whereas

[ wair-az, hwair- ]

/ wɛərˈæz, ʰwɛər- /

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See synonyms for whereas on Thesaurus.com

conjunction

while on the contrary: One arrived promptly, whereas the others hung back.

it being the case that, or considering that (used especially in formal preambles).

noun, plural where·as·es.

a qualifying or introductory statement, especially one having “whereas” as the first word: to read the whereases in the will.

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of whereas

1300–50; Middle English wheras;see where, as¹

Words nearby whereas

where, whereabout, whereabouts, whereafter, Where are the snows of yesteryear?, whereas, whereat, whereby, where'd, where do we go from here, where'er

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use whereas in a sentence

“Personal hotspots can get speeds of up to 60 Mb/s down, whereas hotel Wi-Fi can be as slow as 1.5 Mb/s,” Sesar said.
How ‘Ethical’ Hotel Chain Marriott Gouges Guests in the Name of Wi-Fi Security|Kyle Chayka|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But whereas we used to be satisfied gazing on that perfection as it stood up on a pedestal, now we want it down among us.
Bow Down, Bitches: How Beyoncé Turned an Elevator Brawl Into a Perfect Year|Kevin Fallon|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Whereas other brands purchase their barrels from big producers more or less off the rack, The Macallan starts in the forest.
How Much Do Whisky Casks Really Affect Taste?||December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Oh, and that his profile on Twitter and his name elsewhere say “Ian Miles Cheong” whereas mine says “Arthur Chu.”
Rage Against GamerGate’s Hate Machine: What I Got For Speaking Up|Arthur Chu|November 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Japanese distillers often use a combination of different types of stills and different casks, whereas the Scots cannot.
Watch Out, Scotland! Japanese Whisky Is on the Rise|Kayleigh Kulp|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Whereas Lessard had acted the martinet with MacRae, he took another tack and became the very essence of affability toward me.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Such an act would be of a piece with Nigel's character, whereas a liaison—and yet Nigel was no saint.
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens
One black key is made to serve, for instance, for D sharp and for E flat, whereas the two notes are in reality not identical.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller
It 67 was that the piece which reads smoothly seldom acts well; whereas a play that gets over the footlights usually reads poorly.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage|Gertrude W. Morrison
Moreover, Rita liked him, whereas she had never sincerely liked and trusted Sir Lucien.
Dope|Sax Rohmer

British Dictionary definitions for whereas

whereas

/ (wɛərˈæz) /

conjunction

(coordinating) but on the other handI like to go swimming whereas Sheila likes to sail

sentence connector

(in formal documents to begin sentences) it being the case that; since

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

whereas

Origin of whereas

Words nearby whereas

Words related to whereas

How to use whereas in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for whereas