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The word "however" is used to lead off a sentence that counters a previous thought. Are there any alternative words or phrases that can substitute? I'm even looking for old English and obsolete words and phrases. I'm trying to add some creativity to my writing.
I'll start by including words that are nearly as tired:
Anyone have anything better?
You could replace however with but, still, yet, though, although, even so, for all that, despite that, in spite of that, anyway, anyhow, be that as it may, all the same, having said that, and (informal) still and all.
A variant of "nevertheless" is "nonetheless". You'll also find expressions such as "in contrast", "on the other hand", "despite that" which mean essentially the same thing. In legal contracts, you'll sometimes find slightly more long-winded expressions such as "notwithstanding the above", "notwithstanding the foregoing".
On the other hand
Contrarily
Notwithstanding
However (see what I did there?) these alternatives do not express exactly the same thing. Rather than pedantic proscriptive grammar, isn't it better to use the words we need, as they are widely understood, to express our thoughts as clearly as possible.
