Adjacent Words

Despite definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

DESPITE, n.
1. Extreme malice; violent hatred; malignity; malice irritated or enraged; active malignity; angry hatred.
With all thy despite against the land of israel. Ezek 25.
2. Defiance with contempt, or contempt of opposition.
He will rise to fame in despite of his enemies.
3. An act of malice or contempt; as a despite to the Most High.
DESPITE, v.t. To vex; to offend; to tease.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike; "he was held in contempt"; "the despite in which outsiders were held is legendary" [syn: contempt, disdain, scorn, despite]
2: contemptuous disregard; "she wanted neither favor nor despite"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French despit, from Latin despectus, from despicere Date: 13th century 1. the feeling or attitude of despising ; contempt 2. malice, spite 3. a. an act showing contempt or defiance b. detriment, disadvantage <I know of no government which stands to its obligations, even in its own despite, more solidly — Sir Winston Churchill> II. transitive verb (despited; despiting) Date: 14th century 1. archaic to treat with contempt 2. obsolete to provoke to anger ; vex III. preposition Date: 15th century in spite of <played despite an injury>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

prep. & n. --prep. in spite of. --n. archaic or literary 1 outrage, injury. 2 malice, hatred (died of mere despite). Phrases and idioms: despite (or in despite) of archaic in spite of. Derivatives: despiteful adj. Etymology: ME f. OF despit f. L despectus noun f. despicere (as DESPISE)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Despite De*spite", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Despited; p. pr. & vb. n. Despiting.] [OF. despitier, fr. L. despectare, intens. of despicere. See Despite, n.] To vex; to annoy; to offend contemptuously. [Obs.] --Sir W. Raleigh.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Despite De*spite", prep. In spite of; against, or in defiance of; notwithstanding; as, despite his prejudices. Syn: See Notwithstanding.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Despite De*spite", n. [OF. despit, F. d['e]pit, fr. L. despectus contempt, fr. despicere. See Despise, and cf. Spite, Despect.] 1. Malice; malignity; spite; malicious anger; contemptuous hate. With all thy despite against the land of Israel. --Ezek. xxv. 6. 2. An act of malice, hatred, or defiance; contemptuous defiance; a deed of contempt. A despite done against the Most High. --Milton. In despite, in defiance of another's power or inclination. In despite of, in defiance of; in spite of. See under Spite. ``Seized my hand in despite of my efforts to the contrary.'' --W. Irving. In your despite, in defiance or contempt of you; in spite of you. [Obs.]

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. You use despite to introduce a fact which makes the other part of the sentence surprising. The National Health Service has visibly deteriorated, despite increased spending... She will stand by husband, despite reports that he sent another woman love notes. = in spite of PREP: PREP n/-ing 2. If you do something despite yourself you do it although you did not really intend or expect to. Despite myself, Harry's remarks had caused me to stop and reflect. PREP: PREP pron-refl

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Malevolence, malignity, malice, spite. 2. Defiance, contempt, contemptuous opposition, contumacy. II. prep. Notwithstanding, in spite of, in the face of, in the teeth of.

Moby Thesaurus

Schadenfreude, abhorrence, abomination, affront, airs, arrogance, aspersion, at all costs, at any cost, atrocity, audacity, aversion, bold front, boldness, brash bearing, brashness, brassiness, bravado, brazenness, brickbat, bumptiousness, cattiness, cheekiness, clannishness, cliquishness, cockiness, cold shoulder, contempt, contemptuousness, contumacy, contumely, cut, daring, daringness, defial, defiance, defying, derision, despisal, detestation, discourtesy, disdain, disdainfulness, disfavor, disgust, dislike, disparagement, disregard, distaste, dump, enormity, even with, flouting, gibe, gloating pleasure, grudge, harm, hate, hatred, hauteur, humiliation, hurt, ignoring, ill will, impertinence, impudence, in defiance of, in despite of, in spite of, incivility, indignity, injury, insolence, insult, irregardless, irrespective of, jeer, jeering, loathing, malevolence, maliciousness, malignancy, malignity, mock, mockery, notwithstanding, offense, outrage, pertness, put-down, rebuff, recalcitrance, regardless, regardless of, regardless of cost, rejection, repudiation, ridicule, sauciness, scoff, scorn, scornfulness, scurrility, slap, slight, sniffiness, snobbishness, snootiness, snottiness, snub, sovereign contempt, spite, spite of, spitefulness, spleen, spurning, stubbornness, superciliousness, taunt, toploftiness, uncomplimentary remark, unholy joy, with