In Spite Of

(idiomatic) Despite, irrespective of, notwithstanding.

Synonyms: maugre (obsolete), regardless of; despite

In spite of is at once three words and one preposition; as may be seen in the 1898 quotation above, it is not separated during preposition-stranding (hence “in spite of which […] ”, never *“of which […] in spite”), but it may sometimes be separated by an adverb (as in “in spite also of”).

The phrase is often misused where regardless of would be appropriate.