despite the span of

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "despite the span of" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate that something occurs or is true regardless of the duration or extent of something else. Example: "Despite the span of several years, the project remained unfinished due to lack of funding."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

Wallpapered in poetry quotations as it is, this isn't a Greatest Hits of English Verse show: despite the span-of-life theme, we don't hear Shakespeare's "seven ages of man" monologue, and in fact Shakespeare makes only a cameo appearance.

The New York Times

Over the span of more than 80 years, though, despite the carnage and the destruction, the lawyers, the politicians and the courts couldn't fathom that any law had been broken.

Huffington Post

All in the span of eight days.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

(The second in the span of two minutes of gameplay).

The Guardian - Sport

Over the span of.

Los Angeles Times

Over the span of a decade.

Huffington Post

The span of functionality never changes".

The Guardian - Tech

"That's the span of it.

The New York Times - Sports

This leaves the span of 26.6 32.6 weeks.

Evolutionary Applications

Despite the short span of the attacks, the platform was unable to recover, progress stalled and no other puzzle could be successfully assembled.

EPJ Data Science

Despite the lengthy span of Ebola's first-ever appearance in the three countries, there may be ways to look at the last two years with an optimistic spin.

Vice

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "despite the span of", ensure that the noun following 'span' clearly indicates a duration or extent, such as 'years', 'time', or 'distance'. This clarifies the relationship you're establishing.

Common error

Avoid using "despite the span of" when a simpler construction like "despite the length of" or "despite the duration" would suffice. Overly complex phrasing can make your writing sound pretentious.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "despite the span of" functions as a prepositional phrase, modifying a clause by indicating a concession or contrast. It introduces a condition that one might expect to prevent something from happening, yet it doesn't. Ludwig AI confirms the correctness and usability of the phrase.

Expression frequency: Missing

Frequent in

Science

0%

News & Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Science

0%

News & Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "despite the span of" is a grammatically correct prepositional phrase used to indicate that something occurs or remains true regardless of a specific duration or extent. Ludwig AI confirms that is a usable phrase. Due to the lack of examples in the provided data, its frequency is currently categorized as missing. While versatile, simpler alternatives like "despite the length of" are often preferable for conciseness. Its register is neutral, leaning toward formal, making it suitable for a range of writing contexts where precision is valued.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

despite the timeframe

Shortens the phrase by omitting "of".

regardless of the duration of

Replaces "despite" with "regardless of" and uses "duration" instead of "span".

in spite of the length of

Uses "in spite of" instead of "despite" and "length" instead of "span".

even given the length of

Highlights acceptance of something that holds true, even considering length.

notwithstanding the period of

Replaces "despite" with "notwithstanding" and uses "period" instead of "span".

even with the extent of

Emphasizes the 'extent' aspect, suggesting something holds true even considering a particular scope.

irrespective of the timeframe of

Substitutes "despite" with "irrespective of" and "span" with "timeframe".

in defiance of the period of

Adds a sense of resistance to the duration

regardless of how long

Simplifies the phrase to focus on the length of time.

no matter the duration of

Emphasizes that the duration does not affect the outcome.

FAQs

How can I use "despite the span of" in a sentence?

You can use "despite the span of" to indicate that something remains true or occurs regardless of a certain duration or extent. For example, "Despite the span of many years, the old house still stood strong."

What are some alternatives to "despite the span of"?

Some alternatives include "regardless of the duration of", "in spite of the length of", or "notwithstanding the period of".

Is "despite the span of time" redundant?

While not strictly redundant, "despite the span of time" can sometimes be simplified to "despite the time" or "despite the length of time" for conciseness.

What's the difference between "despite the span of" and "during the span of"?

"Despite the span of" indicates something happens regardless of the duration, while "during the span of" indicates something happens within that duration. They have opposite meanings.