despite all our work

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "despite all our work" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to express a contrast between the effort put into something and an outcome that is not as expected or desired. Example: "Despite all our work, we were unable to meet the project deadline."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

"Despite all our work," Ms. Walters said, "they ignored pretty much everything we recommended".

The New York Times

Despite all our work, Nixon expanded the bombing of North Vietnamese cities throughout 1972.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

"What only her colleagues know is that her suggestions improve the opinions the rest of us write, and that she is a source of collegiality and good judgment in all our work". Despite their political and ideological differences, Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg were close friends.

HuffPost

Despite all our good work, what don't we know about this situation?

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Remarkably, this agreement occurs despite the fact that all our work was undertaken on undifferentiated sub-confluent cells in submersion culture where we cannot conclude that (open or closed) CFTR was present at an apical membrane or in a particular lipid raft fraction as proposed by Vij and colleagues.

Plosone

Despite all our hard work, we are sure that we have missed some cars and over (or under) estimated the top speeds of others.

Forbes

If any of your close family and deep friendships have a lot of trouble with it despite all your work, give them time to grieve.

WikiHow

"Despite all of our essential prevention work, it is a sad fact that terrorist attacks can and do happen.

The Guardian

Despite all of this work, which involved adding and dropping songs and sizable revisions to the script, many of the out-of-town reviews remained mixed.

The New York Times

Yet despite all teachers' extra work educational standards have not improved since the mid-1990s, according to a recent report [pdf] from the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM).

The Guardian

Despite all his theatre work, Mature's first leading role consisted merely of grunts, groans and gestures as a Stone Age man in One Million BC (1940).

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "despite all our work", ensure that the sentence clearly contrasts the effort expended with an unexpected or undesirable outcome. This emphasizes the magnitude of the unexpected result.

Common error

Avoid using "despite all our work" when the outcome is positive or expected. The phrase is meant to highlight a contrast between effort and result, not to simply acknowledge effort.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "despite all our work" functions as a prepositional phrase that introduces a contrasting element to a statement. It typically modifies a clause, indicating that the outcome or situation is unexpected or contrary to what one might assume given the amount of effort invested. This is supported by Ludwig's examples.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Academia

30%

Science

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Wiki

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "despite all our work" is a grammatically correct and commonly used prepositional phrase that introduces a contrast between significant effort and an unexpected or undesirable outcome. Ludwig AI analysis and examples demonstrate its use across diverse contexts, including news, academia, and science, with a neutral register. When writing, use this phrase to effectively highlight the irony or frustration of effort not yielding expected results. Alternative phrases such as "in spite of all our efforts" can be used for stylistic variation. Remember to consider how Ludwig's examples illustrate that using this phrase makes it clear to your readers that what happened wasn't supposed to happen despite the work involved.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

in spite of all our efforts

Replaces "despite" with "in spite of", maintaining the same meaning but with a slightly more formal tone.

notwithstanding all our work

Uses "notwithstanding" instead of "despite", resulting in a more formal and emphatic statement.

despite our best efforts

Focuses on the quality of the effort rather than the quantity of work.

even with all our work

Shifts the focus slightly to highlight the presence of effort alongside the unexpected outcome.

regardless of all our work

Emphasizes that the outcome occurred irrespective of the work done.

for all our labor

A more literary or old-fashioned way of saying "despite all our work".

though we worked hard

A simpler and more direct way of expressing the contrast between effort and result.

after all our work

Implies a sequence of events where the work preceded the unexpected result.

in the face of all our work

Presents the situation as a challenge or obstacle that the work was unable to overcome.

with all our work having been done

Highlights the completion of the work before the unexpected outcome.

FAQs

What does "despite all our work" mean?

The phrase "despite all our work" indicates that even though a significant amount of effort has been put into something, the desired outcome has not been achieved or a negative consequence has occurred.

How can I use "despite all our work" in a sentence?

You can use it to show a contrast between effort and result, such as, "Despite all our work, the project failed to meet its deadline".

What can I say instead of "despite all our work"?

You can use alternatives like "in spite of all our efforts", "regardless of all our work", or "even with all our work" depending on the context.

Is there a difference between "despite all our work" and "in spite of all our work"?

The phrases "despite all our work" and "in spite of all our efforts" are largely interchangeable and carry the same meaning. The choice often comes down to personal preference.