Learning the Meaning of Usage of Albeit

Albeit belongs to the conjunction class of words, and it is used to mean “even though,” “though,” or “even if.” It is also roughly synonymous with “in spite of,” “despite,” “notwithstanding,” and “although.” Although regarded as archaic, it is beginning to have its way back into modern-day writing. It is mainly planted between two clauses to bring about contrast or a turn of events.

Example

Mark is loved by all, albeit his being hostile.

The expression in the main clause above is one that portrays a positive impression, while the subordinate clause introduced by “albeit” introduces an idea that contrasts the main clause. Love and hostility are two incongruous ideas, hence the use of albeit to create a sharp contrast.

It could also be rewritten using the synonyms listed above.

Mark is loved by all, despite his being hostile.

Mark is loved by all, although he is hostile.

Mark is loved by all, even though he is hostile.

Aside from the above definition, albeit differs from the other conjunctions by being less commonly used on its own.

Albeit in a sentence

Using albeit in a sentence requires an understanding of sentence structure. Albeit is typically used in formal writing as a conjunctive adverb and, therefore, wouldn’t be used without a comma before it. Here are a few examples of albeit in sentences.

Sophie is a great friend, albeit a bit of a nut.

Although he earned two degrees, he’s never been employed.

How to use Albeit

Albeit is used to join two clauses together: the main clause and a subordinate clause, where the subordinate clause states an action opposite the main clause. In other words, when we use albeit, we want to say that the subordinate clause is contrary to the main clause.

Albeit is apparently used as a negative conjunction to show that the action of a subordinate clause is not in accordance with the main clause. The grammatical name for the kind of clauses introduced by albeit is the concession clause.

To use albeit in a sentence, you should identify the main clause and mark it as distinct from the subordinate clause while you label your subordinate clause as A. Replace A with the word “albeit” and re-write the sentence.

Let us illustrate it using the following

Main clause: Mark is loved by all.

Subordinate clause: (A) He is being hostile.

Result: Mark is loved by all, albeit his being hostile.

Albeit and although

Albeit and although are roughly synonymous, they cannot be used interchangeably in all cases. “Although” can be used at the beginning of an independent clause, “albeit” does not possess such grammatical power.

This is why it is correct to say:

Stella’s uncle got her a beautiful dress, although she performed below expectation in the last competition.

But incorrect to say:

Stella’s uncle got her a dress, albeit she performed below expectation in the last exam.

Our English tutor online can help you more with using these words correctly when writing or speaking. LiveXP offers more than 1000 English tutors to choose to learn a language.