Talk:while

Is while synonymous with "although" or "even though"?

It is subtle, but I don't believe while is really used to mean "although", even in the sample cited on this page. "even though" is closer to what is meant there, and retains the sense of "occurring at the same time". I think it may be misleading for the translations to have it listed as perfectly synonymous with "although".

Tormod 17:32, 15 October 2011 (UTC)

One of our definitions at (deprecated template usage) although says "even though". Equinox ◑ 17:34, 15 June 2011 (UTC)

Meaning of while depending on the position in a sentence?

It seems to me that very often while means "although" when in the start of the sentence, or in this kind of a position as in the article's example: This case, while interesting, is a bit frustrating. Can it mean "although" being in a very different place, like this: The .... has continued, while the ... has increased; or is it quite certain that here it means "during the same time"? If yes, is this a rule?

No, here it would always mean "during the time that". To use while to mean although, the sentence would have to be turned around: While the ... has increased, the ... has also continued. Robhogg 09:38, 7 October 2008 (UTC)

as long as

what meaning(s) of as long as are syonyms of while? --Backinstadiums (talk) 14:53, 6 April 2020 (UTC)

soon

Soon, shortly, in a while, imminently. Apparently all these are synonyms. --Backinstadiums (talk) 10:36, 29 June 2021 (UTC)

RFV discussion: November 2021

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while

RFV verb sense:

(transitive, archaic) To occupy or entertain (someone) in order to let time pass.

Seeking examples that conclusively support this sense and cannot be interpreted as variant spellings or misspellings of "wile". Previously discussed at Wiktionary:Tea_room/2021/November#while. Mihia (talk) 22:18, 15 November 2021 (UTC)

I have added a representative sample of what I found to the entry. We seem to have both this sense and an alt form of wile. Both are cited. Kiwima (talk) 08:48, 16 November 2021 (UTC)

Thanks for looking at this. I feel that "whiled me half through a waltz" is probably a misprint for "whirled". I feel doubtful now about "he whiled her on by the impossible task of teaching him her version", partly because of the word "on". The "like a good father" quote seems moderately convincing, but even here "wile" seems theoretically possible. Anyway, let's see what others think. Pinging @RDBury who expressed doubts in the tea room discussion. Regarding the "Alternative form of wile" sense, presently we present this as a valid alternative spelling, yet may it instead be a misspelling (or old spelling)? Mihia (talk) 11:14, 16 November 2021 (UTC)

Furthermore, the example "whiling me as it often does from by the melting of the snow on the my pen or book to gaze upon its loveliness" is an example of the garbling that occurs when Google fails to recognise multi-column text. When corrected to "whiling me as it often does from my pen or book to gaze upon its loveliness", it seems clear that this is the "wile" sense, so I'll move that one. Mihia (talk) 17:34, 19 November 2021 (UTC)

RFV-passed Kiwima (talk) 18:28, 26 November 2021 (UTC)

RFD discussion: November 2021

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while

To loiter. - seems redundant to first sense MooreDoor (talk) 12:43, 5 November 2021 (UTC)

I tend to agree, being familiar with while away - unless someone can come up with some plausible quotes. Should this go to RFV? DonnanZ (talk) 10:49, 6 November 2021 (UTC)

The first sense is transitive, while "loiter" is intransitive. Yes, I think it should go to RFV. Mihia (talk) 15:08, 13 November 2021 (UTC)

• deleted Notusbutthem (talk) 23:46, 27 November 2021 (UTC)

I have no idea who Notusbutthem is, but deletion shouldn't have occurred yet. DonnanZ (talk) 00:28, 28 November 2021 (UTC)

Allegedly Wonderfool. See also these two out-of-process deletions: diff, diff Fytcha (talk) 01:04, 28 November 2021 (UTC)

Notus + butt + hem? No, that's rebracketing, but it's more fun that way... Chuck Entz (talk) 03:14, 28 November 2021 (UTC)

So MooreDoor and Notusbutthem are the same person. Very dodgy. DonnanZ (talk) 09:21, 28 November 2021 (UTC)

"while" racial profiling definition

I'm not very convinced that (media, public policy) Used to denote an individual experiencing racial profiling when performing a seemingly benign activity" is an independent definition of "while" that cannot be understood from the other set of definitions. Indeed, we do see usages like "playing while white", "mentoring while white", and similar phrases where it could be understood as just "while being white". Compare the two usages we have:

"Driving while intoxicated is against the law."

"He was [... s]hopping while black."

It doesn't look to me like they're doing anything more than the same usage of "while [ADJ]". Qwed117 (talk) 11:39, 12 November 2022 (UTC)

This has been generalized from driving while black. I can see both sides of the issue: on the one hand, the meaning of the figurative usage is obvious from the literal meaning, but on the other, there's an implicit allusion to the legal term "driving while intoxicated". The implication is that being black is considered a state that renders certain activities illegal and criminal in the same way as being intoxicated renders driving illegal and criminal. There's also an inherent incongruity involved due the fact that intoxication is the result of behavior and being black isn't. It's more subtle and complicated than sarcastic usage, which we indeed don't treat as separate. Chuck Entz (talk) 17:49, 12 November 2022 (UTC)