nonetheless
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of nonetheless
First recorded in 1840–50; from the phrase none the less
Compare meaning
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Explanation
This is a word that people don't usually stop and define. They use it to link two seemingly contradictory thoughts. Nonetheless, it does have a definition. It means "in spite of." Break this word up to examine its meaning: None-the-less means that the statement you've just made does not diminish or make less what comes next. We are not at all prepared to climb this mountain, nonetheless we are going to try.
Vocabulary lists containing nonetheless
100 SAT Words Beginning with "N"
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Because of Mr. Terupt
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"A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs. Long," Vocabulary from the poem
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If Miliband’s speech and the accompanying announcements were largely symbolic, the symbolism was nonetheless powerful.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
New sanctions are nonetheless unlikely because Iran's allies China and Russia have veto powers in the council.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
But I was nonetheless relieved that Pericles’ happy ending is intact — a reassuring sight in our age of successive disasters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
Acknowledging that he lacked statutory authority to ban material from the mail, he nonetheless ruled against delivery of the abolitionist periodicals.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
“We gotta get outta here,” I say, a little unsteady on my feet but standing nonetheless.
From "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
