Trivia Time

Which author wrote a famous quote beginning with the word though that helped inspire the phrase "a method to the madness"?

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though

American  

[thoh] / ðoʊ /

conjunction

1. (used in introducing a subordinate clause, which is often marked by ellipsis) notwithstanding that; in spite of the fact that; although.

   Though he tried very hard, he failed the course.

2. even if; granting that (often preceded byeven ).

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adverb

1. for all that; however.

idioms

1. as though, as if.

   It seems as though the place is deserted.

though British  

/ ðəʊ /

conjunction

1. (sometimes preceded by even) despite the fact that

   though he tries hard, he always fails

   poor though she is, her life is happy

2. as if

   he looked as though he'd seen a ghost

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adverb

1. nevertheless; however

   he can't dance: he sings well, though

though More Idioms  

1. see as if (though).

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Commonly Confused

Among some conservatives there is a traditional objection to the use of though in place of although as a conjunction. However, the latter (earlier all though ) was originally an emphatic form of the former, and there is nothing in contemporary English usage to justify such a distinction.

Etymology

Origin of though

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English thoh, from Old Norse thō; replacing Old English thēah; cognate with German doch, Gothic thauh

Explanation

Though is fine conjunction. It's no "but" or "however", though it is a useful word, when you want let a reader know that two ideas are opposing one another. There are two basic kinds of the so-called coordinating conjunctions: those that connect similar thoughts — for example, "and" — and those that disconnect similar thoughts — for instance, "but" and "however." Though fits into the second category. For example "Though Prince is considered 'older' by rock-star standards, his concerts put those of most kids half his age to shame." The "though" in that sentence gets its power from the comma at the midpoint, because that's where the two opposing ideas meet. The word Though at the beginning tells us to look for that comma.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

though

Ukrainian troops have periodically delivered food and other supplies by drone from across the river, though Ukrainian officials say Russian forces sometimes intercept the packages, or punish those caught receiving them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

Yet again, a post-match focus centred on how much Carrick's team ran, even though running for the sake of it has proved to be of little benefit.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

However, even though Broadcom and Oracle have also seen their earnings estimates rise, those increases haven’t been enough to offset their sharper multiple contractions.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2026

The Chargers scored 14, 14 and 16 points in the first three games, and though they reached 23 at Seattle last Sunday, Herbert absorbed his most physical beating of the season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

It certainly wasn’t EG, who was already smiling, already seemed to have the world all figured out, though cuddling her was very good.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Related Words

• although
• even if
• even though
• yet