despite however

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "despite however" is not correct and usable in written English.
It is a redundancy, as both "despite" and "however" serve to introduce contrasting ideas. Example: "Despite however hard I tried, I couldn't finish the project on time."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

12 human-written examples

As the Times story explained, Bloomberg famously discourages the use of words like "but," "despite," "however," "although" and "allow to," and those same words are pretty much off-limits to Businessweek, too.

Huffington Post

The obvious solution was to bring them into the US, but the Bush administration clung to the flimsy excuse that it could not allow immigrants into the US with connections to terrorist organisations, despite however tenuous the connection to ETIM.

The Guardian - Opinion

But it's one text per group, despite however many members you have in the group.

TechCrunch

Despite however all the profound advantages of their usage, a key challenge limiting the widespread adoption of WSNs is the energy constraint (Khan et al. 2015; Rawat et al. 2014; Batool et al. 2014; Ahamed et al. 2013; Anastasi et al. 2009).

Complex Adaptive Systems Modeling

Despite, however, Śabara's probably warranted confidence that his interlocutors could never be in a position to show that sentences regarding the post-mortem careers of Vedic practitioners are falsified, the burden of proof will surely be thought by most to remain on him.

SEP

'Despite however many mortars or rockets Palestinians may have fired, they have been targeted by magnitudes more of Israeli ordnance.'.

Vice

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

48 human-written examples

Despite appearances, however, he is no socialist.

The Economist

Despite this, however, season four has proved involving.

The Guardian - TV & Radio

Despite appearances, however, this did not seem to be a case of paradoxical undressing either.

The New York Times

Despite that, however, there is no indication that the constraints are being loosened.

The New York Times

Despite this, however, both rGO and pG had antibacterial activity.

Nanoscale Research Letters

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Consider using stronger, more concise transition words like "nevertheless" or "nonetheless" for a more polished writing style.

Common error

Do not combine "despite" and "however" as they both serve the same function of indicating contrast. Using them together creates unnecessary wordiness and detracts from clarity.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "despite however" functions as a conjunctional phrase attempting to introduce a contrasting element. However, Ludwig AI identifies it as incorrect due to redundancy, as both words serve the same purpose. Examples available reinforce the notion that it is better to use one or the other, not both.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Science

30%

Wiki

20%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "despite however" is generally considered grammatically incorrect due to its redundant nature. As highlighted by Ludwig AI, both "despite" and "however" function to introduce a contrasting element, making their combination unnecessary and awkward. While it may appear in various sources, including news and media, it's best to opt for clearer and more concise alternatives like "nevertheless", "nonetheless", or simply using "despite" or "however" alone. This ensures better clarity and professionalism in your writing, particularly in formal or academic contexts.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

nevertheless

Single word replacing both conjunctions, maintains formality.

nonetheless

Similar to 'nevertheless', another single-word replacement.

even so

A more concise and slightly informal alternative.

that being said

A transitional phrase, slightly more verbose.

in spite of that

Replaces 'despite' with 'in spite of', retaining a similar structure.

regardless

Indicates that something happens irrespective of something else.

irrespective of

Similar to 'regardless', but perhaps slightly more formal.

even though

Substitutes for the entire phrase with a single conjunction, clearer flow.

although

Similar to 'even though', but slightly more formal and concise.

however

Uses only one of the original conjunctions and creates a correct sentence.

FAQs

Is it correct to use "despite however" in a sentence?

No, the phrase "despite however" is grammatically incorrect. It's redundant because both words serve the same purpose of introducing a contrast. Use either "despite" or "however", but not both.

What's a better alternative to "despite however"?

Instead of "despite however", use alternatives such as "nevertheless", "nonetheless", or "even so" to express contrast.

Can I use "despite" and "however" together in different parts of the sentence?

Yes, you can use "despite" in one part of a sentence and "however" later in the sentence, as long as they are not directly next to each other and creating redundancy. For example: "Despite the rain, however, the event continued as planned."

How can I avoid redundancy when showing contrast in my writing?

To avoid redundancy, carefully select the most appropriate conjunction or transitional phrase to convey the contrast you intend. Avoid using multiple words that serve the same function, such as combining "despite" and "however".