despite his efforts

USAGE SUMMARY

"despite his efforts" is a correct and usable part of a sentence in written English.
An example sentence would be: Despite his efforts, John was unable to complete the project before the deadline.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

So despite his efforts, they were put into foster care.

Princeton University

Despite his efforts, however, the drawings look elegant.

The New York Times - Arts

Despite his efforts, Morrison remains incredulous of ocean rowing.

The New York Times - Sports

Despite his efforts, Mara could not ignore what went on.

The New York Times - Sports

Despite his efforts, the Democrats took a beating in the midterm elections.

Harvard University

Despite his efforts, the peace talks with the FARC have made little progress in two years.

The Economist

Rybolovlev had become known as a top buyer, despite his efforts to keep a low profile.

The New Yorker

Despite his efforts to cling on he is being forced to quit next March.

The Economist

This, he said, is despite his efforts to cut back on energy use.

The New York Times

Despite his efforts, there is still plenty of bickering within the party.

The New York Times

(Despite his efforts in advance of the German invasion, Otto was unable to obtain a visa).

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "despite his efforts", ensure the sentence clearly indicates the contrasting outcome or result. This strengthens the phrase's impact and avoids ambiguity.

Common error

Avoid using "despite his efforts" when the outcome is actually a direct result of those efforts. The phrase is intended to show contrast, not causation.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "despite his efforts" functions as a prepositional phrase introducing a contrast or concession. It sets up a situation where an expected positive outcome did not occur, as illustrated in Ludwig's examples.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Academia

18%

Wiki

13%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

8%

Huffington Post

6%

Los Angeles Times

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "despite his efforts" is a commonly used prepositional phrase that introduces a contrast between someone's attempt and the actual outcome. As verified by Ludwig, this phrase is grammatically correct and suitable for various contexts, particularly in news, academic writing, and general communication. When using this phrase, make sure that the sentence expresses a genuine contrast and not a direct causation. Alternatives include "in spite of his attempts" and "notwithstanding his endeavors". The phrase serves to highlight the futility of an action when an intended result does not occur.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

in spite of his attempts

Uses "in spite of" instead of "despite" and "attempts" instead of "efforts", offering a slightly different wording with the same meaning.

notwithstanding his endeavors

Replaces "efforts" with a more formal synonym "endeavors" and "despite" with "notwithstanding", making it more suitable for formal contexts.

even with his striving

Replaces "despite" with "even with" and "efforts" with "striving", emphasizing the continuous nature of the attempt.

despite all he did

Broadens the scope to encompass everything the person did, not just their efforts.

regardless of his exertion

Substitutes "despite" with "regardless of" and "efforts" with "exertion", highlighting the energy expended.

his best efforts aside

A more idiomatic expression that sets aside the efforts made.

his work notwithstanding

A more concise and formal way of expressing the same idea, placing "work" at the forefront.

even though he struggled

Highlights the difficulty faced during the attempt, replacing "efforts" with the idea of "struggled".

although he tried

A simpler and more direct alternative, focusing on the act of trying.

for all his trouble

Emphasizes the negative outcome in relation to the trouble or effort taken.

FAQs

How can I use "despite his efforts" in a sentence?

You can use "despite his efforts" to show a contrast between someone's attempt and the eventual outcome. For example, "Despite his efforts, the team lost the game".

What are some alternatives to saying "despite his efforts"?

Alternatives include phrases like "in spite of his attempts", "notwithstanding his endeavors", or "even with his striving".

Is it correct to say "in spite of his efforts" instead of "despite his efforts"?

Yes, "in spite of his efforts" is a grammatically correct and semantically similar alternative to "despite his efforts". Both phrases indicate that something happened contrary to someone's attempt.

What's the difference between "despite his efforts" and "because of his efforts"?

The phrase "despite his efforts" indicates that something occurred contrary to what was attempted. In contrast, "because of his efforts" suggests that something happened as a direct result of the actions taken. They have opposite meanings.