Obsolete. to anger or annoy (someone) out of spite.
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Idioms about despite

    in despite of, in spite of; notwithstanding: He was tolerant in despite of his background and education.

Origin of despite

1250–1300; originally in despite of;Middle English despit from Old French from Latin dēspectus “view from a height, scorn,” equivalent to dēspec-, variant stem of dēspicere (see despicable) + -tus suffix of verbal action

synonym study for despite

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for despite

despite
/ (dɪˈspaɪt) /

preposition
in spite of; undeterred by
noun
archaic contempt; insult
in despite of (preposition) rare in spite of
verb
(tr) an archaic word for spite

Word Origin for despite

C13: from Old French despit, from Latin dēspectus contempt; see despise
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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