While and whilst are conjunction whose primary meaning is "during the time that". An example is: The days were hot while we were on vacation. While and whilst can nowadays legitimately be used in the contrastive sense of although or whereas, provided that it is not ambiguous (although some commentators, such as Eric Partridge, have frowned upon such use): While Sally plays, Sue works. This sentence can mean either "During the time that Sally plays, Sue works" or "Although Sally plays, Sue works". While and whilst Whilst is synonymous with while in standard British English and Australian English; in American English, it can be considered pretentious or archaic. In their style guides, modern publications on both sides of the Atlantic deprecate its use (along with "amidst" and