Notwithstanding: What it Means and How to use it Best

Main Notwithstanding Takeaways:

• Notwithstanding means despite, nevertheless, however, or although.
• You can use this word as a preposition, as a conjunction, or as an adverb.
• A common legal phrase is “notwithstanding anything to the contrary.”
• Antonyms include because of, given, consequently, and accordingly.

Not and Withstanding stumble into a bar and flop dramatically over the counter. The barman says, “Is this some kind of dangling preposition?”

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Notwithstanding is a complex word. If you’re not sure what it means or when to use it, you’re not alone. In this guide, you’ll get a detailed notwithstanding definition as well as plenty of synonyms and antonyms. You’ll also see how and when to apply the word so you look (and sound) like a Pro.

What Does it Mean to say Notwithstanding?

Notwithstanding means despite, nevertheless, however, or although. In modern English, this term is used most commonly as a preposition (“His sprained ankle notwithstanding, Marcus hobbled over the finish line“). You can also use notwithstanding as a conjunction (“Nobody noticed the ancient book, notwithstanding its previous place in the museum display”) and as an adverb (“Bert hates the logo and the audio sequence, but we will press on notwithstanding“).

To understand and define notwithstanding properly, we need to pull it apart a little.

Many might expect that notwithstanding is made of three words: not, with, and standing.

In fact, it has its origins in two Middle English words: not and withstonding (from withstonden, meaning to withstand). A solid preposition in the 14th century, notwithstonding/notwithstanding slipped into common use as an adverb and a conjunction in the 15th century.

What Does Notwithstanding Mean in Legal Terms?

Notwithstanding generally means nevertheless, although, despite, or in spite of in legal writing. Its meaning in legal documents doesn’t change — it’s still just another word for nevertheless. “Notwithstanding anything to the contrary,” for example, means that a clause overrides anything that might later contradict it. This and other multisyllabic connectors like inasmuch are common in legal writing like contracts, official reports, judgments, and other legal documents.

Examples of the word notwithstanding in legal documents might include:

What is Another Word for Notwithstanding?

There are plenty of synonyms for notwithstanding in the thesaurus, and they include nevertheless, despite, regardless of, however, nonetheless, even so, whereas, albeit, and many more. The substitute word or phrase will depend on whether you’re using notwithstanding as a conjunction, an adverb, or a preposition.

The Best Notwithstanding Synonyms:

• At any rate
• However
• After all
• For all that
• Regardless of
• In any event
• At any rate
• In any case
• All the same
• Regardless
• Still
• Despite
• In spite of
• To the contrary
• Nevertheless
• Nonetheless
• Even
• But
• Although
• Yet
• Howbeit
• Though

In the following examples, we replaced the word notwithstanding with one of its synonyms, which you’ll see in bold:

Can you end a Sentence with Notwithstanding?

You can end a sentence with notwithstanding. Where this word appears in a sentence often depends on which part of speech it is. For example, when at the beginning of a sentence, it’s usually acting as a preposition (“Notwithstanding her lack of sleep, she gave a great performance”). When in the middle of a sentence, it’s usually a conjunction (“They hiked all morning, notwithstanding the rainy weather”). When you end a sentence with notwithstanding, it’s usually an adverb that helps add nuance to your statement (“He didn’t have time to review her resume. He hired her, notwithstanding”).

What Is the Opposite of Notwithstanding?

Antonyms of notwithstanding are a little harder to define, but they include: because of, thanks to, given, owing to, and in the wake of. Consequently, therefore, accordingly, and subsequently are also antonyms. Since notwithstanding means “regardless of,” the opposite is “because of.”

Opposites of notwithstanding include:

As a preposition:

• because of
• thanks to
• as a result of
• due to
• as a consequence of
• through
• given
• owing to
• on the basis of
• by reason of
• on the grounds of
• by virtue of
• on account of
• per
• by means of
• for the sake of
• in the wake of
• after

As a conjunction:

• considering
• given that
• being that
• seeing that
• after all

As an adverb:

• therefore
• hence
• consequently
• so
• thus
• ergo
• accordingly
• subsequently
• since
• as a result
• for this reason
• because of that/this
• that being the case
• that’s why
• on account of
• due to the fact
• as you can see

Here are some examples of opposites of notwithstanding in a sentence:

Wrapping Up

Some words are hard to grasp at first, but they’re genuinely useful when you get to know them. Notwithstanding your first impressions of notwithstanding, we hope you’ll make this versatile word part of your lexicon.

A Quick Notwithstanding Quiz to Help you Master it

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