In most cases, the way I see it, these words mean the same thing in context:
- Whereas/although/while this car is old it is still very popular and pricey.
How do I choose one or another or is there no difference between them?
I mean, should it bother me to care to choose one and not any other in certain contexts?
Best Answer
Yes, these all are different words with different meanings. There are some circumstances where all three might work, but that doesn't mean all work in all circumstances.
Whereas is much more formal and is used in things like legal documents and formal proofs. It means the same as "given" or "presuming", and is really little more than a preface to some logical statement: "whereas A is true, we can conclude B".
Whereas can also be used to contrast two statements in much the same way as "but" or "however", in a more formal way: "Whereas A is true in one case, B is true in another"
Although is common and generally means despite or regardless of: "although* A may be true, it is not relevant to B".
While is common and generally means concurrent or included with: "while A may be true, B is also true".
Again, there is some overlap in many contexts, because each represents similar logic.