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.
But others said it had nonetheless come up in conversations.
From Barron's • Jun. 29, 2026
“Maddie’s Secret” might not have the same factual background as its selling point, but it’s indisputably authentic nonetheless.
From Salon • Jun. 22, 2026
But it was flying inside nonetheless and emblazoned on t-shirts.
From BBC • Jun. 16, 2026
But the portfolio’s market-lagging return nonetheless demonstrates the obstacles that the largest stocks face.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 15, 2026
If the explanation had not satisfied S.Q., it had nonetheless created in him the strong impression that he ought to be satisfied, and so he laughed and said, “I see, yes. Of course.”
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
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.
