despondency

American  

[dih-spon-duhn-see] / dɪˈspɒn dən si /

Also despondence

noun

1. state of being despondent; depression of spirits from loss of courage or hope; dejection.

   Synonyms:

   gloom, melancholy

   Antonyms:

   joy

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Related Words

See despair.

Other Word Forms

• predespondency noun

Etymology

Origin of despondency

First recorded in 1645–55; despond + -ency

Example Sentences

His was a platform that may well have been ideal for despondency.

From BBC

The initial excitement of a leadership contest and the opportunity to renew their party in opposition has given way, for many Conservative MPs, to a deep and deepening despondency.

From BBC

The group's UK Director, Luke Tryl, diagnoses a "despondency or misery about the state of Britain that doesn't feel sustainable".

From BBC

What you were left with at the end was a feeling of despondency at how poor Scotland actually were.

From BBC

"To get constant rejections just left me in an even deeper pit of despair and despondency."

From BBC