despite
despite
preposition
/dɪˈspaɪt/
1 used to show that something happened or is true although something else might have happened to prevent it
SYNONYM in spite of
Her voice was shaking despite all her efforts to control it.
Despite applying for hundreds of jobs, he is still out of work.
She was good at physics despite the fact that she found it boring.
Language Bank however
​2 despite yourself used to show that somebody did not intend to do the thing mentioned
SYNONYM in spite of
He had to laugh despite himself.
Word Origin
Middle English (originally used as a noun meaning ‘contempt, scorn’ in the phrase in despite of): from Old French despit, from Latin despectus ‘looking down on’, past participle (used as a noun) of despicere, from de- ‘down’ + specere ‘look at’.
『あいづち・つなぎ語辞典』
譲歩対比～にもかかわらず; ～をものともせず ⇒ in spite of
思いもかけなかった対照を示し、even so; though; for all that など譲歩の概念区分に属するいくつかのつなぎ語と同様の意味を表す。ただし、in spite of ないし despite は、たとえば、in spite of this; in spite of what you say; despite her age などのように、後ろに目的語に相当する語句を伴う。