despite their commitment

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "despite their commitment" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate that something occurs or is true regardless of someone's dedication or promise to a cause or task. Example: "Despite their commitment to the project, the team was unable to meet the deadline."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

10 human-written examples

Despite their commitment and ideals, they had to defend their decision to stay.

The New York Times

The inspectors placed the blame firmly at the governors' door, saying: "Despite their commitment to the vision for the school, the governors have failed the parents of this community who have placed their trust in them".

The Guardian

In his speech to Demos on Tuesday, the shadow chancellor George Osborne claimed that the Conservatives were the progressive force in British politics – despite their commitment to restrain public spending.

The Guardian - Opinion

"Failures in leadership and management are at the heart of the school's dysfunctional situation," the Ofsted report said, adding: "Despite their commitment to the vision for the school, the governors have failed the parents of this community who have placed their trust in them".

The Guardian

Asked whether Mr. Arafat could use those funds to purchase weapons, the Arab League general secretary, Amr Moussa, avoided a direct answer and said, "Fifty-five millionots not even enough to buy food, how could they buy weapons?" Despite their commitment to a peace strategy, the Arab ministers made two decisions indicating they were considering stronger collective action.

The New York Times

In a poll in May, nearly 40% of Serbs agreed that their leader, while imperfect, was a better bet than any of his foes.This suggests that, despite their commitment to the "smart sanctions" that are meant to squeeze the guilty while sparing the innocent, the EU and other western institutions have failed to get their message across to the Serbs over the head of their leader.

The Economist

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

50 human-written examples

In short, there has been no attempt to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in the military and security doctrines of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, despite their commitments under the NPT.

The Economist

Despite their commitments to go all-in on plug-in cars, car companies are doing almost nothing to sell EVs.

HuffPost

Despite their commitments, they left Gunnar to fend for himself, pulling the financial rug right out from under his dream.

Huffington Post

Despite their undeniable commitment and determination, there are obvious disadvantages to this reliance on homecare workers.

The Guardian

Big goals may seem overly ambitious or abstract, particularly at a time when Russia and the United States cannot agree on the issue of imported poultry despite their public commitment to a new relationship, and the European Union still denies Russian citizens visa-free travel.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "despite their commitment" to highlight a surprising or unexpected outcome, where the expected result of dedication is not achieved.

Common error

Avoid using "despite their commitment" when there is no clear contrast or unexpected outcome. Ensure that the sentence clearly indicates a situation where the commitment did not lead to the anticipated result.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "despite their commitment" functions as a prepositional phrase that introduces a contrast or concession. It sets up an expectation that commitment should lead to a positive outcome, but then indicates that something different occurred. As Ludwig AI confirms, it is a usable and correct English phrase.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

30%

Formal & Business

15%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

5%

Wiki

5%

Reference

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "despite their commitment" is a correct and usable prepositional phrase used to introduce a contrast, where an expected positive outcome from dedication does not occur. Ludwig AI confirms its validity, and real-world examples show its use across various contexts, particularly in news, scientific, and business writing. While there are several alternatives, such as "in spite of their dedication" or "regardless of their promise", it's important to ensure the context clearly highlights the contrast to avoid misusing the phrase. Despite being somewhat uncommon, its precise meaning and versatile application make it a valuable tool in expressing complex ideas.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

notwithstanding their dedication

Replaces "commitment" with "dedication" and "despite" with "notwithstanding" offering a more formal tone.

in spite of their pledge

Substitutes "commitment" with "pledge" and "despite" with "in spite of", maintaining a similar meaning but altering the wording.

even with their devotion

Replaces "despite" with "even with" and "commitment" with "devotion", shifting the emphasis slightly to the degree of dedication.

regardless of their promise

Emphasizes the lack of influence of the promise, slightly altering the focus from overcoming an obstacle.

irrespective of their obligation

Uses more formal vocabulary to convey a similar meaning, highlighting that the obligation does not change the outcome.

yet they remained dedicated

Shifts the sentence structure, highlighting the sustained dedication despite an implied negative consequence.

although they were devoted

Introduces a concessive clause, focusing on the contrast between devotion and an implied opposing factor.

however much they tried

Emphasizes the effort exerted, implying a failure or lack of success despite the attempt.

for all their dedication

Highlights the entirety of their dedication, implying that it was insufficient or ineffective.

with all their heart

Focuses intensely on the emotional aspect of the dedication, but the sentence lacks information.

FAQs

How can I use "despite their commitment" in a sentence?

Use "despite their commitment" to show a contrast between someone's dedication and an unexpected outcome. For example, "Despite their commitment, the project failed to meet its deadline".

What are some alternatives to "despite their commitment"?

Alternatives include "in spite of their dedication", "notwithstanding their efforts", or "regardless of their promise".

Is it better to use "despite their commitment" or "in spite of their commitment"?

Both "despite their commitment" and "in spite of their commitment" are grammatically correct and have similar meanings. The choice often depends on personal preference or the desired tone of the writing.

What's the difference between "despite their commitment" and "because of their commitment"?

"Despite their commitment" indicates a contrast or unexpected outcome, while "because of their commitment" indicates that the commitment was the cause of something. They have opposite meanings.