But, if rationality is categorical, sometimes it feels as though categories may be a category error.

With this in mind, we might identify THEREFORE, THUS, and SO as antonyms for however.Among other things, rationality is the ability to make distinctions, to tell one thing from another, to know that x is not y. If however sees the clause which follows it swerving away from the clause which precedes it (as in the example ‘I looked in the garden however, the cat wasn’t there’), then good antonyms for however see the two clauses agreeing with each other: the latter one follows naturally and smoothly from the former.

Of course, if you’re writing historical fiction, it may be just the term you’re looking for! Whereas albeit has lasted, howbeit, which means roughly BE THAT AS IT MAY, has become largely obsolete and so is best avoided as an archaism or old-fashioned word. Using though (or although) arguably softens the blow of the criticism of the person’s singing in the second half of the sentence, in a way that however does not: however acts as performative throat-clearing before delivering the stinging indictment of the singer’s abilities, whereas though and although keep the emphasis slightly focused towards the start of the sentence, and the good news (‘He’s a good singer …’).Ī slightly more archaic synonym for however is HOWBEIT. For instance, ‘He’s a good singer however, he’s no Frank Sinatra’ could be rewritten quite easily to read, ‘He’s a good singer, (al)though he’s no Frank Sinatra’. THOUGH and ALTHOUGH are two more words which can be used more or less interchangeably with however. Remember to steer clear of ‘irregardless’, a word frowned upon because it makes no sense (the ir- prefix presumably negates the word regardless, so its meaning would be the opposite of ‘regardless’). Indeed, a suite of words which also convey this idea of just the same or notwithstanding are REGARDLESS, ANYHOW, ANYWAY, and EVEN SO. AFTER ALL also performs this function, as in Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene (1590): ‘Yet after all, he victour did suruiue’ means essentially, ‘however, he survived as victor’.

What ever synonym