Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- prep. Archaic Notwithstanding; in spite of.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. Ill-will; spite.
- In spite of; notwithstanding.
- To defy.
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. obsolete To defy.
Etymologies
- From Middle English, from Anglo-Norman malgré, from mal ("bad") + gre ("pleasure", "grace") (from Old French, from Latin gratum) (Wiktionary)
- Middle English, from Old French : mal-, mau-, bad; see mal- + gre, liking, pleasure (from Latin grātum, from neuter of grātus, pleasing; see gwerə-2 in Indo-European roots). (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Nevertheless, such were the Charms of the young Favorella, that maugre all the oppositions of Reason and Interest, he was forced to comply with this Passion, in the Espousing her.”
“So it behoveth thee to be joyful hereat and contented, for that I am become to thee as a son, maugre my more of age, an thou to me as a dear father, despite thy tenderness of years, and it hath become incumbent on me to do mine utmost endeavour in all thou commandest me.”
“Jupiter out of heaven, but all they together could not stir him, and yet he could draw and turn them as he would himself; maugre all the force and fury of these infernal fiends, and crying sins,”
“Nature says, — he is my creature, and maugre all his impertinent griefs, he shall be glad with me.”
“Master Tressilian, I shall proceed, maugre all the gibes and quips of this valiant soldier, who, peradventure, hath had more cuffs than crowns in the”
“The irregular appearance and vanishing of these small parties of horsemen, as well as the confusion occasioned by those who endeavoured, though generally without effect, to press to the front through the crowd of Highlanders, maugre their curses, oaths, and opposition, added to the picturesque wildness what it took from the military regularity of the scene.”
“For the mountaynes ben so hye and so streghte up, that thei moste abyde there, maugre hire myghte.”
“But great number of folk ne may not do so, for the mountains be so high and so straight up, that they must abide there, maugre their might.”
“And the dragon bare the knight upon a rock, maugre his head; and from that rock, she cast him into the sea.”
““By Saint Thomas of Kent,” said he, “an I buckle to my gear, I will teach thee, sir lazy lover, to mell with thine own matters, maugre thine iron case there!””
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘maugre’.
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phrontistery - m
from phrontistery.info
malm, marc, marl, maya, mazy, meet, mel, mew, mewling, mho, miasma, micaceous and 898 more...
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preposition
Collection of prepositions! Inspired by AWAD week of 3 - 9 Nov 2008.
pace, maugre, ere, circa, chez, about, above, across, after, against, among, around and 24 more...
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SoSheShall's list
slurp, coeur, slurple, glop, perp, fluarxx, ropechno, herrherr, burrduhherrherr, sloppy, cheezie balls, eccentric and 634 more...
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kringlan's Words
fecund, riposte, nebbish, nonpareil, deign, eschew, imbroglio, spelunking, fop, foofaraw, tundra, talon and 128 more...
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ADW1
obdurate, obstinate, behest, injunction, enjoin, circumspect, ensconce, discursive, lugubrious, doleful, somber, ken and 2476 more...
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miltonic
liberty, froth-becurlèd, host, huge-bellied, aghast, rills, gladsom, wrathfull, ordain, thunder-clasping, ruddy, warble and 264 more...
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Archaic
Because they just don't make 'em like they used to.
comeling, circuition, assentment, advisement, accompts, apertness, larum, soothfastness, deperdition, marish, covin, tinct and 166 more...
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Thomas's Words
argus-eyed, chasmophile, extirpate, aperitif, outre, repartee, schadenfreude, insouciant, joie de vivre, callipygian, cavil, ad hominem and 147 more...
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Wordie/Wordnik Curio Cabinet
Oddments culled from my "main" lists that belong in a display cabinet of their own, plus sundry other curiosities. :-)
zeugma, ziggurat, xiphoid, xeric, whizgigging, whangdoodle, viviparous, vivific, vinolent, verjuice, vellicate, velleity and 1193 more...
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19 c.
some of the interesting words i've had to look up while reading 19th century lit
maugre, connate, alembic, azote, vaticination, valetudinarian, dight, scutcheon, lammergeyer, chamois, asseverate, prebendary and 199 more...
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Baron Luke's Collection
An assortment of words, which, when used, should inject some vibrancy into your day, hopefully expunging any ennui!
expunge, cogitate, elucidate, post-haste, rebarbative, recalcitrant, smite, absquatulate, forlorn, thole, nefarious, insubordination and 124 more...
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today's word
copemate, quiddity, ere, maugre, argal, cultivar, exurb, spokesmodel, rollick, logy, cadastral, corpulent and 259 more...
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King Lear
Some less-than-common words, significant themes, or excellent phrases from my favourite play.
moiety, brazed, champain, felicitate, interess, propinquity, betwixt, sith, forevouch, wat'rish, benison, ingraff and 111 more...
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persnickety parlance
behoove, ebullient, insouciant, insipient, froth, quandary, quixotic, tendril, maktub, furrow, furl, anastrophe and 1076 more...
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rememberers
prolix, ageusia, animadversion, anodyne, antic, arabesque, beadle, brachymetropia, colophon, desquamation, diaphoresis, diegesis and 3248 more...
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Ulysses
This is a list of the more difficult English words found in James Joyce's Ulysses. It will continually be updated as I read along. The list is in reverse chronological order, meaning that the last ...
equine, untonsured, corpuscle, prelate, parapet, dactyl, jejune, lancet, jalap, barbican, valise, dewsilky and 377 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for maugre.

bilby "Well, said the seven knights, sithen ye say so, there shall never lady nor knight pass this castle but they shall abide maugre their heads, or die therefor, till that knight be come by whom we shall lose this castle."
- Thomas Malory, 'The Holy Grail'. Sep 8, 2009
jaime_d I first saw this word used by RW Emerson: "Nature says--he is my creature, and maugre all his impertinent griefts, he shall be glad to see me." Dec 26, 2006
brtom I through the ample Air in Triumph high
Shall lead Hell Captive maugre Hell, and show
The powers of darkness bound.
Milton, Paradise Lost III Dec 18, 2006