trotz

See also: Trotz

German

Etymology

Shortened from zum Trotz (dem) or from constructions with the dative verb trotzen. Compare trotzdem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /trɔts/, [ˈtʰʁ̞̊ɔtʰs], [ˈtrots]

• Audio

  (file)

• Homophone: Trotts

Preposition

trotz (+ genitive or dative)

1. in spite of, despite

   Trotz aller Bemühungen ist es uns nicht gelungen, die Ziele des Projekts zu erreichen.

   Despite our best efforts, we were unable to succeed in achieving the project's objectives.

Usage notes

• Trotz originally governed the dative exclusively. Today, dative usage is predominant in colloquial German, whereas genitive usage is predominant in Standard German. This change is due to historical hypercorrection with a desire for an educated tone.

Derived terms

• nichtsdestotrotz
• trotzdem

Further reading

• “trotz” in Duden online
• “trotz” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache