Word Study
despite
OXFORD DICTIONARY
despite, prep. & n.
--prep. in spite of.
--n. archaic or literary 1 outrage, injury.
2 malice, hatred (died of mere despite).
--prep. in spite of.
--n. archaic or literary 1 outrage, injury.
2 malice, hatred (died of mere despite).
Idiom
despite (or in despite) of archaic in spite of.
Derivative
despiteful adj.
Etymology
ME f. OF despit f. L despectus noun f. despicere (as DESPISE)
THESAURUS
despite
Schadenfreude, abhorrence, abomination, affront, airs, arrogance, aspersion, at all costs, at any cost, atrocity, audacity, aversion, bold front, boldness, brash bearing, brashness, brassiness, bravado, brazenness, brickbat, bumptiousness, cattiness, cheekiness, clannishness, cliquishness, cockiness, cold shoulder, contempt, contemptuousness, contumacy, contumely, cut, daring, daringness, defial, defiance, defying, derision, despisal, detestation, discourtesy, disdain, disdainfulness, disfavor, disgust, dislike, disparagement, disregard, distaste, dump, enormity, even with, flouting, gibe, gloating pleasure, grudge, harm, hate, hatred, hauteur, humiliation, hurt, ignoring, ill will, impertinence, impudence, in defiance of, in despite of, in spite of, incivility, indignity, injury, insolence, insult, irregardless, irrespective of, jeer, jeering, loathing, malevolence, maliciousness, malignancy, malignity, mock, mockery, notwithstanding, offense, outrage, pertness, put-down, rebuff, recalcitrance, regardless, regardless of, regardless of cost, rejection, repudiation, ridicule, sauciness, scoff, scorn, scornfulness, scurrility, slap, slight, sniffiness, snobbishness, snootiness, snottiness, snub, sovereign contempt, spite, spite of, spitefulness, spleen, spurning, stubbornness, superciliousness, taunt, toploftiness, uncomplimentary remark, unholy joy, withROGET THESAURUS
despite
Malevolence
N malevolence, bad intent, bad intention, unkindness, diskindness, ill nature, ill will, ill blood, bad blood, enmity, hate, malignity, malice, malice prepense, maliciousness, spite, despite, resentment, uncharitableness, incompassionateness, gall, venom, rancor, rankling, virulence, mordacity, acerbity churlishness, hardness of heart, heart of stone, obduracy, cruelty, cruelness, brutality, savagery, ferity, ferocity, barbarity, inhumanity, immanity, truculence, ruffianism, evil eye, cloven foot, torture, vivisection, ill turn, bad turn, affront, outrage, atrocity, ill usage, intolerance, persecution, tender mercies, unkindest cut of all, malevolent, unbenevolent, unbenign, ill-disposed, ill-intentioned, ill-natured, ill-conditioned, ill-contrived, evil-minded, evil- disposed, black-browed, malicious, malign, malignant, rancorous, despiteful, spiteful, mordacious, caustic, bitter, envenomed, acrimonious, virulent, unamiable, uncharitable, maleficent, venomous, grinding, galling, harsh, disobliging, unkind, unfriendly, ungracious, inofficious, invidious, uncandid, churlish, surly, sullen, cold, cold-blooded, cold-hearted, black-hearted, hard-hearted, flint-hearted, marble-hearted, stony-hearted, hard of heart, unnatural, ruthless, relentless, cruel, brutal, brutish, savage, savage as a bear, savage as a tiger, ferine, ferocious, inhuman, barbarous, barbaric, semibarbaric, fell, untamed, tameless, truculent, incendiary, bloodthirsty, atrocious, bloodyminded, fiendish, fiendlike, demoniacal, diabolic, diabolical, devilish, infernal, hellish, Satanic, Tartaran, malevolently, with bad intent, cruel as death, hard unkindness' alter'd eye, homo homini lupus, mala mens, malus animus, rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind, sharp-tooth'd unkindness.For further exploring for "despite" in Webster Dictionary Online