despair
Americannoun
-
loss of hope; hopelessness.
- Synonyms:
- disheartenment, gloom
- Antonyms:
- hope
-
someone or something that causes hopelessness.
He is the despair of his mother.
verb (used without object)
-
despairs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
despaired,
past participle, past
-
despairing
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
despairs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
despaired,
past participle, past
-
despairing
present participle
verb
-
to lose or give up hope
I despair of his coming
-
obsolete (tr) to give up hope of; lose hope in
noun
-
total loss of hope
-
a person or thing that causes hopelessness or for which there is no hope
Usage
What does despair mean? To despair is to lose all hope. Despair can also be used as a noun meaning complete hopelessness. Despair usually involves deep sadness and emotional pain about something that has happened or that hasn’t happened—something usually triggers the despair. This is especially the case in serious and very negative situations that involve finality, such as death or a devastating loss in a political election. The verb despair implies that one is giving up—that they believe there is nothing more to be done to make things better. When someone says, “Don’t despair,” they’re telling you not to lose hope—to keep trying or to believe that things can improve. When used as a verb, despair is sometimes followed by the word of and the thing for which hope has been lost, as in I have despaired of her ever coming back. Much less commonly, despair can be used as a noun referring to someone or something that causes despair, as in He is the despair of the nation. The word despairing can be used as an adjective to describe people who are experiencing despair or things that involve despair, as in a despairing look. Example: He was filled with despair at the sight of the scoreboard, which showed an insurmountable lead with only minutes left.
Synonym Usage
Despair, desperation, despondency, discouragement, hopelessness refer to a state of mind caused by circumstances that seem too much to cope with. Despair suggests total loss of hope, which may be passive or may drive one to furious efforts, even if at random: in the depths of despair; courage born of despair. Desperation is usually an active state, the abandonment of hope impelling to a furious struggle against adverse circumstances, with utter disregard of consequences: an act of desperation when everything else had failed. Despondency is a state of deep gloom and disheartenment: a spell of despondency. Discouragement is a loss of courage, hope, and ambition because of obstacles, frustrations, etc.: His optimism yielded to discouragement. Hopelessness is a loss of hope so complete as to result in a more or less permanent state of passive despair: a state of hopelessness and apathy.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
despairsimple
-
despairssimple
-
have despairedperfect
-
has despairedperfect
-
am despairingprogressive
-
are despairingprogressive
-
is despairingprogressive
-
have been despairingperfect progressive
-
has been despairingperfect progressive
Past
-
despairedsimple
-
had despairedperfect
-
was despairingprogressive
-
were despairingprogressive
-
had been despairingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of despair
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English despeir (noun), despeiren (verb), from Anglo-French despeir, Old French despoir (noun), desperer (verb), from Latin dēspērāre “to be without hope,” from dē- de- + spērāre “to hope” (derivative of spēs “hope”)
Explanation
Despair is the feeling of not having any hope left. If you completely forgot to study for your final exam in math, you might feel despair when your teacher passes out the test. Despair can also refer to someone or something that causes you to worry or be sad. Unfortunately, some children are the despair of their parents. The verb despair means to lose hope. Despair is from Latin desperare "to be without hope," from the prefix de- "without" plus sperare "to hope," from spes "hope."
Vocabulary lists containing despair
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"It's absolutely heartbreaking. It really is emotionally devastating, because it's utter despair: no more lake," said amateur local historian David Favre, who lives in the Swiss village of Les Brenets.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
But even “A Different World” hit its limits when it plunged the audience inside the Black folks’ shock and despair after the 1992 Los Angeles uprising.
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026
He said he saw Diana's "tears of despair" when describing the impact of media coverage on her, adding she was "very, very sensitive to criticism".
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
In nearly three years since the brutal attack on Israel, American Jews have been experiencing unprecedented trauma and despair, with escalating antisemitism around the world and across our own country.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
“O dear me!” said I, as if I found myself compelled to give up Biddy in despair.
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
Now 27, she despairs when hearing another Cornell president talk about reforming the Greek system.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Kakar despairs at the plight of Afghans who remain in Pakistan.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 28, 2024
When they finally make it to their destination and find they’ll be sharing it with an unexpected houseguest, Leon grumbles and despairs of getting anything done.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2023
The pick of the litter is probably the problematic Seamus, who despairs at how terms like “witness and legacy of violence and valid” transform class into “a tribunal for war crimes.”
From New York Times ● May 21, 2023
“I will name him. Yes. I will name this mouse Despereaux, for all the sadness, for the many despairs in this place. Now, where is my mirror?”
From "The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread" by Kate DiCamillo
Several MPs the BBC spoke to despaired that such a significant social change could hinge on their colleagues' diary commitments.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
He despaired about how to collect the boys, unsure he could obtain a U.S. visa, court documents showed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
But closer to the high-security perimeter, a crowd of worshippers despaired as police officers blocked their route.
From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026
In the early, chaotic days of the COVID-19 pandemic, transitional-kindergarten teacher Elizabeth Lam despaired.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2025
I feared for his life; I despaired that he should ever rise from his bed again; and I could not abide the hunger.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
The bolder choice would have been to commit to expressing the despairing lessons of this world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Despite facing notable challenges and coming of age in a culture infected by “big woe,” or an onslaught of despairing information, Moore believes there is still reason for young people to be optimistic.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
Mr. Page expresses such deep, despairing horror that, for a few minutes at least, this minor tragedy rises to heights of harrowing feeling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026
This was Spurs in microcosm with mistake piled upon mistake – the self-destruct button pressed with despairing regularity.
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026
Then we had another one of these new, despairing silences.
From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
